Front foot when throwing the left hook

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

I don't see how you're supposed to hook moving forwards if you shift your weight to the rear foot and pivot on the left.

ODLH, Frazier and Trinidad all have amazing hooks and I've studied their left hooks and neither of them pivot off of the left, they plant the left foot and whip the hook out.

In the Ring ****zine, hopkins has a column where he goes through techniques and in his explanation of the left hook he talks about how the left foot should be planted and the power only comes from the knees, hips, torso and shoulders.

I've also noticed that all of these fighters throw the hook with a vertical fist, with the palm facing their faces.

Really?



Look at :47, 1:09 and 2:06 and tell me how DLH is pivoting the left foot to gain power. Granted, your not going to do it everysingle time depending on your balance and where your opponent is but it's something you should always train because it makes it a habit of you "turning" your punches to gain leverage on them.

In one of those clips, DLH has a very slight turn but it's a turn nontheless. It's fundamental boxing 101 and any good trainer will teach that to his/her students everytime....

[judge_jab]

it seems it's more of a push than a pivot, he seems to raise the heel, and pushes with his toes and whips the hips round? I've always been told to pivot it right round like you're stamping out a cigarette (i don't smoke lol) or trying to crush a peanut on the floor or something but I'm confused as have seen numerous ways of doing it.

This is what hopkins says in the Ring article:

WHAT YOUR FEET DO:

These two shots close up what your feet do when you throw the hook. This is where the power comes from, where you get the torque. Not from your your arms or your shoulders of back, but from right here. Your left foot is PLANTED; there is no pivot and it stays on the ground. You're rotating your hips and driving the punch with your left leg and that foot stays where it is.


Personally, I'm not quite sure what to think, Trinidad definatley doesn't pivot on his left foot, neither does Frazier.

To me, it feels like the left hook with a pivot is best thrown as a counter when the opponent is coming on to you as you shift your weight to the right foot.

The left foot planted left hooks feels much better when i'm going forward on the attack as part of a combination.

Of course I'm not saying it's right, but I think it's better for me?

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

it seems it's more of a push than a pivot, he seems to raise the heel, and pushes with his toes and whips the hips round? I've always been told to pivot it right round like you're stamping out a cigarette (i don't smoke lol) or trying to crush a peanut on the floor or something but I'm confused as have seen numerous ways of doing it.

This is what hopkins says in the Ring article:

WHAT YOUR FEET DO:

These two shots close up what your feet do when you throw the hook. This is where the power comes from, where you get the torque. Not from your your arms or your shoulders of back, but from right here. Your left foot is PLANTED; there is no pivot and it stays on the ground. You're rotating your hips and driving the punch with your left leg and that foot stays where it is.


Personally, I'm not quite sure what to think, Trinidad definatley doesn't pivot on his left foot, neither does Frazier.

To me, it feels like the left hook with a pivot is best thrown as a counter when the opponent is coming on to you as you shift your weight to the right foot.

The left foot planted left hooks feels much better when i'm going forward on the attack as part of a combination.

Of course I'm not saying it's right, but I think it's better for me?

I just can't see how you can generate full power with it planted. Again, I think that you won't pivor everytime because of certain circumstances but it's something I teach my fighters because if anything it teaches them to pivot and turn their hips into a punch, even if they aren't pivoting their front foot.

Even when you are coming forward you can "turn" the front foot but it's more of a push off like you said. If you are completely stationary, I think you are depriving yourself of power. Your basically not getting full potential on that punch. I have seen DLH, Trinidad, JCC, Frasier all "turn" their front foot into the hook, it's something you are taugh from day one when learning how to throw the hook.

[judge_jab]

I agree with a lot of what you say but how are you meant to go on a forward attack if you're busy shifting you weight to the back to pivot your right foot for the hook?

I can see why the left foot would pivot when countering, moving backwards or when you're just standing stationary but I find it very awkward to move forwards throwing a combination, if I pivot the left foot with the hook.

Mosley is another who doesn't pivot that much.

Maybe when it's taught it's exaggerated to help instill the concept in the fighter, then when the fighter gets better and gains experience it becomes less noticeable? just a thought!

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

I agree with a lot of what you say but how are you meant to go on a forward attack if you're busy shifting you weight to the back to pivot your right foot for the hook?

I can see why the left foot would pivot when countering, moving backwards or when you're just standing stationary but I find it very awkward to move forwards throwing a combination, if I pivot the left foot with the hook.

Mosley is another who doesn't pivot that much.

Maybe when it's taught it's exaggerated to help instill the concept in the fighter, then when the fighter gets better and gains experience it becomes less noticeable? just a thought!

EXACTLY!! That's why you show things in their very fundamental state so it becomes a "good" habit when throwing a punch.

As far as not being able to do it when coming forward, think about it like this. When you are coming forward, you won't shift your weight to your back foot 100% because that's wrong even when stationary. that "turning" motion is meant for you to PUSH off with your front foot to assist or propel your hips, back and shoulders the same way you are delivering your hook.

It's not something you do for aesthetics, it's something you do to push yourself in that direction. So you can come forward, keep your weight on your front foot and still "turn" to push off in that direction.

It won't be as exaggerated as when you practice but that motion will allow you to get into the habit of throwing your hips,legs and body into the punch.

[judge_jab]

thanks! it's rare we actually get some good conversations going in this place!

I'm still a little curious of the reasoning behind hopkins' technique, I spoke to Iceman John Scully a few months back and he said the left foot should be planted to ensure maximum power is reached??? I really don't understand it lol

Pivoting/pushing with the left foot seems so much more logical to me!

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

thanks! it's rare we actually get some good conversations going in this place!

I'm still a little curious of the reasoning behind hopkins' technique, I spoke to Iceman John Scully a few months back and he said the left foot should be planted to ensure maximum power is reached??? I really don't understand it lol

Pivoting/pushing with the left foot seems so much more logical to me!

No problem,I love to talk boxing and have been training fighters for about 6 years now. I used to box amateur and now just train at a local gym in Miami.

I don't know why you would not want to turn into your puches because it won't do anything but help you, it won't hurt you that's for sure.

Some people are just very strong and can KO people down even when just throwing arm punches but like I said before, why deprive yourself of extra power even if you are that stong.

Look at Mike Tyson for example, people think he was just a brawler with natural power but it was his technique that gave him a lot of that incredible power. He was trained very good in his mechanics and that translated into his punching power.

[Mr. Ryan]

Using both of what they said together would give you good power. You'd be planted and ready to release it. With your second coach saying isn't fully complete, you would seem to just be using arm punches.

Thats essentially what I'd say. I always pivot the foot of the hand I'm punching unless it's a jab, then I step.

[Verstyle]

Thats essentially what I'd say. I always pivot the foot of the hand I'm punching unless it's a jab, then I step.

Simple and to the point, ppl were making paragraphs on the subject. **** isn't even needed. Haha.

[them_apples]

I'm a trainer and have boxed before and everyone I have ever had train me says the same thing I do. You turn your front foot, pushing off with it to gain power with the hook. Power comes from your hips and legs, not your arms.

"Turn" the front foot with the hook, that's the proper way to throw it. I have never in all my days of being involved in boxing heard of a trainer tell someone to keep that foot planted.......ever. You can't generate full power that way.

If you want to turn right push off with the left foot, to turn left, push off with the right foot. Boxing 101.........

Barrera never turns his foot in, all hips. In fact a lot of good punchers don't turn in with the hook. Miguel Cotto never turned his foot in. It's to awkward of a move to pull off unless you got the guy seriously hurt and need to sit down on your punches.