The Left Hook To The Body

Kill the body, and the head will die

                If you’ve ever been hit with a hurtful body punch, in sparring or in a boxing match, then you know body punches can be one of the most lethal tools in a fighter’s arsenal. Body punches can momentarily take all the wind out of your opponent, and is especially useful against fighters who can take shots to the head.  If you’ve ever seen fighters who are good at targeting the body, one thing you may have noticed is that they usually use the left hook to the body more often than any other punch. This is because the left hook to the body lands on your opponent’s liver, and this is what will have your opponent paralysed and unable to move, regardless of if his mind is clear or not. As the boxing Gods say: ‘Kill the body and the head will die.’

Tap Head Hook, Left Body Hook at Upward Angle

A favourite of outstanding left-hook-and-body puncher, Mickey Ward. Stand more to the left of your opponent (which is your right), so that with the first tap hook to the head, you can place your left foot out to generate power from hip rotation. After you take the step to your left, you should be leaning over to the right of your opponent, almost peeking at the target with a view of his lower side. With your foot on the outside, you can twist your body weight into the hook, by turning at your waist and bending your knee to sink into the shot, and get behind your opponent’s guard. It’s not essential to step over though, especially if your opponent is already moving over to his left because you’ll already be in that peeking position and can still get the twist from that position. The first hook to the head should get your opponent to move his guard up to make this easier. For this particular hook, as you want to land it at an upward angle. Like a hybrid between a hook and uppercut. Imagine if you’re punch were to go through him, and your fist would end up coming out at his armpit area on the other side. So basically, at about a 45 degree upward angle.  To perfect this, you’ll need to practice this on the heavy bag over and over, to get it into your muscle memory. Then in sparring, with practice you’ll soon start getting more confident and at first it may not knock anyone down, but you’ll certainly notice it slow him down. Plasticising this body punch in training is crucial due to the fact that it’s quite difficult to get it around your opponent’s elbow.

Feint Right, Left Body Hook

Lean over slightly or step to the left when you feint, to get a better view of the target, and also to get your foot into the correct position. When firing the punch, bend your lead knee, and use waist rotation to add strength to the shot. The angle of the shot is similar to the previously discussed hook. Practice getting the punch to go at an upward angle diagonally and aim connect to your opponents side with the knuckle part of your fist. This type of shot not only damages the liver, but can do damage to the rib area of your opponent, when you glove lands at an upward angle. This shot can also be used after a 1-2 combination (left jab-right cross). This combination was often utilised beautifully by Mexican great Julio Cesar Chavez. The jab blind your opponent, whilst enabling you to measure distance and the right will get him to lift his guard up and expose his body, whilst also distracting him from what is to come next. Then you fire the left hook/ uppercut. Practice this in training over and over on the bag, in sparring, and when shadowboxing.

Hook to the body, Horizontal Angle – Close Range

Usually set up by jabs, or at least feint straights (jab or right cross), this particular punch is very useful against guys that lean forward or like to duck. This is because when they lean forward, it gives you a clear path to dig the punch into their body with bad intentions and with little chance of retaliation from your opponent. When the punch lands, have the inside of your palm facing you or the floor, with your elbow at 90 degrees, or a right angle. With your elbow in this position, it makes you arm more solid and is easy to transfer all the momentum of the punch through your arm because the angle of your arm movement is same to the direction of the punch. Whereas with the previous punches, the direction of the punch is left to right, but the position and angle of the arm is upwards, rather than horizontally level.   If you’re in close, then it’s best to dig in and try to punch through the target rather than at it.

Hook to the body, Horizontal Angle – Outer Range

If you’re further out, you can use the jabs or feints to get your opponent to get his guard up and expose his body. Then you can shoot the left hook with your inner palm facing you, and rather than digging into your opponents side towards the back area, you shoot it more so it scrapes the frontal area of your opponent and have your elbow  at the same height as your fist. This is useful if you wish to maintain the distance between you and your opponent because you’re not stepping in to hit the area of your opponents side that is more towards the back area.

Having your arm and knuckles positioned at certain angle can have a significant effect on how the punch lands, and how the power is transferred from the body to the end of the fist. Growing up, I’ve realised that different trainers would often, and still do, tell me to throw the hook only in a certain way. With the palm facing the floor, or facing your chest. But in truth, there is no one correct way to do a particular thing , and this is the case when it comes to throwing left hooks. Different situations call for a different punch selection.

Final Note – Are They Doing It?

Remember, the most dominant champions are the ones that are able to break down what everyone perceived as a simple situation, into one of finer details. This is what makes a champion adaptable in all different types of situations. They have the variety in their arsenal to match the variety of obstacles they encounter. In training, practice repeatedly throwing the left hook at different angles, and in sparring do the same and see what works. Try to be attentive to the reactions after each punch so that you can gauge it’s effect in different situations. Most people are mindless to the mechanics of each punch they throw, and this is your opportunity to perform better than the rest. As a champion-in-training, you have to do what the others are not.