Joe Louis in his manual, "How To Box". The left hook is one of the most difficult blows to learn and use properly. The hook is used as a countering blow and a finishing blow. The shorter this blow, the better it's effect. The hook is used best against a left jab or a straight right as a counter. The right arm should be crooked with the elbow directly down in front of the ribs...relaxed...the head should have no singluar action of it's own; it works along with the body, chin pinned down. Turn your body to the right, shifting your weight onto your right leg, throw the left arm in an arc to the opponent's head. Make sure to hit through the mark and not just at it, with the knuckles up at impact of blow. Practice to give you co-ordination of bodyweight and arm-power which brings about a snap in the blow, and gives it more force It must be said at this time that the left jab and left hook can be most effectively combined Tony Galento had me going and even knocked me down with a hard left in the third round. In the fourth I threw a hard right to his jaw, then a powerful left hook which started his mouth, nose and right eye bleeding. Joe Frazier in his manual, "Box Like The Pro's". The majority of great fighters in boxing history probably relied mroe on the straight right than they did on the left hook. But when thrown correctly, I think the left hook is the most powerful and dangerous punch in the game...it permits you to get more leverage and torque into the punch. The left hook, when thrown correctly, travels the same distance as the straight right. But because it comes from the side it is not as easy to spot as the straight right. You can throw it to the body or head without opening yourself up to much The bad news is that the left hook is the hardest punch to learn how to throw properly (though it was easy for me). To throw a left hook properly, you have to be positioned correctly. A lot of trainers teach you you have to be close to throw a left hook; not true. The hook I dropped the Butterfly with was a long hook. I stopped guys with my long hook. The key is to be in position, to bring your hap and body around with it. How to get into position to throw the hook? The jab. That gets you close enough. The jab sets up everything. Move forward whilst jabbing, then when you're close enough, wham. There's a lot to know about the hook but if you can master it there's not a better punch in boxing. 1 - Assume the standard position; hand sup, chin down, eyes on your opponent 2 - Lean forward and to the left slightly, but still keep your weight evenly distributed. 3 - As you're bringing the punch over, plant your left foot flat on the floor; anchor it. That's going to drive the punch. 4 - Make sure your elbow is up when you bring the punch around so that your arm is parallel to the floor and turn your fist so your palm is facing you. Snap the punch through - that's called "turning it over". 5 - When you turn the punch over, simultaneously bring your hip around with it, but keep that left foot planted. Follow through with the punch. Once it reaches a spot dercitly in front of your face, bring your left hand and your weight back to their original position and adjust your balance. If you have to move a little to stay balanced, do it. Bernad Hopkins in The Ring, April 2009. The left hook is one of boxing's power punches. That means you use it to hurt your opponent or KO him. When you throw the hook you want to land it so hard you hurt your opponent. That doesn't mean you wind it up and try to throw it like a baseball. It means you learn to throw it properly, and when you do that it lands hard naturally. It's the hardest punch to learn to throw correctly. It takes a lot of practive. You don't just throw it. You have to learn how to move your body the right way and sets the foundation so that it generates torque. It's all in the butt and in the torque. 1 - From my regular stance, i dip a little to the left and rotate my upper body slightly toward the left. My body weight shifts from both legs to mostly the left one. I'm not leaning all the way over and i'm not winding up with the punch. And i stay on balance. You must be on balance when you throw the hook. 2 - As i bring the punch up, i'm driving witht he left leg and at the same time bringing my hips around. It's all in the hips and legs. Drive that punch up. It's lke when a baseball player swings a bat; it's about getting torque by driving with your hips and legs. 3 - As the punch connects, get the elbow up and follow through; the left elbow should be almost parallel to the floor. If it's too close to your body, you're slapping with it (who could he mean...). Get it up there an follow through with that punch. That's what we mean when we talk about turning a punch over. 4 - Your power come from your feet, where you get the torque. Not from your arms, shoulders or back but from your feet. Your left foot is planted; there is no pivot and it stays on the ground. You're rotating your hips and driving the punch with your left leg and that foot stays where it is. What do you boys say?
good stuff I was taught to pivot my left foot when i throw the jab and left hook i never turn the punch over either
Louis makes the better points, the back foot is a big player as is the shoulder and position of the elbow.
I was told pivot left foot, keep right foot planted, if the right moves you loose power and balance. My favorite punch and probably my best
good read the power for the left hook comes from the right foot its the same movement like the straight right hand just all the way back Look at Felix Trindad often times he stands with his right foot on the toes so his left hook is already loaded excuse my english im from Germany hope you understand me Edit: I`m a southpaw and my best punches is the straight left and the right hook I could throw this combination all day long
This is the first time I heard to NOT pivot on the left foot. I plant the right (rear) foot and pivot on the ball of the left (leading) foot. I have both that book AND that issue of the Ring, I would have been surprised if it actually read like that... You pivot on the leading foot. Even on tape Frazier pivots, You could hurt your ankle otherwise. I will go back and watch some more tape and get my copy of that book. btw [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I5yXD3W7KI[/ame] 18 seconds in. Watch his feet. It's a game of inches they say... I think that maybe he doesn't pivot when he is squared up, otherwise, he would have to pivot or step in with the hook at the correct angle.
Hook is a hard complex punch when you break down the movement in front of a mirror. I've found too much emphisis on explaining the punch is in the pre-collision phase and not enough in the recovery of intial movement. A large percentage of counter punching and energy loss derives from bad recovery of hooks. Especially considering the force of direction your body is falling, the vulnerability of body position and foot placement if the punch doesn't connect. Advice - Learn to recover just as good as you can throw it.
its in the turning the hips. This is turning over: you turn, foot -> knee -> HIPS (most important, the biggest power translation because legs and ass give the most of power) -> shoulder -> elbow -> fist
even greater power can be achieved if you start punch by turning your body in the opposite direction than the punch will land in the end. To make it more clear, f.e. you want to land a left hook; you turn your right foot, knee and hip like you would punch right cross, but instead you shift your weight back with turning the left foot, left knee, left hip and so on till you end your punch with left hook in opponent's face. That weight shift gives you additional force and moment and its a practically a k.o. punch if it lands on the opponent's jaw. Of course, its much slower then jab, or right cross without weight shifting on left leg, thats why boxers mask punches with other punches or simply with block, crouch or any body movement which will alert the opponent.
