@@taylorfusher2997 not a pro but I'm sure sparring can help figure out different tells people can make and how to capitalise on it in the moment. In an actual fight you'd probably want to spend some time observing your opponent maybe throwing a couple jabs to see how they tick.
Mike's becoming a professional, always being conscious of the framing and making sure to stay opened up to the camera. I noticed several quick shifts in position, almost like it has become instinctual.
I actually wonder if he spent a lot of time during his LE days doing instruction and presentation. I don't know much about that- but he's always seemed really aware of positioning himself to the 'audience' even when engaged directly in conversation with someone else. Not to dick ride the man too much but it's a big part of why his videos are entertaining to me even when I'm not super interested in the content (the man covers some wacky shit sometimes lol), I feel like I'm watching an instructor- not someone just talking to a camera.
3:05 IIRC, Gabriel Varga did a video on this a while ago and came to the same exact conclusion: The range dictates which way you turn to keep your knuckles on target. Makes sense to me, too.
I don't like that video because the way Gabe showed his "long hook" would not land with the knuckles when you remove the gloves. Throw in every way you want and then twist it thumbs down before impact and your hook will land with the big knuckles in every distance you want to throw it, especially in far range because thumbs down basically turn it into an overhand
I like IcyMike's cerebral approach to it, that the angle changes depending on the range he's working at. I've never heard it vocalized like that, and to me based on my experience, makes perfect sense. Good stuff.
I'm a proponent of the range-based argument, but the body proportions of each person also coming into play is reasonable as well. The long range palm out hook I actually refer to as an Inward Back Fist Strike / Deung Jumeok An Chigi rather than a Hook Punch / Dollyeo Jireugi because I'm a giant TKD nerd. Either way I love these kinds of videos. Awesome!
[I learned my leaping left hook from Roy Jones Jr. He actually did a video teaching the hook with the thumb up, for power, speed, and for the capacity to throw multiple hooks (which he was the king of). I used the palm down for short range hooks. I also used sort of an overhand hook with palm down and thumb almost down, too, hitting with those first 2 knuckles (just like you fellas show in the video lol). Weird I never thought about it until now lol.]
More power in Roy’s hooks with thumb up. Because you can use the lats with it. With palm down its not nearly as powerful because you can’t activate the lats with it as much and can’t throw multiple hooks because of that reason
Palm down hurts my shoulder at close ranges. But I almost always throw my hooks at a palm in range for me. Even if they are out of range I'll move in if the hook is there just to get into palm in range
@@CoeCoeLocoI’m about your size & a slow runner. So I go for a quick resounding response. If that’s not possible I just drag it out waiting for that one slip. Never looked for trouble, never turned my back on it. Martial arts has been a lifelong blessing.
@@CoeCoeLoco Mostly I just box, and take whatever he/they give me. I don’t look for trouble but sooner or later trouble will find you. Unless you run from it. But I’m a terrible runner. Sooner or later, fools will be fools. But I had good teachers. So I’ve only been in a too tight spot a couple of times, where I was in real danger for a moment. Most people who think that they know how to box are really clueless. And many people with a little knowledge become focused on snapping out a sequence from a kata independent of what they face. You don’t have to be Bruce Lee. Just have quick hands and don’t become predictable, and garden variety beer muscles & bullies fold easily. If you have put in the work. Boxing is a lot more subtle than just trading punches.
Turning the wrist inward thumb 45 degrees in a hook (more common in Muay Thai actually adds another benefit I never hear people talk about. It protects the shoulder from injury. I always did the hook like the bald white guy. I believe it is more powerful but can cause problems even thrown correctly. I’ve been using the Muay Thai style hook for a while now bout 4 years now. The first 6 months was awkward but eventually started working good and also keeps your elbow high to avoid counter punches. It doesn’t seem powerful but it is powerful.
I do it based on where I'm aiming. If I'm going towards the chin (the corner of the mouth), then palm in. If it's closer towards the back of the jaw, then it's palm down
I’m coming from the kickboxing side of things, specifically from Joe Lewis’ fighting system, and we were trained palm down because it provided better protection. Palm down brings the shoulder up and naturally covers your chin to where you barely even have to tuck it (though You always should!) if your forearm is properly parallel. The power comes from the step, up through the ground to the hips, and finally right through to the opponents chin. The difference in stances and even glove size in boxing might account for some differences I can’t say.
