The Straight Right Hand

[ThomasTabin]

Punching can be defined as the acceleration of weight. Thus it follows that the primary concern of punching would be to figure out the best way to 1. position the body in such a way as to be able to call on the most weight possible for any given punch and 2. once that weight is there to be thrown, to get it to its target (accelerate it) in the most efficient way. A punch, is not really a punch, unless it can meet this criteria. Always remember that weight is your weapon. It exists within your body like an invisible energy and through the careful manipulation of your body you can control this weight and channel it into your fists.

With that said, there is a great deal of dispute when it comes to throwing the right hand. However, if we can say that the previous requirements I've mentioned are true - then working from this base we can deduce that there are ways to throw the right hand so as to best meet those requirements, with other ways less effective at accomplishing that end.


Ultimately with the straight right the hips must turn and, upon finishing this turn, have the body's weight resting over the left leg. The turn exists only as a way to get weight over the left leg. The arm surprisingly has nothing to do with this process.

The most important thing is getting the weight over the left leg. To borrow a phrase from Grey the arm exists only as an expression of the shifting of weight over the left leg. What the arm is ultimately doing is simple. As the weight shifts over the left leg the arm is carried along with it so as to capture this weight inside of it. In essence, the arm is simply catching a ride. The real work is being done by the turning of the hips and how much weight this turn is attempting to send over the left leg. The weight must end over the straightened left leg (or at least relatively straightened). If the leg is too bent at the knee or too far in front of you, then weight won't transfer cleanly over your left leg. It will spread over and won't go cleanly over your leg. The straight right reaches full power at the end of the punch (as the weight goes over the left leg) thus if the left leg doesn't fully and cleanly take this weight (due to a left leg which was too bent at the knee or a stance which was too wide) then full power can't be reached.


This ends the actual description of what a straight right hand is. The following section will only concern itself with how to maximize the power of a straight right hand to its fullest extent and the things that must be done to do so. You may not want a very powerful straight right as to have this requires that certain alterations must be made to your stance. Alterations which are only effective if other alterations in other areas are made along with it.


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The more weight sent over to the left leg, the stronger the punch. The faster the hips turn, the stronger the punch. (weight x acceleration = power)


So working from this point our mission seems more clear and we can reduce our dilemma down to two main problems:

1. How do I get the most weight possible into this punch

and

2. What is the most efficient way to turn my hips. Which ultimately is the same as asking: what is the most efficient way to accelerate this weight


Before I get into anything else, I want you to imagine yourself standing in front of a door. Your goal is to slam that door as hard as you can. How might you go about doing that?

The door slightly open so that it is only open say, a few inches. You slam it as hard as you can. The door shuts with minimal force.

You try again. This time you open the door halfway and you slam it as hard as you can once more. The door shuts with much more force than it did before but still not as hard as what is possible.

You try one more time. This time you open the door completely. The door is as open as it can be ensuring maximum turn. You slam the door as hard as you can and it shuts with tremendous force greater than any previous attempts.


Notice how the more the door was able to turn the more force it was able to generate. The body is also similar in this respect. If you throw your straight right from a squared up stance, it would be like slamming a door that were only open a few inches. Your kind of punching power is more annoying than it is fearsome. If you throw your straight right hand from a stance that is not entirely squared - which is to say, you're somewhat more slant - you're able to turn your hips more and thus, to better accelerate your weight over your left leg. Your right hand isn't bad. If you throw your right hand from a stance that is very slant then you give your hips maximum room to turn. Your straight right is stronger than anyone else.

The theme of this seems to be that (be it the door or a straight right hand) more turn equates to more power. So that the more your hips turn, the more power is generated.



This flows nicely into the next logical thing to ask. Now that I understand the best way to accelerate this weight (from a maximum slant, and thus with the most turn) where exactly am I getting this weight from anyway? What I'm going to describe now is a very old stance that was once commonly employed a long, long time ago. I haven't seen fighters employing this whatsoever recently. It was common to the early 1900's fighters and began to die out going into the 40's along with every other strategy that had been so carefully constructed from these now dead eras.





