Landing Hooks and Uppercuts from the outside.

[donnydarkoIRL]

I've fallen into a strange habit of lunging when throwing Hooks and uppercuts from a distance, albeit Uppercuts were never my forte.

Obviously countering is one excellent method of ensuring your power punch will land, but what other methods are employed to ensure the punch lands?

For the purposes of the thread it may also be helpful to discusss defences against such punches.

[Youngblood]

Donny I have a vid I might put up one day (or a little bit of it) when I get it from my coach showing how god aweful ugly missed hooks from far out can look. lol

My left hook was so successful against shorter fighters I figured it was sure fire, and I ran into a guy who was 6`4``or 6`5 and I had a hurt back before fighting him too. But mostly I was leading off with that left hook and to my surprise not only was i missing by a mile and horribly, the punch was going across my body and tying me up! lol

I figured out in time how bad it was and quickly started using an straight right left hook combo to counter him...and managed a win...but wow...was it ugly, the opening hook. Itll be embarrassing as hell but when I get it Ill put up a cut clip from it.

That caused me to start working on shortening it. Plus add some elements to work on too for a counter like an overhand right-straight left combo. Plus working on my slipping.

[donnydarkoIRL]

I've got a nice hook, but I've let it loosen in recent times.
I need to begin tightening all limbs once again.

I feel since i've sparred with pros I've encounteed leads with unusual punches more so I need to expand my own repetoire of leads.

[Scrap]

A little tip, the problem usualy starts with the feet not being right and to compesate the shoulders are overcompesating and tighten as does the lower back and groin. Making it hard for the elbows to be where they should be on the ribs where they have the ability to feel where they are. giving a sense [ feel] for direction of where to go, distance is lost.

[donnydarkoIRL]

A little tip, the problem usualy starts with the feet not being right and to compesate the shoulders are overcompesating and tighten as does the lower back and groin. Making it hard for the elbows to be where they should be on the ribs where they have the ability to feel where they are. giving a sense [ feel] for direction of where to go, distance is lost.

Excellent advice.
I understood it first time round this time

I was thinking for a LH to step as if with a jab and twist on extension with the hook.
I haven't experimented yet, I will tonight, but it may work.

[Youngblood]

A little tip, the problem usualy starts with the feet not being right and to compesate the shoulders are overcompesating and tighten as does the lower back and groin. Making it hard for the elbows to be where they should be on the ribs where they have the ability to feel where they are. giving a sense [ feel] for direction of where to go, distance is lost.

Excellent advice.
I understood it first time round this time

I was thinking for a LH to step as if with a jab and twist on extension with the hook.
I haven't experimented yet, I will tonight, but it may work.

This also may help explain why I was experiencing alot of lower back pain for a while when I was working on using my left hook a lot. It has since stopped as ive shortened it, but it was always sore.

[Trainer Monkey]

Offensive and defensive
Hook,you have to widen it out a little from the outside to make your reach
Defending,step in past it,and uppercut

Uppercut,I really dont recomend an out uppercut,but you have to open up your arm angle,and you will have to make a step with it,that may feel like a lunge to get anything on it
Defending,block it out,instinct says to block it in,dont,block it out by twisting your hips back,and as your blocking it out counter with an overhand cross

[Andre]

Practice ; Double up on them while moving in.
High and low or low and high, first one gets the reaction second one gets your distance and lands in the reverse spot to his arms reaction to the first one. You'll kill two birds with one stone.

[El Kabong]

If you're going to throw a lunging hook here's what works for me...


Set up the right cross....feint the right cross...when you feint roll your body weight to your left side and then push off and leap in with the hook.

This way you have time to see if they buy the feint....if they don't then hold back the hook and keep pounding the 1-2 and it will eventually set it up

[donnydarkoIRL]

If you're going to throw a lunging hook here's what works for me...


Set up the right cross....feint the right cross...when you feint roll your body weight to your left side and then push off and leap in with the hook.

This way you have time to see if they buy the feint....if they don't then hold back the hook and keep pounding the 1-2 and it will eventually set it up

I would never train to throw a lunging hook.
I feel that lunging is by no means positive and should actually be discouraged.

[Youngblood]

Yea I am almost convinced my poorly executed hook was responsible for a lot of my lower back pain. Not saying I got it perfect now, but since I started working on shortening it the steady lower back pain has all but disappeared...

[Scrap]

Youngun,at a guees I dont think you are turning the Hook thats why its affecting the lower back if you were it wouldnt

[ICB]

I wouldn't throw uppercuts from the outside watch what happened to Douglas against Holyfield, And watch what happened to Leonard throwing hooks from the outside against Hearns in the rematch. I find it so easy to counter my opponent when they try and throw hooks or uppercuts from the outside, good luck to you Donny if you can do it effectively but its not something i would ever do too risky.

[Youngblood]

Youngun,at a guees I dont think you are turning the Hook thats why its affecting the lower back if you were it wouldnt

Yea thanks Scrap, I believe you are right. I think I got most of that figured out in the last few months. Backs feeling much better now. I got a brand new problem working on using the uppercut properly now. Is always something to work on, eh?

[Andre]

I wouldn't throw uppercuts from the outside watch what happened to Douglas against Holyfield, And watch what happened to Leonard throwing hooks from the outside against Hearns in the rematch. I find it so easy to counter my opponent when they try and throw hooks or uppercuts from the outside, good luck to you Donny if you can do it effectively but its not something i would ever do too risky.

I like uppercuts and what they can create specially for the next move on an opening.


I think the uppercut is best executed hidden from view. either by a feint that has attracted their lead arm across themselves more into centre, then have the uppercut come up under that same arm right at the point when it heads back to the side so they dont see it and it only appears right on the end of their own arms movment.(worth practiceing that exact timing and where you have to be bodily).

Or hidden by your own body movment like when you are passing under a lead arm to the outside and you follow your movment with the uppercut off your rear arm, launched in secret off your hip right between his arms as you pass through so theres weight and movment in it.

Sneaky people can even lightly shove an arm and the fighter will react and his arm will force against the original push which you can then rip up the inside of or around.

So : (follow my kookyness here ) you could lightly shove a lead left arm at the elbow point in towards his centre as you duck and passed through under it....his reaction would insinctly be that his arm would follow your body movment and you would then have the opening to use the rear arm uppercut as you followed his arm through etc .


Hooking the lead arm from the outside and immediatley uppercut under the reaction to it is possible too, while moving into distance. (Only if your in in opposite stances) right arm lead verses left arm lead or the reverse of course.

Turning an uppercut over into a cross from down real low will follow the path of the target and can get a result in some cases where they are already on the move early.

IF your heads are at the same level ,an uppercut straight into an overhand bomb is going to find the natural opening that the uppercut creates both using two hands one up the inside alley and the other over the outside if your both in the same stances or just the one arm in that combo if your both in the reverse stance to each other.