Old School left hook

[Vilo Magee]

First this type of hook takes a little time to perfect and it goes against what some people may teach but it is very compact and powerfull and hard to see coming even if you are slow handed.
First it is one of a few punches that changes how you hold you hands-Hands are up to where middle knuckle touches cheek bone
To throw hook your elbow stays in tight to your body not horizontal across face like most teach.
When hook is thrown your fist is facing the opponent so you are looking down on top knuckle.
Wrsit is turn in slightly so when it lands only your top two knuckles hit flesh.
When you throw the hook it is very shortand wrist should pass along your eyes sight on its way to your target
You must use left foor turn so all weight is on back leg
the power comes from the rotation of the left foot turn and how stiff your left forearm, shoulder wrist is.
You can with time lengthen the hook up by starting punch with middle knuckle out from cheek bone but this takes time to learn.
At first the hook will have little power and seem mor like a push but you will know when you are doing it with force because your obliques, shoulder and forearm will be sore if you do it enough times. also the punch will not make a slapping sound on bag it will be a solid thud.
You have to make sure you are not off balance after the punch which means you have to transfer all weight from back leg to front leg after punch lands which is what creates all the force.
it almost will look like a semi uppercut but it isnt. One day i will try to post a video of it to explain better. but if you guys need clasrification just ask and i will try to explain further

 

[tamburello]

What if you're a southpaw like myself?

 

[Ian Coe]

Is this the kind of hook I see ricky hatton throw in abundance?

 

[Sinister]

What if you're a southpaw like myself?

Reverse the directions of everything.

 

[scorcho]

Hmm, I'm not sure I really followed that.

 

[Sinister]

It's hard to describe the kind of hook he's talking about. Not a lot of people throw it nowadays, mostly guys who are consistent punchers despite not being wholly powerful. Erik Morales, Antonio Margarito, and Alexis Arguello specifically used this type of hook when on the outside, and all of them are good Boxers at a distance. The punch usually seems to come from the shoulder, and the back-foot pivot, hip, and shoulder rotations are what generate the power and speed, which is why this punch is good for guys who are not particluarly fast OR strong. This technique makes for a solid hook no matter how you throw it. But like Boom said in the other thread it does put a lot of stress on the wrist because of it's odd wrist-positioning. I don't use it because I have quick hands and hit with good pop anyway, but I know how to do it and would use it if I needed to.

If you ever get a hold of footage of any of the Boxers I listed Shadowboxing you can see how it's done visually.

 

[carped33z]

i think i know what he means. this is an underused and underpracticed kind of punch because it doesnt really work on a bag. it works on pads though.

it starts like an uppercut but the elbow constantly rises and the forearm approaches parallel as the punch accelerates.

its sometimes not a very strong punch because it is somewhat of a "clubbing" punch where you can hit too shallow and make it like an open hand smack (see fujita vs shamrock). rather than reaching back and winding up, the punch is 'torqued' and your fist rotates toward the target. this is why it is fast even if you have slow hands. rotational punches are sneaky and fast.

because of the rotation of the front foot the finish to this punch leaves you standing very tall and somewhat back (hips past shoulders), which can be bad depending on your style.

i would say it is best used when you are in close and your opponent is overcompensating because he expects an uppercut. you can get right around with this punch.

 

[Sinister]

because of the rotation of the front foot the finish to this punch leaves you standing very tall and somewhat back (hips past shoulders), which can be bad depending on your style.

i would say it is best used when you are in close and your opponent is overcompensating because he expects an uppercut. you can get right around with this punch.

Not really. You don't need to un-bend the knees or lean when throwing this punch. Plus proper extension of the elbow allows for it to be used quite effectively from the outside. The specific Boxers I named who use this punch the most were (and are in the case of Margarito and Morales) very good on the outside with it. Mostly because they're high-volume punchers and this version of the hook follows up from a cross or jab or even body-shot, just about any other punch both fast and hard.

Added power would be directly attributed to the pivot and slight rotation of the hips. Otherwise this punch is just an arm-punch with no real power.

 

[carped33z]

Not really. You don't need to un-bend the knees or lean when throwing this punch. Plus proper extension of the elbow allows for it to be used quite effectively from the outside. The specific Boxers I named who use this punch the most were (and are in the case of Margarito and Morales) very good on the outside with it. Mostly because they're high-volume punchers and this version of the hook follows up from a cross or jab or even body-shot, just about any other punch both fast and hard.

Added power would be directly attributed to the pivot and slight rotation of the hips. Otherwise this punch is just an arm-punch with no real power.

maybe i am thinking of the wrong thing then. i really cant say.

 

[toasty]

Thanks Vilo and Kabuki for posting this...Will try to work on it on the bag as I'm neither strong nor fast and need anything that'll help in thsoe areas...

Cheers...
Toasty "slow and weak but trying"

 

[Vilo Magee]

This not a clubbing punch at all it is a power punch because your whole body weight and the torque from the pivot is nehind the punch. Morales has knocked alot of cats flat witht his punch. Tommy Morrison was master of it

 

[BlackBeltNow]

this makes sense. a hawaiin boxer once kinda coached me through a hook and the way he did it was odd--just like how u explained. its really short range, power from backfoot, and forearm is not horizontal. its almost like punching someone w/ the front hand of a fisticuff

 

[Vilo Magee]

this makes sense. a hawaiin boxer once kinda coached me through a hook and the way he did it was odd--just like how u explained. its really short range, power from backfoot, and forearm is not horizontal. its almost like punching someone w/ the front hand of a fisticuff

yup you pretty much got the concept.
Bruce lees one inche punch is very similar to this hook.
The bad thing about this hook is if you follow through to much and miss it hurts your shoulder and you are wide open so it is a punch you have to learn when to throw and how to throw it under control. it is a devestating body shot when you leanr to do it right. You will feel the guys intestines gurgel if you land hard because it pushes their gut into their spine

 

[scorcho]

Ah, now I understand a bit better. I will have to try this out.

 

[Marvin Covar]

is this hook in any way similar to the one steve fox from the tekken series throws when you change his stance?

 

[Matt Thornton]

Vilo, is it anything like a shovel hook?

 

[Vilo Magee]

Vilo, is it anything like a shovel hook?

Some what but a shovel hook is more like an uppercut this is somewhat like an uppercut also but not at the same angle as a shovel hook.