Improving the Left Hook?

[Snowblind]

I have been training my left hook for a while. I've triede different ways of throwing it from a Muay Thai stance, Bas' style, and boxing style. What's your opinion on the best way to throw it? In Muay Thai they say to turn your left foot, hip and shoulder all in when you throw, but in boxing no one ever mentioned that to me.

 

[Michael Wanaka]

I have been training my left hook for a while. I've triede different ways of throwing it from a Muay Thai stance, Bas' style, and boxing style. What's your opinion on the best way to throw it? In Muay Thai they say to turn your left foot, hip and shoulder all in when you throw, but in boxing no one ever mentioned that to me.

You do that in boxing too. Boxing is the way to go.

 

[Brendon Katz]

boxers get paid millions of dollars 2 hit each other. if there was a better way of throwin a left hook , theyd all b doin it. that said, make sure its a worthwhile boxin gym, no gym worth its salt would neglect to include body mechanics in teachin punches.

 

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

Michael is correct - for boxing, you should be pivoting your front (normally left) foot, almost so your heel kind of flares out at the end, and your full body weight should pivot behind the punch. Boxing is definitely the way to go for throwing hooks.

Also, bend a bit at your knees to make sure you keep your balance properly (you should be able to throw and miss your target and not be off balance), and remember to throw it, and then immediately pull back into guard. Some people tend to throw their hook, and leave it out there, or drag it back....it should come back crisply and cleanly.

 

[Doughbelly]

I have been training my left hook for a while. I've triede different ways of throwing it from a Muay Thai stance, Bas' style, and boxing style. What's your opinion on the best way to throw it? In Muay Thai they say to turn your left foot, hip and shoulder all in when you throw, but in boxing no one ever mentioned that to me.

I think you might have said that backwards. The traditional Thai left hook has little to no turn-in with the front foot, the boxing left hooks, you really turn in. The reason you don't in Thai are for a number of reasons, starting with the stance but more importantly, the risk of leg kicks.

 

[OpethDrums]

what Michael Wanaka (wakka wakka wakka, muppet babies) said is true..

 

[TommyHearns]

a a

 

[Marvin Covar]

do it with the boxing stance, for sure.

 

[monkey roll]

you don't really want to pivot your front in Muay Thai. one of my fav combos end with a left hook and right kick. i don't think i could do that fast if i pivot my front foot.

 

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

you don't really want to pivot your front in Muay Thai. one of my fav combos end with a left hook and right kick. i don't think i could do that fast if i pivot my front foot.

Thats a good combo to end with, Hoost apparently used it frequently to setup his low kick.

The difference you are talking about is probably better categorized as less a style issue and more what the purpose of the hook is though. In this case, its a deceptive setup for the kick - you are less concerned with how much power the hook is actually creating vs. using it as a setup to quickly go into a kick. You can't throw the hook with significant power unless you put your body weight behind it, which requires the foot pivot.

For hook to kick combos, you are mainly swiveling your upper body with the hook (my trainer used to call it a "loose" hook to differentiate between it and a regular hook), and its goal is not that the hook will do much damage on its own, but rather it forces a reaction from the opponent (hopefully) and loads your upper body to swivel back bringing the kick along with it, and the kick is really the power part for the combo.

If you are just throwing the hook and want it to land with max power, whether MT or boxing, you'll need to pivot the front foot as thats essential to getting your hips/full body weight behind the punch.

 

[Kamehameha]

A lot of people neglect to turn their palm downward as they throw the lead hook to the head, even trained boxers. It's important not only to have full power, but also to brace ur wrist so it doesn't break (90% of rookie injuries are their wrists, from improper punching technique notably the hook). U can sorta see it from my av. Trinidad had superb hooks.

 

[Jorgergor]

Bas workout is great for mostly everything u should give it a try!!

 

[pistachio22]

Pivot with everything you got. I was taught to turn so my left knee was pointing at my right, while exchanging my weight to my back leg so i'm kind of sitting on it.
A nice drill for rotation is to stand facing away from a wall, about a foot away & just turn touching the wall behind the oposite shoulder with your palm. Nice & slow, it makes you turn all your body.

 

[Robert D]

Another reason to have your palm facing downwards is so that you will connect with the 2 big knuckles.
Obviously if you punch with the palm facing you, then the 2 knuckles will connect further up the face than the jaw.

 

[eLbo85]

Another reason to have your palm facing downwards is so that you will connect with the 2 big knuckles.
Obviously if you punch with the palm facing you, then the 2 knuckles will connect further up the face than the jaw.

i disagree!
i am experimenting with my left hook lately and when i do it with palm facing the ground i often connect with my little pinky finger knuckle! i know this is a distance issue but the risk of hurting your little finger is big imo.
so when i am in the infight i do the standard left hook with palm facing the ground and elbow bent 90

 

[Jaxx]

i disagree!
i am experimenting with my left hook lately and when i do it with palm facing the ground i often connect with my little pinky finger knuckle! i know this is a distance issue but the risk of hurting your little finger is big imo.
so when i am in the infight i do the standard left hook with palm facing the ground and elbow bent 90

 

[chlorox]

I think that it is a matter of choice...you can throw hooks with both vertical and horizontal fists....the former is a lttle better when you have more distance (less chance of hitting with the pinkie). Just go with what your trainer says for now

 

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

Imagine holding a mug in your hand in front of you, your palm should face you. As you raise the mug to drink out of it your palm will face the ground. In short, hooks to body use vertical fist and hooks to the head use horizontal fists.

I agree with this - this is also why I was taught to throw hooks this way, because its anatomically correct, since that is how your hand moves naturally.

 

[Michael Wanaka]

It really just depends on how far away you are. If the opponent is close, I use palm facing down. If he's further away i'll use the vertical fist because I don't want to hit with my pinky knuckle.

 

[sasquatch989]

I've found that when you first learn the techniques you are actually exaggerating the pivot in your hook. As you learn to turn your hips into the punches and kicks, you tend to find more subtle ways to get your power from your hips and shoulders. That said, when you are throwing a hook and looking to follow up with say, a roundhouse or a right cross, then you will actually pivot a bit less than if you were looking at a clear shot with a hook and follow through all the way. So, I say learn the pivot, then take your style and strategy and make it work for you.