Right hook giving me nightmares!

[Lord Harris]

Hey all (again)

My right hooks sucks bascially, im orthodox welter, my left hook im happy with as is my trainer but my right always seems to slap.
I pivot off the back foot, have just started keeping my left leg straight and is improving slowly but for me its a really awkward one to learn, harder than the left. I hear your supposed to angle it so it comes back in an arc towards the right shoulder?

Here is a short vid of me working the heavy bag this week, now bear in mind the angle is poor and the punches are generally one shot as opposed to combos. There are a few right hooks there I will get more up v soon. #



Please bear in mind I have only been in a boxing gym 8 weeks, im aware my hands are too low! The second round or last half of the vid is bette rin terms of hooks and general form I feel, I was happy with my left to the body/head at the start of the second round.

[greynotsoold]

Try this. From your stance, shift your weight onto your straight left leg. Turn your hips and then your shoulders through to the center-line of your body. Raise your right elbow so that your forearm is parallel to the floor, then whip your fist through towards your left hip. That is for a right hook, or "cross", to the head. The principle is the same for the hook to the body, just adjust the angle of your arm. Do this slow, in sections until you get the feel of it. Land the punch on the index and middle knuckles; if you land it on the outside knuckles you are slapping instead of driving the punch.

[Lord Harris]

Try this. From your stance, shift your weight onto your straight left leg. Turn your hips and then your shoulders through to the center-line of your body. Raise your right elbow so that your forearm is parallel to the floor, then whip your fist through towards your left hip. That is for a right hook, or "cross", to the head. The principle is the same for the hook to the body, just adjust the angle of your arm. Do this slow, in sections until you get the feel of it. Land the punch on the index and middle knuckles; if you land it on the outside knuckles you are slapping instead of driving the punch.

Hey thanks. Strange when I do this on the heavy bag it feels fine, if anything it carries more power/speen than my left, but on the focus mitts it just doesn't feel right.

[Von Milash]

If you're an orthodox fighter and your trainer is having you work a right hook, find a new gym. It's ok to come over the top when the opportunity presents itself, but if you want to learn a right hook I suggest you waste your money on tae kwon do or karate.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Odj4ATUPh9w

[donnydarkoIRL]

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.

[greynotsoold]

I wonder if there is some confusion on wording here. To me, the right hook to the head, the right cross and the over hand right are one and the same. That punch, thrown to the head, is, truly, a very situational punch, depending on position. I like to teach it,especially to shorter fighters, to be thrown in a spot where they've turned to their right (my left) and have a blind side angle. Toss it over the foe's shoulder: his natural inclination, to you circling to his blind-side, is to turn to follow you. Turns right into the punch.
Von, does your coach give you positions with the mitts? By that I mean, does he hold his hands out or does he make you work with his body? Does he make you, for example, throw that punch over his jab? My advice would be to keep practicing it until it becomes natural to you. You have to consider the placement of weight on your left leg in the context of the way you have to move that leg to get in position to throw the punch. In other words its generally a shorter step to slip the left and punch to the head than it is to slip and hook the body, with the right, anyway.

[Trainer Monkey]

It might also be that your trainer just isnt holding the mitts right?

[greynotsoold]

That's what I was getting at.

[Lord Harris]

It might also be that your trainer just isnt holding the mitts right?

I think it may well be that actually.

[El Kabong]

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.

[RozzySean]

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.

[El Kabong]

It's perfect when you have your opponent on the ropes!


One of my absolute favorite combinations is left hook body, right hook body, left hook head....and you could even follow that up with an uppercut or right cross if you wanted to.


George Foreman used to throw it all the time...he'd push his opponent on the ropes and rare back and thump a right hook to the body and obviously he was effective (76 wins 68 KO's).

It sure is a low priority punch but depending on what type of fighter you are it becomes more effective and more of a priority

[Douglas]

If you're an orthodox fighter and your trainer is having you work a right hook, find a new gym. It's ok to come over the top when the opportunity presents itself, but if you want to learn a right hook I suggest you waste your money on tae kwon do or karate.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Odj4ATUPh9w

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

[southpawed]

southpaws can throw rear hooks pretty effectively.

[El Kabong]

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