Go short at close range, don't swing wide

Go short at close range, don't swing wide: how to do it

1. Hold your guard, keeping the bend in your elbow.
2. Send your fist on the shortest path, as if bumping your shoulder forward.
3. Turn your hips slightly and shift your weight over a short distance to get power.
4. Land with the striking surface of your fist and return to your guard right away.

Go short at close range, don't swing wide: key points

• Keep the swing small. The wider you swing, the more they see the path and read it while it travels around the outside of their guard.
• Don't swing with your hand. Punch from the shoulder. Punching with the feel of bumping your shoulder puts power into it even over a short distance. This means not swinging with your arm. It's different from pushing only your shoulder in ahead of your body's rotation.
• Land with the striking surface of your fist. The closer you are, the smaller the angle, so the punch doesn't land with the palm or the fingertips.
• Breathe out short as you throw. Hold your breath at close range and your body stiffens.

Go short at close range, don't swing wide: common mistakes

• Swinging as big as a long-range hook. The path goes the long way around and gets read, and it's more likely to land with the palm side.
• Leaning only your upper body forward to push the punch in. You lose your balance and get countered.
• Tensing your shoulders as you punch. They rise, you lose speed, and you tire faster.

Go short at close range, don't swing wide: how to practice

• Shadowbox standing close to a wall. Wide swings hit the wall, so you get the feel of throwing on a short path.
• Stand close to the heavy bag and keep throwing short hooks from the shoulder with both hands. Check every time that you're landing with the striking surface of your fist.

Related techniques

• Don't turn the fist over at close range
  Don't turn fist
• Throw the hook with your shoulder (open the door)
  Turn the shoulder
• Choose your punches by range
  Pick by range
• Keep breathing at close range
  Breathe
• Short right hook to right body uppercut
  46b
• Don't let your shoulder lead the rotation
  Rotation first