Liver shot (left body hook)

Liver shot (left body hook): step by step

1. From your guard, bend your knees slightly and lower your left shoulder a little to get to the height for the left body hook.
2. Start turning your left hip and bring your left fist around from the outside to the opponent's right side.
3. Riding the rotation of your hips, drive your fist into their side.
4. As soon as you finish, return your weight to the middle between your front and back feet, and keep your right hand where you can throw it at any time.

Liver shot (left body hook): key points

• Don't push your fist in from the front. Bring it around from the outside in an arc and land on the right side of the opponent's body.
• Don't stay where you are after punching. Recenter your weight right away. That keeps the option of following with the right cross open.
• Match the height by bending your knees, and don't tip your upper body too far to the side.

Liver shot (left body hook): common mistakes

• Swinging just your arm wide to the side. The path bulges out and the opponent sees it.
• Stopping with your weight still on your left foot after the punch. You can't follow with the right cross, and you take the opponent's counterattack.

Liver shot (left body hook): how to practice

• In shadowboxing, picture where the opponent's right side is and throw the left body hook on a path that comes around from the outside. Right after punching, recenter your weight, and repeat all the way through to following with the right cross.
• On the heavy bag, aim at the side at body height with the left body hook, and return your weight to your guard position after each punch.

Related techniques

• Diagonal: right cross into left body hook
  23b
• Solar plexus shot (left body jab)
  1b
• Recenter your weight after punching
  Recenter
• Slip, then left body hook
  Slip3b
• Weave, then left body hook
  Weave3b
• Left body hook, then right hook
  3b4