Hey Icy Mike, remember when you killed Seth w a grenade? I just rewatched that video. You said you don't like the baton however you discussed it as an implement to strike with. It is also a lever that allows you to grapple (compared to a longer stick); sweeps, locks, and control. I'm no authority tho. The long hook saved my ass when two guys came into my home. I'm about your size I think. I stuffed one guy w a long hook as he double jabbed. I caught him in the temple with the tiniest surface of my big knuckle. If I was a boxer I would have followed up, but I watched him react. He went head first into a wall on wobbly legs. Then he got his arms in front of him and I pushed him out the door. (It's a narrow hallway and he was about 6 inches taller) Awesome channel🥊💥, cheers 🇨🇦
Palm in typically gives you more power, but I love palm down because of the range and increased knuckle placement, also you can do a nice variant of palm down called a Thai hook which is where you’re throwing at a slightly downward angle, let’s you chop through guards pretty nice.
Palm in... Speed and movement when finding range, and inside engagement. Palm down... For power off counters, or clean slips when you pivot outside guard. I do however subscribe to sometimes rotating the Palm depending on the specific target.
I trained at Kenny Weldons (Holyfileds first trainer). He taught palm down on tight hooks, as the hook becomes longer rotate the thumb up (the clock method like you showed). I asked Vinny Pazienza once what he thought and he said "I dont think the guy who gets knocked out will notice". lol. Its all personal preference.
I throw hooks palm in because I'm less likely to clip just my pinky on a grazing shot. Less likely I'll screw up my hand. Power isn't everything. I do throw the long range ones, too. I almost never throw palm down, even though the range demo you showed here makes sense.
With wrapped up hand in gloves, it's a distance thing. Close distance = palm inwards, medium range = palm down, long range = palm diagonally outwards. However, with bare knuckles it's probably safest to keep the palm inwards to prevent injuries to the pinky side of the hand.
For me, my first boxing trainer was also an orthopedic assistant. So, he engraved in me thumb up for maximum safety. With thumb up, the bones are parallel and all your knuckles are aligned with the target, thus risk of injury is much lower as the entire arm is more sturdy. Where as, palm down, the bones on the forearm are crossed like a X, thus putting more stress on the bones upon impact. Also, if you miss judge distance while palm down, but just a bit, you’ll hit with your pinky knuckles further risking injury. With thumb up, it’s much less likely to hit anyone with your pinkies.
palm in gives you as faster hook because you can snap with the bicep, but I think structurally palm down is much stronger at the shoulder joint, giving you less give on impact. The position your arm is in when you land your hook is the halfway point of where your arm would be during a bench press whereas palm in is the halfway point for a chest fly. The chest fly engages the bicep more but the press engages the anterior deltoid more. When you hit at a proper angle with a hook (non slappy), your forearm is perpendicular to the point of impact so you're bicep does not really get pulled on, maybe on the way there but at impact, it shouldn't be affected much. Meanwhile, your shoulder joint takes the majority of the impact because the forearm will be perpendicular to the upperarm putting all the strain upon impact on your shoulder. Therefore I think a palm down hook can endure a stronger hook when you're throwing with your body behind it. I hit the heavy bad palm in because palm down hurts my hand for some reason, but on pads and in sparring, always palm down. The difference is very apparent. The palm in gives a loud slap, but palm down gives a low thud which goes right through the target and gets a noticeable reaction from my pad holders.
I agree with your last part, my palm in is loud asf and safer on the wrist for more sturdy objects but my palm down is def more of a deep thud and more impact crams into my wrists.
Palm down simulates more of a looping overhand than a hook, and if bare knuckles, runs more of a risk of hurting your hand. As a southpaw, I tend to throw a right hook, and my follow through drives straight left as I twist my hips.
Fact number 1: Biomechanics require rotation of the wrist when extending the elbow. Fact number 2: There are variations with respect to different proportions of people's bodies. That said, I understand that at medium distance a hook to the body should be executed with the palm of the hand facing the body, and a hook to the head should be executed with the thumb up. Already in the long distance, the overhand must be executed with the thumb down. I advocate the thumbs-up position on the head hook as the most appropriate, due to the recruitment of the biceps. It makes the hook stronger and allows for better recovery for another hook in a row. Congratulations on the videos!
There is two ways of hooking Thai boxing and kenpo/kempo karate for less than 90 degree angle thumb down to change to elbow. The second way boxing thumb up for wider than 90 degrees angle for more reaching hook for a chopping hook with a small circular movement with the hand.
