Right hook giving me nightmares!

[StrictlySP]

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