Fundamentals
Hook the guard back up from below
Up from below
For most people whose guard gets sloppy after punching, the hands do come back, but they come back too low. So bring your hand back to your guard by lifting it as if hooking it up from below. It's a way of returning that keeps your face covered at the end of your punches. It suits people who go into their next move with their hands still down after a flurry or when they get tired.
| Type | Fundamentals |
|---|---|
| Guard | Written for orthodox (left foot forward) |
Hook the guard back up from below: how to do it
- Throw the punch and pull your hand back toward your body.
- Assume the hand has come back low, and from there lift it up from below as if hooking it.
- Lift it all the way until your fist sits beside your chin, and return to your guard.
Hook the guard back up from below: key points
- Think of dropped hands not as not pulling back far enough, but as coming back too low. Just pulling straight back leaves your hand low.
- Only when you hook it up from below so much that it feels exaggerated does it actually get back to the original height.
- Don't separate pulling back and lifting. Connect them in a single path.
Hook the guard back up from below: common mistakes
- Pulling straight back and thinking you've returned. Your hand stays at chest height and you go into your next move with your face open.
- Lifting only a little and ending the return there. You get hit in the face at the end of your punches.
Hook the guard back up from below: how to practice
- In shadowboxing, throw one punch at a time and each time hook your hand up from below to beside your chin. If you have a mirror, check the height you return to.
- In heavy bag flurries too, scoop the punching hand up from below and back to your guard. The more tired you get, the more closely you watch the height you return to.
Related techniques
Left and right are written for orthodox (left foot forward). If you're southpaw, swap left and right as you read. How to read the notation
This is Japanese-style boxing: techniques as taught at a boxing gym in Japan. American or Mexican coaches may teach some of them differently.