If you are standing from a very slanted stance (every single fighter did back then) then it is possible to shade most of your body weight so that it is resting over your right leg. When done properly one looks as though he is leaning as you can see Benny doing there. Anyway, this is done for a couple reasons:

1. with the weight primarily behind you (over your right leg) you can push off of your right foot to jab which results in a very hard, stiff jab

2. by leaning your weight over to your right leg you thereby raise up your left shoulder so that it is just above chin level and higher than your right shoulder. This facilitates shoulder rolling. It makes the movements involved in rolling right hands off of your shoulder more efficient as it is now less involved to get underneath your shoulder.

and most importantly

3. It puts the bulk of your weight on your right leg so that it can be shifted all they way over to your left leg. Because you are standing slanted you - unlike other fighters - have a back and a front. Most fighters who stand more squared only have left and right. Let me explain.

Your right leg is essentially behind you. It is your "back". Your left leg is essentially in front of you. It is your "front". From the slanted stance your hips turn from back (the right leg side) all the way to the front (the left leg side). Perhaps now it has already become clear to you why holding most of your weight over your right leg is so critical in throwing a straight right hand. Because when you throw this punch, you are transferring all of your weight from behind you (the right leg) all the way to in front of you (the left leg).


Through this method all of your body weight is being accelerated from back to front. As the body's weight is being shifted from back leg to front leg anything that gets in its way is going to absorb a tremendous amount of force.


This is the most efficient way, in addition to the most powerful way, a human being can throw a right hand. It is a deadly punch. The most powerful punch that is possible in boxing; as it is the only punch which can incorporate all of the body's weight in one single progression of back to front. The left hook, though also extremely powerful when thrown properly, cannot assemble up and move as much weight as this punch can.



Well that is what I think. This should lead into an interesting discussion because I know for a fact that essentially everyone has a different idea of how they think a straight right should be thrown. It will be interesting to see how they can defend their methods.

[Chris Nagel]

Good post. I like how you brought up the idea of slamming a door. I was just looking over an old boxing manual from the 40's that advocates the same execution of the straight right hand as you have described, yet ironically they favor the squared (both feet pointing forward approach) which as you know has become the stance that most of today's fighters use.

Anyways here's an excerpt from the book about the execution of the straight right which mirrors what you've already said:

STRAIGHT RIGHT TO THE CHIN---TECHNIQUE

The straight right hand is a power blow. It is delivered wth a twist of waist and the forceful extension of the right arm. At the moment of impact the weight shifts over to the straight left leg, which gives the power necessary to for the use as a finishing blow.
The secret of power is using the left side of the body as a hinge, and allowing the right side of the bodyto swing free. It is the same idea of slamming a door shut.

ANALYSIS OF THE STRAIGHT RIGHT

The straight right is a very easy blow to execute properly. In principle, for any power or force in the blow, the bodystructure must be aligned as to form one straight body side or line. This enables the bone structure to support the weight of the body, freeing the musculature for purpose of pivoting or turning the other side of the body forward. Thus Terrific power is created.
The straight right is executed by shifting the weight of the body directly over the straight left leg. The left side of the body now forms a straight line. Now turn the right hip and shoulder through the to the center line of the body and drive the right hand into forceful extension. The arm drives out at shoulder height. At the moment of impact the knuckles of the hand are turned up. The arm then relaxes back to the on guard position. Propulsion of the blow comes from the twist of the waist, the shifting of the weight forward and forceful arm extension. The movement in it's final execution should be relaxed and easy, the arm driving out with such force that it pulls on both the shoulder and the elbow joint. It is like the snap of a whip. The right hand should be driven through the target, not at the target.

REVIEW

1. Body weight must be shifted directly over the straight left leg.
2. Hip and shoulder must turn through the center line.
3. The right arm is then driven into complete extension.
4. At the moment of impact the knuckles are up and the thumb side of the hand is turned inward.
5. The plane of the fist does not vary. The blow is delivered in a straight line and returns on a straight line.
6. All force is away from the body. The arm relaxes back to position.
7. The left arm folds to the body in the position of guard.
8. The right hand is driven through the target, not at one.

One thing point that I would like to see brought up is the simple idea of when you throw your left so that the weight shifts back to your right leg, which in turn allows to throw the right hand with maximum weight and torque behind it. This also goes both ways which can be easily understood by throwing left hooks followed by right hands in succession. This is better than the beginner's mistake of pulling their arm back in attempt to put more power into their punches. I think that a decent fighter would be aware of the punch that follows after the weight shifts. Let's say for instance you made your opponent's left hook miss, now if he's going to throw another punch from this current position it's naturally going to be a right hand (he can't throw another left hook unless he cocks it back again).

