How to Jab, Hook, Cross & Uppercut
Life in the boxing ring is oftentimes full of twists and turns. Although it’s a little different, your own boxing technique is also full of twists and turns, at least when you’re executing the basics correctly.
Part of what makes some fighters seemingly move so effortlessly is that they understand that movements like; turning on their punches and twisting at the waist, makes their movements more fluid, provides greater coordination of the joints and muscles and allows them to hit harder. These twists and turns apply to both defense and offense and start from the ground up.
When delivering your JAB, be sure to turn your punch over, roll your shoulder with it and bring your hip towards your opponent to get full leverage and extension on your punch.
After that, as you throw the RIGHT CROSS, be sure to, again turn your punch over (palm down), roll your shoulder over and forward with it and turn on your back foot. This properly shifts your weight forward and gets the proper leverage in your punch.
Next, with the HOOK, as you bring the punch across your body, be sure to turn on your front foot. Then bring your hip with it and roll your shoulder over to protect your chin. This will help you gain full force on the hook as it comes across your body.
As far as the UPPERCUT goes, twist at your waist as you throw this punch. This keeps you from standing up too tall (potentially exposing yourself) and it allows you to get full rotation when you deliver it.
On DEFENSE, twisting and turning still apply, but it's more about rolling and bending movements.
When you're DUCKING, be sure to bend at your knees, not at your waist. Bending at your waist doesn't put you in a proper position to counter and it also makes it harder to keep your eyes up and on your opponent.
If you're BLOCKING body shots, don't lean away from contact, but rather lean into the oncoming blow. This helps you absorb the shot and also takes away some of the force of impact by meeting it before it reaches its full range of motion.
There are times when blocking a hook or straight punches when you have to simply provide resistance and meet the impact head to head, but the more you can make your opponent miss, roll with his shots and ride with the impact, you in turn, make him work harder. You also take less punishment by being a more fluid target.
Boxing is about being tough, resilient and hard, but that doesn't mean that you can't fight gracefully or that you have to take every punch like a man. Getting hit is not manly. Out thinking, out maneuvering and controlling the guy standing in front of you is what it's all about. You can do that best when you fight fluidly through rolling, twisting, turning and bending, not just brawling.
Remember it the tree that bends with the strong winds, that doesn't break.