Is it worth it? The overhand long range front hook?

[OMGWTF]

Im a southpaw facing an orthodox fighter, so its mirrored stances.

Lets say I was standing directly infront of him no one is to to the left or right of each other we are both dead ahead of one another.

What if I threw a long range front hook (my front hook is my right hand since im southpaw) with a slip as my first punch to exploit that little opening?

I would have to flank outside his glove a bit first so I could disguise it as a poorly aimed jab.

Its not as fast as a jab but its faster than a lead cross so it isnt high risk to lead with it.

Im in a safe position after slipping (if he were to throw the straight right or jab)

Its not as powerful as a cross but its more powerful than a jab so maybe it could get a KO if it lands on teh jaw or maybe thats wishful thinking? (I can get more power than usual on a long range hook but its still no where near as powerful as a normal hook or cross, do you think if I really loaded up on this long range front hook straight from my 3/4 stance it would be a KO punch?)

It also gets through a gap.

It sets my cross up nicely.

Weight tarnsfer is hard to get right on this punch as you step in with it but not impossible.

Is this worth working on? Or is it just easier and superior to lead with a jab, cross or x2 jab?

[StrictlySP]

Hi OMGWTF,
You asked:

Is this worth working on? Or is it just easier and superior to lead with a jab, cross or x2 jab?

I'm a southpaw like yourself and years ago I spent some time training on a lead overhand right out of curiosity as to its effectiveness. The result? I was able to occasionally utilize it as a counter over an orthodox fighter's jab but you know what? This was against inferior competition. When I faced equal or superior competition, it was a shot that never came out of me. Anyway, I scraped this blow from my arsenal long ago because this punch just didn't "flow" and feel right for me. But hey, that just with me. You may want to spend some time with it and see for yourself if it "fits" you. There's one caveat to that though, it does help to have long arms. If you're a short armed fighter, I wouldn't waste precious training time on this shot. You'd be better off spending the time perfecting a counter double jab, counter straight left hand, or a counter lead hand (i.e. right hand) shovel hook to the spleen (which you should also perfect for combo attacks as well).

On a side note, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko loved this shot and is the only fighter that I can think of right now (in either boxing or MMA) who used it with any frequency. Check out his fights on YouTube if you're interested in seeing how he used it.

Take Care,
Lito

[Orthobox95]

I aint experienced but what I will comment on is this:

Get out of thinking of KO punches straight up. KO punches like uppercuts and hooks tend to leave you open if you screw up so you need to be very careful when you using them. That sounds worth it if you can pull it off swiftly but don't think of it as a knock out punch.

[greynotsoold]

Im a southpaw facing an orthodox fighter, so its mirrored stances.

Lets say I was standing directly infront of him no one is to to the left or right of each other we are both dead ahead of one another.

What if I threw a long range front hook (my front hook is my right hand since im southpaw) with a slip as my first punch to exploit that little opening?

I would have to flank outside his glove a bit first so I could disguise it as a poorly aimed jab.

Its not as fast as a jab but its faster than a lead cross so it isnt high risk to lead with it.

Im in a safe position after slipping (if he were to throw the straight right or jab)

Its not as powerful as a cross but its more powerful than a jab so maybe it could get a KO if it lands on teh jaw or maybe thats wishful thinking? (I can get more power than usual on a long range hook but its still no where near as powerful as a normal hook or cross, do you think if I really loaded up on this long range front hook straight from my 3/4 stance it would be a KO punch?)

It also gets through a gap.

It sets my cross up nicely.

Weight tarnsfer is hard to get right on this punch as you step in with it but not impossible.

Is this worth working on? Or is it just easier and superior to lead with a jab, cross or x2 jab?

So you are slipping inside my left jab and trying to loop your right hand over my shoulder?
Ain't gonna happen, not ever. I'd just leave my left arm out there and use it to leverage your right out of the way, it would slap off the outside of my left shoulder. Then I would drop my left arm across your neck and push your head down and into a right uppercut.
You wouldn't have a play with your left hand- try throwing a straight left hand while your right is still extended. Plus, when I pulled your head down, you'd be in your own way.

[cnote111]

What about using that lead hook to disrupt your opponents lead left hand to set up your strait left. Or possibly closing the gap with a strait left to the body and then throw your "long range front hook" - Starting off with your strait left will assist getting your head to the outside of his jab hand with better odds of landing your hook. However, starting off with your LRFH will most likely be deflected by your opponents jab and you'll make contact with his shoulder.