Lead Hook Tactics

In this blog I want to cover the tactics of the lead hook. We’ll discuss how to use footwork, movement and methods of throwing the hook to help you land it more successfully.

Remember it’s not enough to just know these tactics, you need to integrate them into your training, until they become natural. To really focus on these skills, aim to dedicate one round per training session to practicing each of the following four sections.

Using Fakes

One of the most important elements in boxing is being unpredictable. Your opponent is always trying to work out what your next move will be and when. Fakes are critical in being able to disrupt the ability of your opponent to read you. In fact when you get them right, fakes can be used to control your opponent and open up opportunities.

Fake the jab or cross – Faking straight shots can really help to bring the opponent’s guard away from side of their head. They may try to parry your shot or front cover, either way the side of their head/chin will open up easier.

Fake the uppercut – Faking the uppercut can bring their guard down, opening up the head for a hook over the top.

Fake head movement – When you move, your opponent will often move. So faking head movement can really help to unsettle their defence.

These are some examples, but play with various fakes and even mix in some real shots with fakes to stay unpredictable.

Set up Punches

So another important element in delivering a successful lead hook is the set-up shots you throw. Whilst set-up shots will help to deliver the hook, by distracting your opponent. They will also affect your range and body position once you’ve thrown them. So it’s important to bear this in mind and practice throwing the hook as a follow-up to several different set-up punches.

Here’s a few examples:

  • The jab – The hook works better as a half-beat hook after a jab, rather than resetting and then throwing the hook. So get used to only recoiling the jab halfway and then using your body to throw the hook from the halfway position. This will make your shots a lot quicker and you’ll save energy.

  • The cross – Your range will be further after throwing a cross, so get used to throwing a longer lead hook. This way you won’t always have to close the distance with your body. Saving energy and speeding up the hook.

  • The uppercut – As this is normally thrown from short to medium range, get used to throwing a short hook. Actively turn your body to drive the hook home.

The final thing to think about with set-up shots and your hook, is rhythm. Avoid stop-start movements and instead focus on rapid beats. You should aim for the hook to be delivered as soon as possible after the set-up shot, this will give you the best chance of catching your opponent. A set-up shot is only effective if the follow up comes immediately after.

Relax, Recoil and Rake

If you visualise the double hook for this section and I’ll explain the tactics based around that. So there are two tactical elements here.

Relax and Recoil

Develop your double hook by learning to relax the hook hand and waist as soon as possible after throwing the first hook. This will make the arm seem lighter and easier to throw the second hook. However so you’re not throwing a weak second shot, you need to develop a good recoil. By relaxing the waist and recoiling the body, you’ll generate more power and a quicker second hook.

Raking

There’s one way of using the double hook tactically to make it more effective and that’s raking. This is where the first hook is used to pull (or rake) the guard away from your opponent, opening up their guard momentarily for the second hook.

Focus on quickly pulling across their guard and therefore pulling their hands away. If you get this right then you’ll deliver your second hook before they have time to reset their guard. You can still do this with a closed fist, but the focus should be on pulling their guard away rather than power.

Advancing and Retreating Hooks

Working your lead hook whilst moving backwards or forwards can be an excellent tactic. Not only can you take advantage of the changes in range, but you can integrate angle changes to gain an extra advantage on your opponent. The key to this tactic is footwork. So let’s look at what’s needed when throwing multiple hooks on either the advance or retreat.

Advancing (moving forwards)

Throwing multiple lead hooks while advancing, requires different footwork to when you simply move forwards with alternating left-right punches. The correct footwork will allow you to maintain power and balance.

It starts with a back-foot skip towards the front foot, as you turn to throw the hook. The front foot then moves forward just as the rear foot lands in its new position. Remembering to focus on relaxing and recoiling as we discussed above. This footwork will also give you better control over your range.

Retreating (moving backwards)

This tactic is great for catching your opponent off-guard and particularly effective if you have a reach advantage. The key here is controlling the range and not pivoting on every hook to maintain speed. The footwork is different to the advancing multiple hook above.

The rear foot steps back first, then the body turns to deliver the hook whilst simultaneously stepping the front foot back. If you pivot the front foot, your foot will stick and you won’t be able to move quickly. So save the pivot for the last hook in the combo. For a faster retreat make the movements shorter and quicker.

If you have a reach advantage and get your range right, you’ll be delivering shots and your opponent won’t be able to hit you.

Adding angles to the retreat

You can also create angles whilst retreating with the multiple hook. Angles are a key tactic, allowing you to be able to hit the opponent with both hands, while they only really have one effective hand for their attack. Angles also allow you to control the position of the fight in the ring.

You can move backwards to your left or right.

  • Backwards towards your right – This is simply a case of using the same footwork as the retreating hooks, but stepping the rear foot slightly to the right each time. This can set you up for adding a combo or powerful cross as your opponent is coming in.

  • Backwards towards your left – This is more defensive as your hook power will fade as you are taking away some of its momentum, but it will give you the time and position to set up a counter combo. Again the footwork is similar to above, but your rear foot will need to step back and slightly behind you to create the angle.

So that’s some key tactics to help you implement a more effective lead hook. By working on your multiple hooks you can apply these tactics practically and effectively to develop an attack that will be much more difficult to deal with.