weight on back foot vs shifting weight for right cross

[mat422]

Keeping the weight back and driving the right hand that way is basically a really good shove. Transferring the weight and turning over it, whipping the shoulder and fist through, etc..lends itself towards a more concussive impact.

Did you try the experiment with the wall? If somebody can shift their weight into the punch and get away with it I say go ahead. But in my opinion it is much safer to focus on rotation, instead of shifting. You are more balanced and the power generated is sufficient.

Try punching the heavy bag like this. Keep the weight on the back foot and keep the left heel off the ground. Throw the right cross by imagining someone has rope tied to your left shoulder and is yanking it back really hard. Keep your right arm completely relaxed and allow your entire body to rotate and shoot that punch straight out at the bag. No shifting weight, just allow your body to rotate around like a top. Your arm will automatically shoot out because of the momentum of your entire body rotating very fast and convulsively.

I'm not certain but having my weight on the back foot when I contact the bag is almost like the bag is getting contact with the ground. It feels solid and all that power generated is not pushed back into my body, instead it is absorbed into the bag.


And WayneFlint, thanks a lot for the thorough response. It really gave me a lot of insight into the mechanics of a punch and tips. I agree that bone alignment is very important and I have found that shifting weight into the punch takes away that alignment, as opposed to keeping the weight on the back foot which generates a very solid connection from the ground to your fist.

[badr_hari]

First, sorry for my bad english.

I like to STEP with the jab, then throw the straight right (without stepping) and have the weight on the back foot.
But a lot of times when you step with the jab, the opponent will move back and you won't be IN RANGE to land the straight right, SO you will STEP with that left foot diagonally forward to the left. That way you are shifting weight (cuz you are moving) and i see no BAD things about it, its a powerful shot that lands, and that diagonal step keeps you away from any counter punch.
The second variation is used most of the time by boxers in the past and today. Each one works in different situations. It's not just about punching power, because both ways the shot will be powerful. It's about landing the shot and giving the opponent as little places to counter as you can.

[mat422]

So while you are stepping diagonally are you still keeping your weight on the back foot? Or are you shifting it to the front? Shifting weight through stepping is not a problem, but when that weight goes over the front foot I would think that it would impair mobility just a little bit. Then again it's all about whatever works for the boxer.

[God.in.my.corner]

Very keen observations. There are so many advantages of keeping the weight on your back foot. And it's funny you mentioned keeping the left heel up. Scrap refers to this as your "biomechanical brake" I believe. It keeps you from shifting your weight and frees up you hips to rotate throughout the punch.

[greynotsoold]

Maybe I'm missing something...If I throw my right hand with my weight on my right foot, and my left heel off the floor whirl my shoulders to the left, in order not to tip over or something similar, wouldn't I have to, at least briefly, put my weight onto my left foot, since my shoulders are turning to my left, and wouldn't I have to pivot my right foot inward to turn my hips in the same direction as my upper body?
It sounds to me like you are talking about building the punch from the top down, instead of from the bottom up. That may be me not following...

[greynotsoold]

Man, I'm sorry...i was mis-reading. Pardon me. This has been bothering me all morning and I went back and re-read the original post...sorry

[mat422]

No worries. This stuff is kind of hard to describe in words anyway. Now re-reading my first post I'm wondering if you thought I meant keep the left foot off the ground lol? I could see why that would be very confusing.

I am talking about building a punch from the top down though as you have said. The problem with twisting the foot as it is commonly taught is sometimes it turns into a very slow sequence or arm punching because not enough of the torso is rotated. Similarly, driving off that foot tends to push the momentum forward and cuts off that full rotation of the torso. By twisting at the shoulders instead, the punch is sent out a lot faster.

The shoulders are very important in generating the power, when you can swing your shoulders and let the relaxed arm shoot out like a chain with a wrecking ball attached to it you will feel it. After impact with the heavy bag if the weight is on the back foot you will feel the stopping power as a driving force up the right leg.

Joe Louis is a good example. He rotated fully with almost every punch. Obviously you won't punch as hard as Joe Louis lol, but you will generate a lot of power. A lot of it is about relaxation. When you drive off that back foot you tend to tighten up your legs, but your punch usually hasn't even launched yet and already the hips are restricted.