How to throw the rear hook
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The rear hook amplifies the explosive power of the cross with rotational force. It’s arced trajectory from the rear hand makes it susceptible to a counter. Use the rear hook with caution — in a combination, as a counterpunch or at close range. Using the door analogy from the lead hook, this time slam it in the opposite direction. The lead side of the body acts as the supporting frame and the rear ankle, hip, and shoulder as the door.
Rear hook to the head
Stay in guard.
Twist on the ball of your rear foot.
Turn your rear hip and shoulders towards your opponent.
Pull your lead shoulder and hip away from your opponent
Punch around, your arm bent between 90 and 100 degrees.
Return to guard.
The angle of your fist is optional.
Concentrate on your:
chin — keep it down and tucked behind your rear shoulder
lead hand — protect your chin
lead arm — protect your body
Rear hook to the body
Stay in guard.
Flex your knees and dip.
Deliver the punch as per the lead hook, this time palm inwards, thumb on top.
Return to guard.
Concentrate on your:
chin — keep it down and tucked behind your rear shoulder
lead hand — protect your chin
lead arm — protect your body
Study
I’m often asked — who is the hardest puncher in history? In boxing, we use the term “pound for pound”. This lets you compare a boxer’s power relative to their weight.
I can only comment on the boxers I have seen, and my answer each time is the same: Julian Jackson.
Jackson went on a reign of terror through the super-welter and middle weights in the 1980s and 90s. He amassed a long highlight reel of one-punch knockouts. His rear hook did the damage in many of those fights.
Britain’s Herol “Bomber” Graham was a sublime talent. He made opponents look clumsy and pedestrian. He outboxed Jackson for 4 rounds before switching off for one costly second. That second was all it took for Jackson to detach him from his senses, courtesy of a terrifying rear hook.
Roy Jones Jr’s prodigious skills are legendary. He was a maverick who defied boxing conventions and loved a hook. The rib-cruncher that cut Virgil Hill in half is a fine example of the rear hook to the body.
Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez throws the rear hook in a more structured way. His 2015 knockout victory over James Kirkland showcases his elite-level skills. He sets up the rear hook with a jab to the body and even ducks Kirkland’s forlorn lead hook as he crumples to the floor.
