how to defend hook?

[newbieboxer]

Well I've been training boxing for quite a while now and I find it really hard to defend hooks I use peekaboo style..

I can easily slip quick jabs but hook. I cannot differentiate jab/cross from hooks. When they hook I feel as if a jab is coming and I try to slip to side which gets me hit..

I kind of don't like the idea of defending hook with hand it still hurts..
Sometimes I try to duck under hook but it still touches the top of my hear which gets me off balance..

[SugarBoxing]

Well I've been training boxing for quite a while now and I find it really hard to defend hooks I use peekaboo style..

I can easily slip quick jabs but hook. I cannot differentiate jab/cross from hooks. When they hook I feel as if a jab is coming and I try to slip to side which gets me hit..

I kind of don't like the idea of defending hook with hand it still hurts..
Sometimes I try to duck under hook but it still touches the top of my hear which gets me off balance..

you gotta either roll or bob

[cnote111]

Aside from ducking and weaving, I would utilize your footwork a bit more. Taking that half step back, and maybe even had a little bit of a shift of weight sinking your hips to your back foot taking head slightly out of range. IFocus on not leaning back though, make sure your feet do the work for you.

[TitoFan]

You don't like defending the hook with your hand, but trust me... it'll hurt a lot more if the hook lands flush on your unprotected chin. Against a known hooker, keep your right hand by your head as you throw jabs (I'm assuming you're both right-handers). Also, do some circling to your left. Takes away much of the power of the hook. Many times (not all) the hook is the second punch in a two-punch combination where the right is not meant to be the knockout punch. Avoid using your right hand to parry his right hand... the hard left hook is sure to follow. Finally, be wary of the distance and vary it often. Don't keep the same distance too long, as it will give him a chance to calibrate the arc of the hook.

[cambay411]

Being grazed by any punch shouldnt bring you off balance. That sounds like a footwork or stance problem.

Anyway, imo the left hook is the best punch in boxing besides the jab maybe. I have a nice left hook and I thank the lord for it everyday. I wouldnt even think about trading it for a better right.

A left hook is much easier to land than a right. (Orthodox stance of course)

The number one way to defend against a left hook is to keep your right hand up bottom line. Other wise your gonna get tagged and like someone else mentioned it hurts much worse if it doesnt hit your hand.

Even when you block punches your still gonna know you get hit, thats just the way it goes. Your gonna have to get used to it if you want to box lol.

Left hook counters.... Block then throw your own left hook. Duck then throw a straight right.

[greynotsoold]

Fighting in the peekaboo style, you better get used to it. You are squared up so your balance is iffy from the start, so, yeah, punches off the top of your head will unsettle you. In theory, you have your hands high and elbows tight to block hooks and you need to slip straight punches.
Like everything else it will take time- learning to identify the punch coming at you and how to deal with it. It is not something you are going to learn how to do well in a few weeks. Also, in the style you are choosing to fight, stepping back is not the best option. Your style only 'works' up close.

[StrictlySP]

Hi newbieboxer,
You wrote:

Well I've been training boxing for quite a while now and I find it really hard to defend hooks I use peekaboo style..

I can easily slip quick jabs but hook. I cannot differentiate jab/cross from hooks. When they hook I feel as if a jab is coming and I try to slip to side which gets me hit..

I kind of don't like the idea of defending hook with hand it still hurts..
Sometimes I try to duck under hook but it still touches the top of my hear which gets me off balance..

Normally, I would start things off by going over the defenses and counterattacks against hooks. However, since you said you've been training in boxing for quite awhile now, I'm going to assume you are familiar with them. So, I'm going to cut to the chase and go right to the heart of the matter.

Irrespective of the peekaboo style you've adopted, you NEED TO DO LOTS of isolation drills and isolation & restrictive sparring, ISOLATING HOOKS, in order to develop a "natural," "innate" ability to differentiate them from other punches and effectively defend against them (in conjunction with being stress-inoculated from them as well). That's the bottom line.

