Appreciate the feedback, thanks! I'm a natural southpaw, why?
Anyways, I definitely have a hard time doing my hooks in combinations on the bag. Can never quite figure out how to shorten my cross enough to throw a follow-up hook without moving my head forward (though, a lot of those were actually attempts at overhands, not crosses). And I like practicing my rear hook because I'd like to square up inside. Not sure if it's bad practice with that in mind.
I said that because your lead hand much better than rear. Your rear Gand doesn’t look very natural. Maybe it’s the bulky midsection fking up the rotation ?
I dunno. Never really seen 300 pounders go at it. Well, seen a few but never paid any attention.
You don’t need to shorten up your left to throw a hook. I mean you can but you shouldn’t need to. It’s all in the rotation / weight transfer. Another thing probably fkn it up is most likely because you handgrip your chin too far forward on the cross.
Try sitting back a bit on the left.
That rear hook you’re throwing, not to get too much into right now but that’s a bag punch. Meaning it’s working on the bag because the bag dont move or hit back or even react.
You’d never really land it in sparring or in the ring. The rear hook has a place but not like that or even when it is you say you’re throwing it. You’re not even inside like you think you are. You’re more mid - close range. Still too far out.
You’d best be served keeping that rear straight. Especially as a southpaw. A southpaw's left is best kept straight. When it land on the regular you can think of crossing it or going around his rear glove but that’s with a drop step and kept long.
And that’s another thing. It’s a straight not a cross. Cross is generally for guys in similar stances. You cross his jab. You can try crossing a right but it’s a great way to get popped in the mouth. Best to shift left and throw a straight down the pike.
Southpaws straight.
Another reason why ? Your rear hand …..which is furthest away from me…..is trying to get over and land on my far side angled away from you. That punch has to cover the most distance and gives me more time go see it. That’s why a straight (shortest distance between two points) has the best chance of landing.
Compare that to similar stances where your rear hand ….furthest away from me…is however aiming at the point / angle of my body closest to you. So less distance.
That’s why you’ll usually see the top southpaws usually have beautiful straights lefts and not so much looping as more orthodox fighters do and that’s another reason why orthodox fighters have a harder time landing their right on a southpaw, if it not a well schooled straight hand.
I dunno if that was very clear.
And another thing, you shouldn’t be squaring up on the inside like you just said you like to do.
A) because that’s not what you do on the inside. That’s a great way to get ripped up and
B) opposite stances should generally avoid inside fighting unless you really know wtf you’re doing and that includes pros.
Why ? Because you’re both naturally open to each other and it’s a crap shoot as to who’ll catch an uppercut or shot to the chin or sternum.
Especially as a heavyweight.
Hit them going in then tie up. Hit them on tie up with your free hand if you want but keep your chin on his traps (yup, that far back) hips glued to his.