How do I throw a faster a hook?

[Cannon_6]

I've changed my hook a bit. For the lead, I have my back leg flat and my front on the ball of my foot, I bend my knees, and I throw it diagnally...

patfromlogan was right -- the hook gets its power from the legs, and you aren't using yours correctly yet. Don't be discouraged, though -- it's the hardest punch to learn and it takes time. But you have to get the technique down before you try to make it faster. It will help to temporarily disregard what you're doing with your arm, and pay close attention to what you're doing with your legs.

Find someone who can show you what you're doing wrong and how to do it right, and then practice... a lot.

[Polish beast]

patfromlogan was right -- the hook gets its power from the legs, and you aren't using yours correctly yet. Don't be discouraged, though -- it's the hardest punch to learn and it takes time. But you have to get the technique down before you try to make it faster. It will help to temporarily disregard what you're doing with your arm, and pay close attention to what you're doing with your legs.

Find someone who can show you what you're doing wrong and how to do it right, and then practice... a lot.

Nobody thinks I'm doing anything wrong. The way we're supposed to do it (I really don't remember but I think this is how) is we just turn, and use our backs.

[tmorterlaing]

Throw it like this chick;

i mean seriously, he didn't see it coming, and it basically KOd him right?

[jdempsey]

There are many different variations of the hook, but yeh, use your feet, legs, hips, core, to get that twisting motion/whilst getting some bodyweight moving behind it. A little lateral movement can help to add power. Finally add a loose shoulder and arm to launch your punch. You can tighten that arm up on impact if you want.

Dont worry too much about the arm, except when choosing your angle and range and tactic.

Try finding a perfectly chambered position, dip your lead leg while turning your hips and body in a corkscrew motion, like winding up a spring.
Then let her rip!

The times that you engage your body parts may differ, but its almost all simutaneous anyway. Basically start from the ground up. Apart from the shoulder/arm (there is very little movement from the arm most of the time) which of course goes last.

Inside hooks are good for your diagonal angled forearm and you can launch your shopulder a little earlier, Where your horizontal forearm is better used further out , maybe coming around the guard or whatever.

check out "de jesus"
http://youtu.be/SY7GS68ktcg

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

For throwing decent hooks, you use the same body mechanics as throwing a jab and cross.

Position:
----------

- Both feet at shoulderwidth (or a little bit wider)
- Toes pointing straight forward (for keepong your kicking capabilities)
- rear leg is only one step or 1 1/2 step behind the lead foot
- Balance both feet on the ball of the foot (just behind the big toe)
- knees a little bend
- relax in this position (with a little bounciness, instead of buying frozen)
- upperbody straight towards your opponent
- head up (you are not a turtle) AND chin down (you are also not a chicken)

Mechanics:
--------------
A) Hook with "cross" hand:
- start rotating inwards on the on the ball of the rear foot
-bring the knee of the rear leg into the back/side of the knee of the lead foot
- rotate your hip in such a way that your upperbody rotates your "punching shoulder" towards your opponent.
- when your "punching shoulder" is at a 45° angle from it's starting point, start your "arm punch" sequence.
- If you target the head, best is that the punch comes horizontal (with the ground) and your elbow at the same height as the fist.
- palm of the fist can be facing towards the ground or towards you. Depends from opening in your opponents defense and your preference.

A) Hook with "jab" hand:
- start turning inwards on the ball of your lead foot, Rotation angle is between 45° and 65°, depends of your own comfortzone, but it's minimum 45°.
- rest is just the mirror movement of the above "Hook with "cross" hand".

C) Body hooks can use the several mechanics:
- the same as the above mentioned, where you just bend more through your knees to lower your height
- the same as the above mentioned, where you just bend more through your knees to lower your height and give your hook an upward angle (between 30° and max 45° upwardts compaired to the horizontal plain).

Now the above can be used, but it's only a help, not an instructional.
Best is to get a Boxing or Kickboxing coach to learn it.

[blue-dragon]

If you are throwing a hook as the first punch from your basic stance then I would keep it short, true it wont be as powerful, but it will connect faster and be harder to defend.

The true nature of the flash KO hook is throwing it when your already into the first stages of it, like after a cross, or an evasive manuever. Your body is already set into position naturally and since you saved so much time put some extra pivot into your lead foot, rotate the core, and fire away!

[dwkfym]

You gotta visualize it like you are swinging a bat. Yeah yeah, we all heard it a million times but you really have to break it down and think "what am I doing different?" For the longest time I would be punching with my legs and hips yes, i was putting my body weight into it yes, but that was all i was doing. It looked pretty good, by the way. Most people couldn't tell it was a bad hook. Only after I bitched at my coach that my hooks were piss ass weak, he noticed and fixed it.

i was putting my body weight into it because I was only shifting my weight, and I was punshing with my legs and hips by only moving them like I was taught. Not good. A good hook, your body all has to move in unison. Imagine yourself swinging a baseball bat.. or if you have a shitty swing, watch some pros do it on TV. Then ask yourself what is different about that and your punch? You really need to get your torso and hips swinging in unison. Your arms should not hurt at all because they are doing barely any moving on their own. If you did it right, your wrists will hurt like hell again ;)

[Chen Zen fromFA]

What you have described to b doing sounds like an opn invitation to a good leg kick or double leg takedown. It sounds like it leaves a lot to be desired defensively.


Without being able to see your technique its hard to say much but if its your first year then you might do well to learn this. The speed of your punch is related directly to the speed of your feet. The punch starts at the feet and the energy is transferred from the feet, through the hips and out the fist. Sinc this is true then practicing your footwork, directly affects your striking.

My second offering would be to keep all muscles except for the abs, loose. Loose muscles move and react faster than tense ones.

[WhiteShark]

This is how you throw a hook. Everything else is wrong. Note his front foot.