Been training for about 3-4 months now and my hook technique is still rubbish however my jab even surprises people who trained for years. I train my hooks daily even during sparring but they always end up leaving me open so I just refrain from using them and just stick with the jab and straight.
Jab is easier because its a straight punch you use 80-90% of the time. A hook is a power punch that you're using 3-4% of the time. You need exact distance for the hook, and yes, you will get countered with straight shots right away. Maybe Brownbomber has tips on using the hook since he fights inside? Its not the punch, but when you use it, how you set it up, and how good you reguard after/before throwing it. If you overcommit and hook across your body, you're leaving yourself open after throwing it. You can just use the 1-2 or variations of 1-2 and see how that goes for a year. I bet you can do really well in sparring with just the 1-2. Lennox Lewis relied on the 1-2.
That's what I've been doing, focussing on the 1-2. But the drills we do in class often contain hooks and when I train with veterans they keep trying to make me hook properly and I just cant seem to get it down
The Hook is all about the angle of the punch and how you shift weight onto it. This is not something you learn in 3 or 4 months.
Depends on your build aswell, if your a lanky fighter you will find it harder to get levarage into your hooks then lets a short stocky compact fighter does
Could be to do with our footwork or balance leading into the hook.. hard to say without seeing you throw it.
Keep practicing your technique in shadowboxing, and like someone said, use the mitts a lot. The hook is a harder punch to get down IMO. Make sure your elbow follows through when you throw it (make sure it doesn't droop), and you turn your body right when you pivot on the front foot. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmAFFvdGc_o[/ame]
first off, is it landing or not landing. if it's not landing then you're out of range and need to practice using your feet to get you in position and the punch prior to the hook to set up the hook. if it is landing and you're open after then slip to your left (depending on your foot position you may want to take a slight step to the left also, to the outside of his foot, just like you would if he was south paw), make him miss that counter and come back with your left. "throw left, go left, throw left" if it's an accuracy issue then fine tune that issue. throw your hook like it's a jab and turn the elbow up when it gets closer to the target. watch out that you're not hitting too deep on the bag (no one's head is that fat), or initiating with too much shoulder too soon. you initiate the left hook by pulling the right elbow to the body. that's where you'll get rotational force from. and aim that jabbing hook at HIS right cheekbone. basically put your 1-2 into his nose, and the hook a few inches to YOUR left, at his right cheek bone. you can practice the mechanics by doing this: shadow box 1-2-1, 1-2-1, 1-2-3; repeat over and over again then take the same drill to the bag. imagine you have a square on the bag. put your 1-2's inside the square and your hook just to the left of the square. don't rush it. get comfortable with all that then ... put it all to gether on the bag and shadow boxing with 1-2-3-slip left-3-2, 1-1 (use the jab-jab to get yourself back in balance and in position)
From personal experience, I was the same with the hook. Then after a while it just clicked. If your hook truly is rubbish, I'd suggest locking your arm at 90 degrees and "throwing" the punch from your legs up through your hips. Start out slowly and just go through the motion, slowly at first, then increase speed. Practice over and over and it will click.