As I previously delineated in a post on another thread, "mastery" is achieve by going through the four phases of learning. As a review, they are as follows: 1) unconscious incompetence > 2) conscious incompetence (which is where you are at with this area of concern as you've specifically identified this particular weakness you have) > 3) conscious competence (developed through isolation drilling, drilling, and more drilling AND isolation sparring taken in deliberate gradient steps) > 4) unconscious competence (achieved through yet more progressively-evolved isolation drilling and isolation sparring then segueing to progressive/integrative multi-faceted drilling and mutli-faceted sparring, culminating with "regular" anything-goes sparring). This is what you need to do to overcome the weakness you have with defending and, I assume, countering hooks.

Here are some associated things to consider. If your boxing coach didn't identify this weakness and take steps in rectifying it (which based on you asking the question here is what I'm gathering), you may want to consider finding a new one. He should have noticed this if he was paying attention to you. Moreover, if he's not familiar or patient enough with using progressive isolation drills and isolated & restrictive sparring, that's another red flag. And one last thing, maybe the peekaboo style just isn't for you. You may need to play around with other styles to see what personally fits you. Again, if this is something your coach hasn't considered and/or doesn't have the knowledge/ability to do, that's yet another red flag against him.

I don't mean to sound too harsh, but I hate seeing students of the sweet science taken down a bad road. The sport is hard enough as it is when taught/trained properly. It is much worse when someone is taught/trained in an inappropriate/irresponsible way as long term brain damage is not something to take lightly.

Take Care,
Lito

[greynotsoold]

Hi newbieboxer,
You wrote:

Well I've been training boxing for quite a while now and I find it really hard to defend hooks I use peekaboo style..

I can easily slip quick jabs but hook. I cannot differentiate jab/cross from hooks. When they hook I feel as if a jab is coming and I try to slip to side which gets me hit..

I kind of don't like the idea of defending hook with hand it still hurts..
Sometimes I try to duck under hook but it still touches the top of my hear which gets me off balance..

Normally, I would start things off by going over the defenses and counterattacks against hooks. However, since you said you've been training in boxing for quite awhile now, I'm going to assume you are familiar with them. So, I'm going to cut to the chase and go right to the heart of the matter.

Irrespective of the peekaboo style you've adopted, you NEED TO DO LOTS of isolation drills and isolation & restrictive sparring, ISOLATING HOOKS, in order to develop a "natural," "innate" ability to differentiate them from other punches and effectively defend against them (in conjunction with being stress-inoculated from them as well). That's the bottom line.

As I previously delineated in a post on another thread, "mastery" is achieve by going through the four phases of learning. As a review, they are as follows: 1) unconscious incompetence > 2) conscious incompetence (which is where you are at with this area of concern as you've specifically identified this particular weakness you have) > 3) conscious competence (developed through isolation drilling, drilling, and more drilling AND isolation sparring taken in deliberate gradient steps) > 4) unconscious competence (achieved through yet more progressively-evolved isolation drilling and isolation sparring then segueing to progressive/integrative multi-faceted drilling and mutli-faceted sparring, culminating with "regular" anything-goes sparring). This is what you need to do to overcome the weakness you have with defending and, I assume, countering hooks.

Here are some associated things to consider. If your boxing coach didn't identify this weakness and take steps in rectifying it (which based on you asking the question here is what I'm gathering), you may want to consider finding a new one. He should have noticed this if he was paying attention to you. Moreover, if he's not familiar or patient enough with using progressive isolation drills and isolated & restrictive sparring, that's another red flag. And one last thing, maybe the peekaboo style just isn't for you. You may need to play around with other styles to see what personally fits you. Again, if this is something your coach hasn't considered and/or doesn't have the knowledge/ability to do, that's yet another red flag against him.

I don't mean to sound too harsh, but I hate seeing students of the sweet science taken down a bad road. The sport is hard enough as it is when taught/trained properly. It is much worse when someone is taught/trained in an inappropriate/irresponsible way as long term brain damage is not something to take lightly.

Take Care,
Lito

One of the problems with the 'peekaboo' approach to boxing is the inability to isolate anything, because your goal is to be in range of everything. You have to react to everything.
D'Amato had success with Patterson (and he gave up on the style real fast), Torres (and he retired after his first loss), and Tyson. Tyson held onto it way longer than he should have.
I would suggest that any trainer teaching this style either knows nothing about boxing or is out to get you. There is nothing that you think you have to gain by fighting in this style that you cannot gain with better footwork, angles and intelligence.