Heavy Bag Hooks

PushBag

A curved horizontal strike thrown with a bent arm, driven by hip and torso rotation rather than arm extension — trains rotational power and core-to-shoulder force transfer on the heavy bag.

Demo: Boxing technique demo

Sets

6

Reps

2-3 min rounds

Rest

1 min

Contraindications

Wrist injury without proper technique and wraps — keep the wrist straight on impact.

Setup

Boxing stance, hands up in guard, positioned close enough that a bent-arm strike reaches the bag.

Execution

  1. 1Pivot the lead (or rear) foot and rotate the hips and torso together
  2. 2Keep the elbow bent at roughly 90 degrees, sweeping the fist horizontally into the target
  3. 3Make contact with the first two knuckles, keeping the wrist straight
  4. 4Return immediately to guard after impact

Key cues

  • Power comes from hip/foot pivot, not the arm swinging alone
  • Keep the elbow at a consistent height, roughly shoulder level
  • Keep the guard hand up on the non-punching side
  • Snap back to guard immediately after contact

Common faults

  • Swinging with the arm alone, no hip rotation
  • Dropping the guard hand
  • Overcommitting and losing balance
  • Wrist bent on impact, risking injury

Tweaks

  • Alternate lead and rear hooks in combinations
  • Add body hooks (lower target) for variety
  • Use for interval-style conditioning rounds

Regressions

Heavy Bag Straight Punches (Jab-Cross)

Progressions

Heavy Bag Uppercuts

Muscles

Primary: Obliques, Anterior Deltoid, Pectoralis Major

Secondary: Core, Hip Rotators, Triceps Brachii

Sources

Attribution: Boxing fundamentals canon