The Overhand Right?

[Walker Smith Jr.]

Yeah overhand right is perfect for going over jabs, it's even better after firing a left uppercut. Left uppercut overhand right is devostating, the uppercut breaks the guard and puts you in the perfect position without having to load up anymore to get great power behind the punch.

It sort of acts like a corkscrew motion to put it best, where your elbow shoots out so it has a slight loop to it allowing you to put more shoulder and hip into the punch. It's one of my favourite punches. Try throwing it when you can predict the jab coming throw it at the same time, when you get it correct the corkscrew motion knocks their jab down and out the way and you can land cleanly anywhere on their right side of their face.

arguello uses the left upper + overhand right combo pretty well. His right really comes crashing down.

[ThomasTabin]

thats interesting Sp. There is something you left out though. The most important thing in whipping punches like the right hook and the left hook is - not suprisingly- the actual whip of it. It seems simple enough. However rarely does anyone actually seem to know what this even is or for that matter how to actually execute it. The motion involved in punches require absolute precision in order to preform correctly and the room for error is very tiny. Even the slightest error in the execution of a punch can take away all of the power like a house of cards falling in on itself because of one misaligned section. Anyway to explain how the whip part of a punch works we'll take a look at the basic physics of it.



You've probably seen one of these before. Its called a Trebuchet. A very powerful catapult-like weapon (though much more powerful than a catapult) capable of launching extremely heavy projectiles for great distances. The concept is simple. A great amount of force is generated at one end and the resulting energy that is created in this movement is sent to the other end imbuing that side with this tremendous energy.


In the case of the Trebuchet this force is generated by a massive weight which is dropped on one end. The energy created here causes the other end which is lighter to be, in essence, injected with that energy. This end becomes packed to the brim with absolutely tremendous amounts of energy. We can see this process vividly in this illustraion here:



Now, take a look at that picture. Look closely. Is that not very much like a punch? Look again you may not see it at first. The main part of the trebuchet is similar to the body; the dropping of the weight on one end represents the turning of the hips; the sling ultimately represents the arm; the projectile at the very end of the sling - your fist. If it seems that the Trebuchet is very similar to say, a left or right hook, its because it most certainly is. In fact it is exactly analogous to these types of punches.

So when we speak of "whipping" punches we are ultimately referring to these phyciscal principles. Its actually quite simple.

1. the force generated at the turning of the hips -> 2. sends lots of energy into into your arm -> which 3. ultimately goes into your fist.


Notice how this process is broken up into segements opposed to being one single movement. The force generated at the hips *must* come first. The reason it must come first is because if there is no energy created here then there will be none to send into the arm. Thus because of this there is always a slight delay between the turn of the hips and the slinging of the arm. That force must be created fully before it can be sent into the arm. You must wait for the energy to fully develop and once at its peak, send your arm on its way. If you send the arm along with the body as it turns you will not reach full power in your punch.

Once sent to the arm, the energy of the body is then condensed into the small area of the fist. Thus the fist becomes literally packed to brim with this termendous energy. The weight of the body inside of your fist; a very scary kind of power, when one stops to think.

However most fighters never end up able to pack their fists with that kind of energy. Their punching techniques are not harmonius with these basic principles and thus they can never achieve these levels of power. Specifically, what I have outlined here is only one part of how to execute a punch: the "whip" portion. There is more to it. But this is the most critical peice of information when one speaks of whipping punches.

Have you ever seen Jack Dempsey punch? He is like a human Trebuchet. Something extra to think about. Why is he able to generate such great forces in his punches. What is he doing in his stance?

[ThomasTabin]

Also it should be noted that the straight right does not involve a whipping motion and is very different in principle to the left hook and right hook.

[StrictlySP]

Hi Thomas,
Great post! Hey, I hope you don't mind me borrowing your analogies and examples for future reference. They explain certain things nicely, especially in written form.

Thanks and take care...

[ThomasTabin]

Its all for free. All I ask is that any information I have be considered in such a way so as to build upon, add, or fix. Don't just sit there and nod, attack it from every angle. Ultimately thats the only way to really understand something anyway.

[StrictlySP]

Hi Thomas,
You wrote:
Don't just sit there and nod, attack it from every angle.

Oh, don't worry, I never just sit back and nod. I do, as you say, always attack "it" when necessary and applicable. However, good info is good info no matter where it comes from and as such, sometimes nothing more needs to be said when a good point is made and understood...

You also wrote:
Also it should be noted that the straight right does not involve a whipping motion and is very different in principle to the left hook and right hook.

Ah, I beg to differ. Maybe our semantics are different, but a rear straight shot (either right or left depending on stance) can involve a "whipping" motion. It may not be "whipping" in your sense of definition but, in a later post, I'll delineate how there is one. The only boxing-based blow that does not have a "whipping" component is a lead hand straight shot (i.e. jab).

Take care...

[ThomasTabin]

Let me just say its good to have you around. I like your style.

I look forward to that thread on the execution of the straight right. Its a punch very dear to my heart and this forum could definitely use a discourse on the straight right.

[Trainer Monkey]

Let me just say its good to have you around. I like your style.

I look forward to that thread on the execution of the straight right. Its a punch very dear to my heart and this forum could definitely use a discourse on the straight right.

You drive a straight right with your hips,the power comes,not from a whip per se,but it is a whip with the drive of srtraightening your elbow and snapping your hand over,with your hip,and shoulder behind it

[Lord Harris]

Woohoo could definaltey do with a breakdown of the straight right.

[ThomasTabin]

Let me just say its good to have you around. I like your style.

I look forward to that thread on the execution of the straight right. Its a punch very dear to my heart and this forum could definitely use a discourse on the straight right.

You drive a straight right with your hips,the power comes,not from a whip per se,but it is a whip with the drive of srtraightening your elbow and snapping your hand over,with your hip,and shoulder behind it

Well I disagree with that. I've seen these kinds of straight rights before. They're like jabs. When the thread is made I'll try and explain what I mean.

[Trainer Monkey]

Let me just say its good to have you around. I like your style.

I look forward to that thread on the execution of the straight right. Its a punch very dear to my heart and this forum could definitely use a discourse on the straight right.

You drive a straight right with your hips,the power comes,not from a whip per se,but it is a whip with the drive of srtraightening your elbow and snapping your hand over,with your hip,and shoulder behind it

Well I disagree with that. I've seen these kinds of straight rights before. They're like jabs. When the thread is made I'll try and explain what I mean.

Not if you know how to drive the hip correctly
The whip isnt in the arm,its in the hip,you just have to know how to direct traffic with your arm

[donnydarkoIRL]

When I throw the straight right, it's almost like I generate power from two spots, my Sholder and Hip. I throw the punch from the shoulder and at the same time pivot and turn the hip.
As the arm reaches full extension with the shoulder turning so does the leg and it pivots the hip giving a nice long straight right that i find my strongest...sound right?

[Trainer Monkey]

When I throw the straight right, it's almost like I generate power from two spots, my Sholder and Hip. I throw the punch from the shoulder and at the same time pivot and turn the hip.
As the arm reaches full extension with the shoulder turning so does the leg and it pivots the hip giving a nice long straight right that i find my strongest...sound right?

Yep,your arm is just directing traffic really

[donnydarkoIRL]

Cool!
I was worried as earlier post on this thread seemed to suggest drawing it back before throwing.

Also you guys may remeber all my complaints after I dislocated my shoulder and how I couldn't throw the straight right correctly any more as it was similar to an overhand due to the injury. Well it seems my Shadowboxing has paid off and I have unconciously started throwing correctly again!

[halahala]

earnie shavers used it over alis jab seemed to work pretty well.