Thread: Right hook giving me nightmares!

Hey Guys,
Lyle wrote:

I use the right hook every so often....it gives you a ton more power and is a change-up for the right cross or right uppercut.

Only use it when you have your opponent hurt or on the ropes. You can use it on the body effectively a la George Foreman.

Foreman and Tyson and more recently Miguel Cotto have used the right hook as orthodox fighters with great success. It's a tough punch to land and it's easily countered and can put you in bad situations HOWEVER it's extremely powerful when you throw it correctly and it can definently end fights.

I concur. It does have its place despite what some boxing pundits say.

The REAR right (or left) hook (depending on stance) is a viable and effective punch when utilized within its scope and purpose. Besides the aforementioned boxers, Roy Jones, James Toney, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, and others have all effectively employ this punch.

A rear hook/shovel hook to the body (specifically to the liver or spleen depending on which hand is employed) is a particularly potent shot when used in its proper context (revisit Roy Jones' body shot knockout of Virgil Hill).

There's no question that orthodox-wise, the left jab, straight right, and left hook are the bread-and-butter punches to master and employ in boxing (followed by the right uppercut, overhand right, left uppercut, and left shovel hook) but don't dismiss the usefulness of the right hook (and the right shovel hook for that matter). It's a worthwhile punch to have in your arsenal.

Okay, with that said, switching focus to its proper deployement, it's simple; throw it with the same body mechanics as the left hook (keeping it tight with the elbow behind it) but use it more sparingly and discriminately.

On a different tangent, one punch that is even more awkward than a right hook and not even acknowledged in the slightest by the boxing community is an overhand left (i.e. an orthodox-stance lead hand overhand punch). While I've never seen it employed in boxing, I have seen it effectively used in MMA by the likes of Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin (both former UFC champions). As a southpaw, I have thrown a lead hand overhand right over an orthodox fighter's left jab a few times with good results. While it was effective, it did feel a bit awkward because the alignment seemed off-kilter. Anyway, it's definitely more of an "outside-the-box" punch than even the often-dismissed rear hook.

Take Care,
Lito

rich sucks. he was a huge fish in a tiny pond, but as soon as someone legit came along he was owned.

every so often you see a profesisonal boxer try to land a long "right hook" to the body and they look stupid because it doesn't even come close to landing.

about the only time you'll have any success with a looping right is to feint and throw it overhand or when you have a guy on the ropes and you owrk the body, as lyle said. other than that it's coming from much to far away and taking a very long road to get there.

Originally Posted by RozzySean

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

I throw only four punches from the right. The straight, the uppercut the hook to the body and the overhand, i rarely ever throw a right hook, unless i'm just fooling.

Your practise time is much better invested practising the jab.

What about when you are fighting inside? I normally fight left hand high, standard position, but my coach likes to have me go cross armed (chin tucked into left shoulder) when I'm in tight. From that position, a right hook makes sense if my opponents arms are vertical and in tight. If the guard is wide, I can uppercut and if the guard is close I can hook.

I would never throw it from distance. It's a low priority punch, compared to the others.

I'm a 6'1" Light Middle, when I'm inside I'm mostly throwing the left and I make little gaps to throw the right in a chopping fashion, rarely using a traditional hook.

Originally Posted by Lyle

Originally Posted by Clubber

Gotta agree with Vonny and Donny. A right jab is hardly ever used in boxing.

What the hell are you talking about "Right Jab"....this is about the right hook!

And yes it's used...it's just not used often

He was referring to a lead right hand.
The common definition of a jab is a lead punch using the left hand.
It is easy therefore to perceive a right lead as a "jab" although I wouldn't agree.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Originally Posted by RozzySean

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

I throw only four punches from the right. The straight, the uppercut the hook to the body and the overhand, i rarely ever throw a right hook, unless i'm just fooling.

Your practise time is much better invested practising the jab.

What about when you are fighting inside? I normally fight left hand high, standard position, but my coach likes to have me go cross armed (chin tucked into left shoulder) when I'm in tight. From that position, a right hook makes sense if my opponents arms are vertical and in tight. If the guard is wide, I can uppercut and if the guard is close I can hook.

I would never throw it from distance. It's a low priority punch, compared to the others.

I'm a 6'1" Light Middle, when I'm inside I'm mostly throwing the left and I make little gaps to throw the right in a chopping fashion, rarely using a traditional hook.

Originally Posted by Lyle

Originally Posted by Clubber

Gotta agree with Vonny and Donny. A right jab is hardly ever used in boxing.

What the hell are you talking about "Right Jab"....this is about the right hook!

And yes it's used...it's just not used often

He was referring to a lead right hand.
The common definition of a jab is a lead punch using the left hand.
It is easy therefore to perceive a right lead as a "jab" although I wouldn't agree.

Right, that makes sense. I'm a 5'10" LHW. If I'm inside on a taller fighter, the short right hook makes more sense for me. If I'm in with a shorter fighter, chances are that's he's a few lbs lighter and I'm working on keeping him outside and controlling him with my jab. I do the same thing with the inside overhand right, but sometimes I like to come around. Like I said before, it can bring the guys hands wider and open up the right uppercut.

Originally Posted by RozzySean

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Originally Posted by RozzySean

What about when you are fighting inside? I normally fight left hand high, standard position, but my coach likes to have me go cross armed (chin tucked into left shoulder) when I'm in tight. From that position, a right hook makes sense if my opponents arms are vertical and in tight. If the guard is wide, I can uppercut and if the guard is close I can hook.

I would never throw it from distance. It's a low priority punch, compared to the others.

I'm a 6'1" Light Middle, when I'm inside I'm mostly throwing the left and I make little gaps to throw the right in a chopping fashion, rarely using a traditional hook.

Originally Posted by Lyle

What the hell are you talking about "Right Jab"....this is about the right hook!

And yes it's used...it's just not used often

He was referring to a lead right hand.
The common definition of a jab is a lead punch using the left hand.
It is easy therefore to perceive a right lead as a "jab" although I wouldn't agree.

Right, that makes sense. I'm a 5'10" LHW. If I'm inside on a taller fighter, the short right hook makes more sense for me. If I'm in with a shorter fighter, chances are that's he's a few lbs lighter and I'm working on keeping him outside and controlling him with my jab. I do the same thing with the inside overhand right, but sometimes I like to come around. Like I said before, it can bring the guys hands wider and open up the right uppercut.

Yeah I completely understand.
Where you would throw the right hook I'd throw a chopping right and give myself space

When you're on the inside or against the ropes it's a good punch to throw especially to the body.


When I throw a right hook I can defend pretty much anything coming from the right hand of the opposing fighter, the way to do this is to basically push off with the jab or even an uppercut and then shoot the right hook with your left hand coming back and covering up your head and chin.

Sure you can counter the right hook but you can counter ANY punch.

Jab - Cross
Cross - Hook
Hook - Jab

You could even counter with an uppercut especially if your opponent falls forward when he punches