Name a fighter who best got his legs into the left hook?

[AlexKid]

Its often used as a lead which to American theory and practice makes little sense because you lose reachand expose the self to a straight attack from the opponent which will generally arrive first... But there is a method and reason why this leading with a hook works as well: While Olympic fighters tend to stand straight up, Mexican style guys, who often start professionally at an early age, crouch. They also change the timing and feint on the hook...also you can change a hook at the last minute when delivering it, so when a fighter goes to block a leading hook to the jaw, one can hook to the body.

To get an idea of how this works, take a friend and use something like...oh lets say a carrot, because it won't hurt you...Now your going to learn a South East Asian principle of knife fighting that will show how a Mexican hooker can lead with a hook. have the friend take the carrot and go to stab at your face, you go to block the carrot, works well right? Now, do the same sequence, but as your hand goes up to block the carrot, have your friend suddenly change the direction of the slice and go towards your belly. Hard to block?

What South East Asian fighters train to do in this situation is to use the back hand to block the knife so if the cut changes direction they simply drop the blocking hand from the elbow.

A boxer can't block this hook with his back hand so the hook becomes dangerous because unlike a jab once it is launched, a hook can change targets up until the shoulder and elbow are committed fully to the target.

Whether we are talking about a hook, or a jab, depending on the style of fighting, the truth is the lead punch is very important...some guys win fights with a jab, like ali often did. That is the reason for the emphasis.





Watch which hand the guy defends with agianst the slash. Notice that it is the hand coming across his body to defend against this change of direction.

Thats fascinating, thankyou, yea I agree I dont think straight punches are the be all and end all of scientific fighting, you can shorten the path of a curved strike to make it more economical, you can feint, you can turn a jab into a hook mid punch, there are many possibilities and its far more complex than straight lines being the fastest path to the target thats a very effective tactic but there are many others.

[Ray Corso]

The basis of the so-called "Mexican" left hook is not the leg action. (hip)
It is the shoulder rotation and adding snap at the end of it.
On the inside one of the best was Gaspar Ortega, not to many wanted to be on the inside with him however ha!
There are others like Sal Sanchez too, the power begins from the floor up but that inside hook is about the shoulder and the snap at the end. It's difficult to
explain it and equally difficult to become comfortable using. It takes a lot of practice but you'll know you have from the "feel" of it.
It's not a punch you see today as much as years gone by.
Ray

[billeau2]

Thats fascinating, thankyou, yea I agree I dont think straight punches are the be all and end all of scientific fighting, you can shorten the path of a curved strike to make it more economical, you can feint, you can turn a jab into a hook mid punch, there are many possibilities and its far more complex than straight lines being the fastest path to the target thats a very effective tactic but there are many others.

Its also more tangible when you see a demonstration of why a circular punch is much harder to block...The knife situation just happened to bring this reality to me because of my training.

[Elroy1]

Not Tyson??

The obvious choice then is Tommy Morrison.

And maybe also Wladimir Klitschko.

Others with a dug in lethal hook might include Ruddock's "smash"

[billeau2]

The basis of the so-called "Mexican" left hook is not the leg action. (hip)
It is the shoulder rotation and adding snap at the end of it.
On the inside one of the best was Gaspar Ortega, not to many wanted to be on the inside with him however ha!
There are others like Sal Sanchez too, the power begins from the floor up but that inside hook is about the shoulder and the snap at the end. It's difficult to
explain it and equally difficult to become comfortable using. It takes a lot of practice but you'll know you have from the "feel" of it.
It's not a punch you see today as much as years gone by.
Ray

Someone who was describing shoulder mechanics in whipping a blow once described the feeling as if your fist became a sock with a large heavy rock in it that could be slung into the target.

[Ray Corso]

That's not a bad description of the technique. I had a hard time developing that as a kid and had a great teacher in Gaspar Ortega as my mentor.
It's as hard to teach also because its a loose feeling in the shoulder that tightens just before contact. Any other form of a hook is easier to teach and to develop.
It is a "cultural punch" because I've never seen in displayed by any other countries. I think Yaqui Lopez used it too I might be mixing him up with someone else though.
Great punch especially inside with your elbow down and tight to the body.
Ray.

[billeau2]

That's not a bad description of the technique. I had a hard time developing that as a kid and had a great teacher in Gaspar Ortega as my mentor.
It's as hard to teach also because its a loose feeling in the shoulder that tightens just before contact. Any other form of a hook is easier to teach and to develop.
It is a "cultural punch" because I've never seen in displayed by any other countries. I think Yaqui Lopez used it too I might be mixing him up with someone else though.
Great punch especially inside with your elbow down and tight to the body.
Ray.

What you speak of is definitely obstacles I have encountered..By keeping the shoulder loose one gets swing and the dead weight of the body...there is a learning curve with having to delay the hand so it whips out, after the shoulder thrusts foward.

Cultural indeed!!! Mexicans are, among other things, patient people...and so it seems to ask a Mexican fighter to take it on provisional faith that after whipping/swinging the shoulder, and having the hand come into play a split second later, there will be an explosion at the end...well they get it. Thats a great thing you experienced Ray, it gives me another perspective.

Funny thing but Russian Martial arts uses this body mechanic on their punches. I use it occasionally as well... I mean, Bruce Lee made it ok to use what is useful. Its great to the plexus and interesting thing: The Russian guys keep the arm bent like a hook. I use it with a straight drop also.