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Uppercuts are effective at short and mid-range to the head and body. They travel upwards in a straight line — perfect for punching between your opponent’s guard. Power comes from your legs and hips.

Rear uppercut to the head

1. Stay in guard.

2. Dip your knees a touch.

3. Drop weight to your rear foot.

4. Twist on the ball of your rear foot until it points straight at your opponent.

5. Turn your rear hip and shoulders towards your opponent.

6. Pull your lead shoulder and hip away from your opponen.

7. Punch upwards, elbow bent around 90 degrees, rotating your fist palm inwards before impact.

8. Return to guard.

Concentrate on your:

• rear hand — don’t drop it to wind up the punch

• rear elbow — don’t throw it back to wind up the punch

• lead hand — protect your chin

• lead arm — protect your body

Rear uppercut to the body

The technique for the rear uppercut to the body is the same as the one to the head. Aim for the solar plexus, the central region below the ribs. If you’ve ever done a first aid course, you’ll be familiar with the Heimlich manoeuvre. That’s the sweet spot you are looking for.

Study

There are so many great fighters who revelled in throwing hellacious rear uppercuts. Heavyweight supremos Lennox Lewis, George Foreman and Mike Tyson spring to mind. There are some chin-juddering uppercuts in Tyson’s shock defeat to Buster Douglas in 1990. Foreman dismantled Joe Frazier’s unconventional bobbing style with uppercuts. Lennox Lewis unleashed a howitzer on Vitali Klitschko that the Ukrainian somehow absorbed.

Enough of these hulking heavyweights. For the rear uppercut to the body, I'm selecting a 5′ 5½″ bantamweight. The Australian Lionel Rose was a ring general. At his peak in the 60s, he was a sight to behold. Rose had a sneaky rear uppercut to the body that he would guide underneath and around his opponent’s elbows.