Yeah I guess there are so many ways to do things and maybe few strict rights and wrongs that fit every individual.

Recently I have begun to think that biomechanically a straight cross might only be powerful if set up after stepping left or diagonally towards the jabbing side first - so the target is effectively in front of the right cross.

An ex-coach of mine who is Russian used to teach me to throw the cross without a pivot but only with a lateral or oblique step to set it up. Subsequent coaches who have tried to get me to do this either have a small pivot they do not know about or only appear to be punching with the weight of their arms alone - not their hips and entire body.

The knee joint is not made to rotate sideways enough to get the hips into a punch without a pivot - of course correct me if I'm wrong about that.

Shouldn't it then effectively be called something other than the cross if you don't pivot since the only way you can do it is by maneuvering to make it a punch which does not have to cross your body?

Does that sound like a fair theory or is my understanding of this all wrong?