When I was initially learning the hook, my coach made an argument which I think is valid too for the palm in/thumb up hook: You want to make sure to hit the target with the 2 big knuckles and not the smaller/weaker ones. Using the right technique based on range seems to be the correct answer but I think that at least beginners should be taught the palm in way. Just to avoid injury if not for anything else. After they figure out the range and how to actually hit the target they can experiment and switch it around.
I was about to comment the same thing. Palm down you risk catching your opponent with the little / ring fingers or knuckles if you get your range wrong or they evade. Barehand, this could be rather painful for you rather than them!
I like to use palm in when I switch from orthodox to south paw using the D'Amato shift to give them a nasty hooks to the nose or when I'm pivoting back and to the left to check my opponent, but I love using my palm down hooks at medium range right on the chin and behind the ear around a guard or after doing an overhand right as a followup punch and leaning back to get away from retaliation if possible. Basically, palm down is more precise but less accurate and palm in is more accurate but less precise due to surface area.
They're both correct. As a coach you have to find what works for each fighter, as every person is unique. Just because YOU throw a harder hook palm in, doesn't mean everyone is going to. Also, it depends on the combination you're throwing. Palm down/in might flow better after a certain punch. As boxing is not just about learning to throw 1 punch, it's learning how to set up punches with other punches, feints etc
First off I think this is my favorite video I've seen in a very long time. Also it's really interesting that everything with using the right strike with the organ, the palm up and in for the liver. It's all the same pressure point stuff we learned in karate. Pretty sweet
Palm down weakens the link between your center and your fist. But either will work depending on body positions and momentum. Good overall analysis of an important detail. And a good example of sharing perspectives. Many of the most solid things I have ever learned have come from looking at techniques from both an aikido and a wing chun perspective. with a friend from another system. Plus some classic boxing. thrown in. This type of video is some of your best work IMNERHO.
I never really paid attention, cause as you're saying it just depends on how I'm using it. But when I visualize it, when I'm on top hooking down, it's palm down. But I get low and come up, I hook with my thumb up. That's pretty cool, thank you Mike.
That's the most important part of the video. One guy says palm down and other guy says palm in, but if you watched their sparring we'd probably see every variation. I noticed this watching Pacquiao. He was teaching a young Inoue about palm-down hooks, but if you watch Pacquiao's fights he throws them every way possible. Hard to see, but in slow motion and the right angle you can see it.
In conventional weight lifting supination or palm up is a stronger grip because your able to engage the bicep, were a pronate grip or palm up has no bicep. When I turn my hand to throw a hook (with my thumbs up) I can flex my bicep and maintain stabilization throughout my wrist (with a significantly reduced risk of injuring my wrist versus palms down).
It definitely is about distance in what you use, but I'm surprised thumb down/palm out wasn't mentioned... it's the longest range, good for mid-range too and you ensure the just the knuckles are landing on the target.
It's not either/or, but a bareknuckle pugilism technique I learned to love is inverted fist, thumb down, known as a rounding blow. With this I can sneak in a powerful blow at or behind the ear, and it has a lot of rotational force behind it. I also love it because I have shorter arms, and the inverted fist gives you an extra inch or so of reach. It is slower than a tight hook with thumb up, but that is a different punch.
I had never considered that until i saw a video from Gabriel Varga about the difference between thumb up (palm in) thumb pointing in (palm down) and thumb pointing down (palm out, i think the rounding punch you described). The inverted hook seemed ridiculous until i tried it. You have to be very close, almost clinching range, and ideally with your target right off your opposite shoulder, but you can throw it out wicked fast and (especially important for bare knuckle) it's a way to throw a very close hook while still having a straight wrist. There might be a good reason why it's not seen very much, but i imagined i was using it against someone who was directly beside me (mugger, attacker etc.) and i thought it was more effective than trying to throw a same side elbow (that could get easily stopped) and didn't even take much body movement to throw with decent power.
I enjoy this kind of stuff. This is exactly how I think when I'm throwing. What is the persons body like, what are their individual weaknesses and strength, what is the angle of their jaw etc.
I start by throwing hooks with thumbs up and rotate the wrist at the end of the punch, ending with thumb/palm down. This also keeps me from overspending which makes me more vulnerable to a counter. I feel quicker to.
One thing I was hoping you would mention, because I am curious about what you think: When you don't have gloves and use palm down, if you misjudge distance or the other person moves, you risk grazing them with just pinky and hurting it. If you use palm in, you don't stick out the pinky knuckle. It seems like an obvious argument to me, but I've never seen anyone talk about it. Am I missing something?
