Heavy Bag - Rear Hook (Head and Body)

Setup

Boxing stance at hook range, weight balanced.

Execution

1. 1Pivot the rear foot and rotate the hips aggressively to generate torque
2. 2Sweep the rear arm in a tight horizontal arc, elbow bent around 90 degrees
3. 3Keep the lead hand up to protect against counters while the rear hand is committed
4. 4For the body version, drop the level via the knees before rotating in
5. 5Return to guard immediately

Key cues

• Torque comes from the rear hip and foot pivot
• Keep the punch tight and short, not a wide swing
• Protect the chin with the lead shoulder as you rotate
• Level change with the knees for the body shot
• Snap back to guard fast — this punch leaves you open longer than a jab

Common faults

• Winding up or looping the punch, telegraphing it
• No hip rotation, arm-only power
• Leaving the lead hand down during the punch
• Overreaching and falling off balance
• Neglecting the return to guard

Tweaks

• Pair with a lead hook for a hook-hook combo
• Practice off a slip to set it up
• Isolate body-only rear hooks for conditioning

Muscles

Notes

Research on punch kinetics found the cross and hook generate the highest ground reaction forces of all punch types — the rear hook is the highest-risk, highest-reward punch in the arsenal.

Sources

• 10 Awesome Heavy Bag Drills
• 5 Boxing Combos You Need to Try Now! (Heavy Bag Special)

Attribution: Fight Camp