The hip "snap"

[boby]

Hallo everybody!
This is my first time in this forum I want to greet you all.
Now, one thing that is puzzling me is related to that famous "snap" in your punch. I remember a long time ago, some old guy, who use to be a light weight champion or something, came in the gym showing us how to use a "hip snap", in order to accelerate your body weight in to the target, in a bullet speed. Basically, as I remember that one lesson ( let's consider right cross punch), the elbow of punching hand is innitialy moving forward, at the same time your lower back area (hips), are staying still and just as you feel enough tension in your right side of the trunk ( because elbow is moving forward and arm is flexed and streching occurs in your right side latissimus muscle), you release your rigt hip forward, raising your right heel in the same time. This delay of hip rotation, can really make difference and make you feel like arrow is being released forward.
Now, this might be bullshit, but does anybody really know how to make that "hip snap"?

[ThomasTabin]

If a punch starts with the arm then it is an arm punch. In the case of a right cross the body must move its weight (for orthodox) over the left leg and like grey will say a STRAIGHT left leg . the arm is simply what carries this weight and channels it into something that can strike your opponent: your fist. But it is that weight itself that is so important. It is that that is the actual weapon. Thus the movement of the body must come before the arm because if the arm was to come first it would not have the weight on it.

[Chris Nagel]

With the right cross the straight left leg acts as a hinge allowing you to turn your body into the punch. Without that or a stepping/pushing move it wouldn't be anything more than an arm punch with a little bit of shoulder behind it.

[Scrap]

Throwing the right cross is all down to the biomechanics of the left side. Without correct movement of the left you cant have correct form on the right.

[boby]

Thanks for the replies,
I tried to hold my forward-left leg straight last night on training and it was faster to accomplish the punch but...
First you end up too high at the end of punch, without enough balance or power that comes from lowering your ass closer to the ground, by doing a deep lunge motion.
Second your head comes dangerously too much forward as you finish the punch. This technique comes from book of Edwin something guy, and was accepted by Bruce Lee. With all due respect to those guys, but I went a couple of times to local Kung Fu club, just for the hell of it and saw what is it about. Kung fu is good if you want to slap your atacker quickly on the street and run away as fast as you can. But there is no knock'out, power punches there. So finnaly, if you are boxer do bend that forward leg even more to the ground as you finish the punch.
Thank you.... Boby

[Sharla]

Someone once tried to teach me the 'shoulder snap' but I don't think I could ever get it right.
Apparently there was only one guy in that whole gym who could and while he was a hard hitter he was also one of the larger guys there and not the only hard hitter.

I'm not sure if it was a real technique or not now especially since someone is teaching the hip snap. Could there really be two types of snap used in boxing with some only having heard of the shoulder snap and others the hip snap?

[Tendaii]

Bobby I'd listen to the advice scrap gave here.

Throwing the right cross is all down to the biomechanics of the left side. Without correct movement of the left you cant have correct form on the right.

He said the samething on my thread about left hooks and I got up and tried it in my room and instantly felt mroe natural and faster throwing it. It has carried over into sparring also. What that old guy who came to the gym was talking about was probally right, but he had an overcomplicated explanation of it. Just stick with what scrap said and it'll all fall into place.

[Scrap]

Something of interest, to get maximum leaverage on punches the head dont move and the knees should be bent at 15 degrees thats both knees.The hip and ankle both have 6 degrees of movement the knee has 3 thats 15 degrees the knees being bent stabalizes and generates more power this way and stabalises the back foot where all the power and direction comes from whatever shot you throw and whichever direction you throw it to feel.

[Sharla]

CC Scrap - is it a coincidence that you said the wobble board should have a 15 degree angle too? Is the wobble board to help train this angle somehow?

[Trainer Monkey]

Ill try to explain,I probably wont be as verbose as Scrap,but here goes

Twist your hip,as far as you can
Do you feel the coiled energy in it?
Just looking for a place to go
Now when you uncoil allow your fist to travel along the path
There-in lies power

[Scrap]

Turn the back foot everything turns, the back foot should be the same direction as the fist same with the front think youre putting a ciggarette out with the balls of your feet. power isnt lost in the joints niether is direction its a technique that needs practice but a winner.

[Sharla]

CC Monkey and Scrap for explaining

[Trainer Monkey]

To add on
Why a left right left, 3 shot combination feels so sweet if your using your hips correctly
After you explode the first hip your actually coiling your hip going the other way
Coil your hip to the left, throw the left
Did you feel how the tension translated to your right hip?
Now drive the right
Bam,the left hip is now coiled