[Scrap]

Things to think about, the back foot generates most power when in line and under your centre of gravity your Coccyx any movement forward you loose power and the ability to generate power going onto the front foot is biomechanically wrong it stops the hip and joints that cause the movement of the hip from working . The Hip has only 6% of movement its all the other joints and feet that make it possible, going on to the front foot you loose your basic fundamentles of balance and Oral stability your line to create power has gone the shoulders are not balanced and in line. What moves the right shoulder is the left shoulder, on the front it stops the Hip Flexus from working the left shoulder and putting excess strain on the groin and lower back the muscles will not work as they should. Back foot is your distance, front foot is your direction depending on your optical prefference.

[Walker Smith Jr.]

This is kind of what i gathered from my own experiences working on my straight technique.

I noticed that when i throw my straight right ( or should i say straight left, ima lefty) I overreach alot of the time, while sparring and while on the pads. the end result is my legs/stance are too wide and im left off balance. My front foot was too far forward, and my rear leg was extended and straightened out. Leaving me in no position to use my feet for a follow up anything. To remedy this, i listened to the advice of one of the older boxing heads. He gave me a simple tip. Which was to step SLIGHTLY a couple inches diagonal and up with my lead foot when i threw my straight (the falling step). This resulted in two things:

First, it increased the POW, by adding that forward momentum that resulted from just that little falling step.

Second, when i took this slight step, My rear leg would shuffle up automatically to put me back in my stance, with balance and posture intact. So i really been working to incorporate this step everytime, though it doesnt always come naturally.


I've also been working on keeping my stance slantish and unsquare, almost TKDish, So as to minimize my solar plex as a target, and maximize the pow for my straight. I also try to whip my right out there as if im slamming a door. All of which you mentioned above. This is some damned good information. rings true. keep it coming.

[ThomasTabin]

Things to think about, the back foot generates most power when in line and under your centre of gravity your Coccyx any movement forward you loose power and the ability to generate power going onto the front foot is biomechanically wrong it stops the hip and joints that cause the movement of the hip from working . The Hip has only 6% of movement its all the other joints and feet that make it possible, going on to the front foot you loose your basic fundamentles of balance and Oral stability your line to create power has gone the shoulders are not balanced and in line. What moves the right shoulder is the left shoulder, on the front it stops the Hip Flexus from working the left shoulder and putting excess strain on the groin and lower back the muscles will not work as they should. Back foot is your distance, front foot is your direction depending on your optical prefference.

Scrap I don't know whats the best way to say this so I'm just going to say it. I don't understand anything you said.

[Scrap]

Not to worry Thomas.

[ThomasTabin]

Can you simplify that information.

[Scrap]

Probably the best way is actually to go for a walk and understand the movement and where and how power and movement come from in relation to opposites in the body hand foot coardination and where stability comes from as regarding working with gravity its really good fun thinking about it.

[Scrap]

Dont know what happened there, Anyway watching people walk tells you everything you need to know about the person as regards there soul and ailments througth posture. You can tell there Athletic ability with practice and can spot bad underlying form. I love it.

[Chris Nagel]

Scrap, it would be easier for us to picture it if you could give us examples of some well known boxers that illustrate exactly what you mean.

[Scrap]

Chris one that comes to mind Hearns Duran, another Marciano Walcott theres loads of good examples of posture. If youre on your front foot and reaching off the back foot thats the last shot you throw correctly even the left Hook starts of the back foot.

[Chris Nagel]

Ok. There's something else that I'm curious about Scrap, let's say we're in a room full of fighters who are just walking about the room. By watching the way that the fighters walk can you get a good idea of how they fight? If so what do you look for? Since you brought it up before, I'd just like to better understand the relationship between the movement in walking to the movement in boxing.

[Scrap]

You can if you know what youre looking at, I was watching Mayweather on a running machine last nights biuld up to the fight with Hatton. Interestingly I noticed he has a problem with his right hip he probably or his team havent got a clue of the problem otherwise it would be sorted, because with someone with good lateral movement there could be a problem if they understand it.

[Chris Nagel]

I said before that I'd like to bring up of the wrong ways on throwing the straight right. I remember reading in Joe Frazier's book, "Box like the pros", and the instructions he gives on punching technique is all wrong. Here's an excerpt from book on how he teaches how to throw the right hand:

"...At the same time that you are extending your arm, lean forward on the ball of your left foot. Plant that foot in place. Drive the punch with your legs. Throwing the punch and driving it with your right foot is done in one single, smooth motion; they are done at the same time. If it helps, imagine that your right fist and right foot is connected by a pulley: when you throw the punch the pulley makes your lean. The two moves are connected; one doesn't happen without the other. And as always your feet are anchored to the floor."