Filipino boxing does palm in for that exact reason. I think it's called a boxers fracture. I've also seen old bare knuckle texts that turn the palm out for long range, and they were referred to as swings instead of hooks.
I was always taught to throw "palm in" when attacking the head, and "palm down" when attacking the body. The logic to me was that we're trying to bludgeon our opponent up top, but we're trying to sort of dig deep on the body (like the knuckles hitting between the ribs).
As someone who has worked security for nightclubs for over 15 years, I strongly suggest the “thumbs up” hook if you can in a real street altercation. Because if you’re range or timing is off palm down, or they move their head slightly, you are throwing an incredibly hard punch that my connect with your ring and pinky knuckles only if you punch palm down. And that is almost always a recipe for a hand or knuckle fracture. Also, I threw the hardest hook I could against a drunken assailant, and knocked him down and possibly out briefly, but also tore my rotator cuff. I NEVER have rotator cuff issues hitting hard with the “thumbs up” position.
Lmao so I put this on because this man makes great content but me also being a learning man was doing it by myself and coming to the same conclusions as the but I was off in my own head then look up and seeing us all doing the same distance to power example. Man this channel is so good
I was taught this in 1982 by a Korean Grand Master in Mudkwon Tae Kwon Do. Its not this wimpy TKD of today. Normal training for a hook. Reason for turning palm down is because you want to punch with the 2 first knuckles on your hand only. Little fingers get broke. Swing your opposite foot of your hook at same time to increase speed and power. Sounds like somebody needs to study the 365 electric points(TARGETS) on the body. Look at an acupuncture chart to figure it out. Not all are targets on the chart, but look where people kick in martial arts. There will be an internal organ that it connects to and a mental emotion. For example in Muay Thai, inside shin kick tightens the muscles of the inner leg, puts pressure on the liver, and gives the emotions of frustration, anger and depression. Now you know how martial arts work. I have learned all these points in medicine and martial arts training. Enjoy!
Good episode 💯🥊 Great to see the open mindedness in technique. I personally use the short hook (palm up) for the body, whereas the long hook for mid range to the head...👍🏾
In Muay, you use palm down for short hooks because you may follow with an elbow too. And palm in for longer shots, but also palm out for the longer circular overhead punch or Buffalo swing style punch in Thai, called Wieng Kwai. So certainly it depends. All have their beneficts and cons. And of course you have to take into account if you are bare hand or gloved.
“One of those there” is an over hand bowler punch. Hooks yours is the classical the flat hand is Russian hook and they teach it for whipping in under elbow and as you demonstrated as range goes out the hand turns over. Theres 3 level range for hooks you can’t rename a tight uppercut as a hook, nor rename the bowler as an overhand hook. Bowlers are great trained the under and over at range both together (if ya get me) there’s no diss here you guys are great
Once I figured this out, that it’s all dependent on range, it clicked for me and made sense. It’s also safer and puts less stress on your wrist/joints when striking.
When you throw a hook palm down it falls straight across from its position in your guard, the “hook” becomes a descending, linear movement of the hand, the circularity of the hook is created by the foot work and turning of your body, this creates a powerful blow coming up from the ground this hook is harder to evade and much more powerful. When I throw it palm perpendicular to the floor, I am street fighting, it is not friendly and the target is the base of the skull behind the ear.
I think there might be a different angle to approach this. What's the safest way to throw a hook? Some of you may have noticed that the "palm down" technique tends to be a safer choice, since it exposes your wrist to lesser injury risk. This happens sometimes during pad training, particularly if the pad holder is inexperienced or has the bad habit of "throwing the pads at you", meeting your punches halfway.
I go palm out (facing my opponent) with my thumb down. Anything else at full power hurts my wrists. But when I'm just tapping on the gaurd I do go palm in. Almost like a slap
For hooks to the head, palm down gets the elbow up for protection; that's why boxers use it. But without big padded gloves you really need palm in; you saw hooks change to that in MMA because of the small gloves. If there is a power diff, it's secondary to protecting yourself and your hands.
I throw my hooks like I'm striking a match , palm in. That last second drag/pull adds a little extra oomph and pain, and loads my hand back up for a follow up shot.
I always thought it was just a range thing, closer shots are palm in, medium range is palm down, and long range hunting for the chin is palm out. Going for knuckle alignment, mostly.
