I feel really stupid for asking this question since I've been a big boxing fan for so long. I just started to train with a buddy of mine and whenever I put my hand up against my head to block a hook I feel like i'm taking the full force of the hit. So how exactly should I block a hook?
dont just stand up to the hook,go with the direction of it and circle your head around it while holding not your hand but your forearm against it,this is much stronger and will give less impact,remember to step back after it though and bring your guard in close again or you'll be open to straights and uppercuts.
wow if u know who tommy ryan is i am impressed, most people who know the classic fighters know exactly how to do these things. how old are u and how long have u been a boxing fan?
Move your upper body away from the hook. I always try to let it hit the shoulder instead of my arm as much as possible, this requires a small twist of the torso.
Yeah I'v been a fan for a long time, for a long time I was tryin to figure out why the old time boxers used that unorthodox guard. That's how I started to learn about Tommy Ryan, Corbett, and all the other old awsome fighters. I'm 23 and my problem is that I have a lot of books on technique but unfortunatly for me fighting is quite different than reading about it.
left hand over the right cheek open handed. when the hook lands slightly move your head back and push his arm technically to parry his punch. leaves them open for straight right...or if your perticully fast or delahoya throw an unorthodox cross - hook but im a southpaw so it might not pull off well. duck if your not that quick. if you bob and weave the hook is gonna miss. it's not lieka rigth hand or a jab where you can direct it. a hook to the head is about shoulder to eye level. if you can duck under there chest then you are away and can come back with an uppercut or bob out and land a left -right combo again im a southpaw so i'm just spinning it around to work.
1 )Tuck you chin in 2 ) Bend a bit at the waist or knees. 3 ) Raise your right arm /glove at your ear level. After you get the defense down, remember this. When the hook is blocked, you have a chance for a quick counter.
Absorbing the full force of any punch should be avoided if at all possible. Either move your head (slipping, rolling, weaving etc) or block by pushing the punch aside. Eactly how you do things will depend on your style. It makes me wonder why your coach hasn't taught you these things?
When a punch is coming, your best bet is to slip it because it most often stops the opponent from throwing another punch and also gives you the best opportunity to counter while he is trying to recover from missing. So when a left hook comes, you want to shift yourself into a position where it'll make him miss and you are ready to punch back. The best way to do this is to dip the knees to get under the punch. At the same time, roll the hips and upperbody counterclockwise to the left to load up your counter left hook. Sometimes, we don't see the punch in time or the opponent has fast hands and we can't slip it clean. In this case, the next best thing to do is to parry the punch while getting into the same position. Parrying still makes the opponent miss so it's still awkward for him to follow up. But, with a left hook, it's damn near impossible to parry so the next best thing, a block, will have to do. But, know that when you block a punch, the opponent still connects, so he still has his balance and can follow right up. So, your counter hook has to fly right away. But, instead of just plain blocking the left hook, you can take away most of the impact by sliding your head to the left in the same direction that the hook is travelling. The hook might still connect, but, it will have no impact because it's hitting a target that's moving away from the punch. It might even make him miss completely. Also remember, when you slide your head to the left, you're shifting all your body weight onto the left foot. This leaves you very badly off balance if your opponent decides to switch up. So, to compensate for the upper body tilt, you should shift the lower half, the hips, to the right. This bring some of the weight back onto the right leg and gets you back on balance with your center of gravity placed evenly between both legs. And your counter will be much better off for it. In fact, all upper body head movement should be accompanied by the hips shifting in the opposite direction to keep your balance evenly centered. :good