In the photo that accompanies this instruction, the fighter has just extended their right arm. At this point they are leaning forward with their head inches ahead of their knee. There is no pivoting action occuring in the right foot, infact the right toe is not pointed in the direction of the punch. The fighter fights in a squared stance with both the feet pointing forward.

If you want to view that page from his book, you can find it on the following page of this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/sitbv3/read...Hh37PH1uVYBK3p YNJ /c=#

I'm interested in hearing what your views are.

[StrictlySP]

Hi Thomas et al,
Picking up from where I left off on the overhand right thread...

Before, I delineate the specific body mechanics I advocate/teach for the rear straight punch (I'm left-handed, hence the generic terminology), I just want to establish what I'm going for with this punch and, in fact, all punches--effectiveness and efficiency. The bottom line to that end is focused POWER. Actually, power is a misnomer when it comes to fighting. FORCE is what we want. Force equals mass X acceleration. As such, in practical terms, it's all about putting as much body weight into/behind the punch as possible and doing so as fast as you can without sacrificing the body mechanics to achieve that objective. Now, I could expound on this and discuss the importance of momentum, kinetic energy, sequential torque and the roles they play in generating force, but I'm not really interested in giving a dissertation on the physics involved. Someone else can pick up that ball. Instead, I'll focus on the body mechanics I've found that generate the most effective and efficient force possible. The mechanics I employ/teach were influenced by several boxing trainers (primarily my coach-Solomon Johnson and the one-and-only great Archie Moore) I've had the honor of spending time with along with my mentor Geoff Thompson, Peter Consterdine, and Stan Peterec. Anyway, here's my two cents...

Ah, though I'm a lefty, since the majority of those who'll read this are most likely right-handed, I'll delineate my biomechanical description as a righty.

STRAIGHT RIGHT HAND to the head
1. From an orthodox stance, push off the ball of your right foot and simultaneously take a short 30 to 45 degree "trigger step" to the left with your left foot.

2. Now, as you push off and take the trigger step to the left, transfer approximately 90 percent of your body weight over your left leg/foot and recognize/designate the left side of your body (i.e. left foot, left knee, left hip, and left shoulder) as being the "door hinge" side which serves as the axis of rotation for the punch. To promote this weight transfer and emphasis over the left leg, "dig" your left foot into the ground. NOTE: there should be a slight bend in your left knee (one trainer I know says the left knee should be relatively straight to establish and maintain a better "door hinge" axis) and your head should be directly over your left foot.

3. Immediately rotate your right hip (and only your right hip at this time) counterclockwise (to square up with your lead left hip) and pivot on the ball of your right foot counterclockwise allowing your right shoulder (which should be lagging behind for a millisecond) to recoil back like a slingshot retraction (myotatically stretching your right pectoral muscles in the process).

SUMMARY for #1, #2, and #3: Step BEFORE hip rotation, head over left foot, body weight over left foot, left side of body (foot, knee, hip, shoulder) is the "door hinge" axis, right hip-whip rotation/right ball-of-foot pivot, right shoulder recoil.

4. With your right shoulder recoiled back, and your right hip rotating a millisecond ahead of it, use this right hip counterclockwise rotation to generate and explosively propel your right shoulder in whiplike/slingshot fashion. As you are in the transitional process of doing this, simultaneously "shrug" your right shoulder convulsively (i.e. like a forward shoulder shrug barbell/dumbbell exercise) in a counterclockwise circle (i.e. going forward). Now, use this "hip-then-shoulder whip" generated momentum and sequential torque to explosively "shoot" your right fist straight to and through your opponent's jaw.

SUMMARY for #4: Hip-whip rotation BEFORE forward shoulder shrug and slingshot action, shoulder drive BEFORE hand propulsion, explosively "shoot" your right fist into and through the target.

5. As you are explosively "shooting" your right fist straight ahead to and through your opponent's jaw, simultaneously pull-in/retract your left elbow back to your left ribcage in a short, quick, convulsive manner. By doing this, you add to the acceleration of your right hand shooting forward to and through the target. It's a "push-pull" type of action similarly analogous to hand pedaling a bicycle with both hands. Keep in mind, depending on whether you are leading off with the straight right hand from a guarded position, sharpshooting, initiating a combo, being in the midst of a combo, or finishing off of a combo, your left hand should be up or pulled back to the jaw during this convulsive left elbow retraction.

SUMMARY for #5: Explosive "push-pull" action with the hands/arms.

6. As you are "shooting" your right fist towards the target, adhere to the "power line" (an imaginary line from shoulder to fist which optimally allows you to put your shoulder behind the punch) by purposefully not flaring your right elbow up and out. Instead, keep your right elbow pointed down as much as possible without interfering with the freedom of movement.

7. At point of impact with the target--ideally the jaw, your right arm should be approximately 3/4ths extended (i.e. your right elbow should still be slightly bent) to allow follow-through. Upon contact, "gouge" down into and through the target with your right fist (as if you are doing an inverse shoveling movement). This will be easily facilitated through the forward shoulder shrugging movement of your right shoulder. NOTE: if your right arm is fully extended at impact, the force you generated is dissipated with no follow-through potential. So, make impact while the right elbow is still bent.

8. Strike into and through the target and follow-through with an elliptical retraction of your right hand back to guard position (i.e. right hand by right cheek/jaw area).

SUMMARY for #6, #7, and #8: Adhere to the "power line;" striking through, "gouging" down, and "sinking" into the target upon contact. FOLLOW-THROUGH and retract right hand back to guard.

9. In certain instances, depending on whether or not your straight right hand is starting off or finishing a combo or is executed as a single shot, you can add even more body weight and "follow through" into your punch by allowing your rear right leg to "slide/glide" forward after contact with the target. Remember, most of your body weight should be centered over your left foot/leg, so this right leg movement will feel natural.

SUMMARY for #9: At certain times, "slide/glide" the rear right leg forward after contact.

*While I've broken down the body mechanics in a step-by-step process, be cognizant that the sequences are taking place either simultaneously or sequentially in millisecond spaces of time.

**RELAX. Focused relaxation promotes acceleration, acceleration promotes force, force promotes knockout "power." Don't tense up any unnecessary muscles. Being "smooth" helps being fast...

***Keep in mind, your chin should be tucked and your left hand up (or in the process of being pulled back) protecting the left side of your jaw during the execution.

****Upon contact, have your right fist in a horizontal palm-down position or a 45-degree inward-diagonal position NOT in a vertical fist position (which inhibits natural arm movement and pectoralis/latissimus dorsi/trapezius muscle recruitment/involvement in the punch).

*****The striking surface/contact point is subject to debate. Some like Jack Dempsey advocate the three-knuckle striking area (i.e. middle, ring, and pinkie finger knuckles), while others support the traditional two-knuckle striking area (i.e. index and middle finger knuckles). I'm more inclined towards a "three-knuckle" landing, but to me it's a moot point in the chaos of battle. Three knuckles, two knuckles, heck, with all the positional and movement variables that exist, I'm happy when my punches land solidly irregardless of which particular knuckles actually make contact. Anyway, play around with it and decide for yourself what you want to focus on.

******From initiation to completion, which will be very, very rapid, be sure to exhale in a short, sharp manner. Exhalation during execution is extremely important in contributing to the generation of force among a myriad of other beneficial things.

*******Finally, you should have violent intention when executing this or any punch. This mindset adds even more "depth" to the strike.


I'm betting some of you have noticed that I've deviated from the traditional "straight-in" (or "straight-out," depending on how you use the terminology)/straight-back" straight-line trajectory that is the gold standard when throwing a straight right hand. As you can surmise from my description, I do follow a straight-line trajectory from initiation to contact, but immediately thereafter, I "gouge down" into and through the target in a slightly downward elliptical trajectory as I follow through and retract my right hand back to guard position in that same path. Why did I change and do this? Well, even thought the traditional way works fine, this way works better. The short answer is that this movement produces additional torque that the other way doesn't which allows me to put even more body weight into my shot. Moreover, this movement facilitates slightly longer contact into and through the target increasing the amount of force absorbed by my opponent.

In regards to the simultaneous "push-pull" action I described in #5, this is really nothing new per se. It is something done naturally within the context of executing a straight right hand in the traditional sense. However, it is a movement that is often not accentuated conscientiously. Give it a try. You'll see that it does make a difference with torque.

Well, I think I've covered most everything I wanted to at this time. If there is anything I've overlooked, I'll edit it in when it comes to mind or if/when someone brings it to my attention.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone out or at least serves as food for thought...

Take care and God bless.

Best Regards,
Lito