I have small hands and pretty compact arms, so I almost always through my hooks palm in or palm up if it’s a body shot. Only ever throw it palm down if it’s something like a check hook or a hook around the guard. In the end ion think it matters either way, you can hit both at any range really.
It also depends on what you are using in your hands, with 16oz boxing gloves you can do thumbs up all the time and have a lot of range, but if you were bareknuckle you'd be landing with your fingers first, and that's ok, you're using the glove to your advantage. With mma gloves it makes sense to turn the fist to look for the knuckle first approach to protect your exposed fingers. With no gloves people usually do palm strikes like in old Pancrase matches, and that would be thumb up, or thumb in round up - down hooks.
Where i love this video is when he says there is no one style fits all. Im a tall guy and I would rather keep the punches short and palm down. Using the palm up will also cause damage to my wrist over time
Very informative! I think the hook that actually lands and does damage is the right one! 😅 timing and target assessment can compensate for the “wrong” palm position. Subscribed!
European hooks is palm inward. American hooks are palm down. Personally I have always preferred the European hook for short hooks. It feels more right with my wrist. For longer hooks I do the variant you showed where you almost punches from the top and down with the two knuckles..
I had a Mexican trainer who taught me how to turn the thumb all the way down (palm away)... I thought it was silly until he sparred with me, and I felt his knuckles bang Into my bones like they were bare. (Reyes gloves have almost no padding on top). Works especially well to get behind the elbow to the ribs. You have to build up the muscles on the top of your wrist and forearms, tho. I could barely use those muscles for a bit, when I started hitting the bag like that.
The way I had a left hook explained to me was it was like making a muscle to show off your bicep but, instead of having the fist pointing straight up, you put it at a 90 degree angle to your body. Ideally you'd slip to your left, bringing your left shoulder and hip back then torque the body and hips around. The left elbow should remain in line with both of your shoulders and you'd rely on the hips and shoulders moving for the power. if you were slipping past his right hand you'd aim for the body to try and knock the wind out of him and, if you caught him off guard and his guard was down, you'd aim for the side of the jaw. The kind of long hooks they demonstrated at 2:25 don't really make any sense to me as you wouldn't have the forearm braced to support the movement and power of your body. You'd be taking longer to throw the punch than a jab or straight and your arms and fists would be out of line, leaving you open in case the other guy counter punches. In fairness though I was taught a traditional boxing style with the hands up to protect the head and elbows tucked to protect the body so that level of refinement may not apply to an opponent using a different style to fight. As for thumb up or thumb parallel to the ground, considering the targets are the body or the side of the head I don't think it makes a major difference. Straight punches you can worry about which knuckles to use.
I’m a rank amateur but for me it depends on what I’m trying to hit. If I’m throwing a hook to the head, I like palm in because if I miss I won’t hit with the weaker part of my hand. For body shots I like palm down because I can put more of my pec and shoulders into it, gives it a better snap IMO
For my part, it's entirely dependent on what's most natural. In amateur boxing (UK) the palm-in is discouraged as it may be conceived as a slap by the ref. Oddly, I throw palm-in on lefts, palm-down on rights.
Should’ve called me boys, this is easy. Palm in for close range, palm down for further out.
Thats what im taught by my coaches
Couldn't agree with this more... it's all dependent upon the distance of intended targets.
Attention seeker left hook doesn't even exist in karate
What about palm out Mr. Seth?… WHAT ABOUT PALM OUT???
What about palm up?
This dude is turning into one of my favorite guests.
Yeah, I wish he would post more on his channel because his videos are so high quality
His Instagram has gems
@@taylorfusher2997 not a pro but I'm sure sparring can help figure out different tells people can make and how to capitalise on it in the moment. In an actual fight you'd probably want to spend some time observing your opponent maybe throwing a couple jabs to see how they tick.
Mike's becoming a professional, always being conscious of the framing and making sure to stay opened up to the camera. I noticed several quick shifts in position, almost like it has become instinctual.
I actually wonder if he spent a lot of time during his LE days doing instruction and presentation. I don't know much about that- but he's always seemed really aware of positioning himself to the 'audience' even when engaged directly in conversation with someone else. Not to dick ride the man too much but it's a big part of why his videos are entertaining to me even when I'm not super interested in the content (the man covers some wacky shit sometimes lol), I feel like I'm watching an instructor- not someone just talking to a camera.
3:05 IIRC, Gabriel Varga did a video on this a while ago and came to the same exact conclusion: The range dictates which way you turn to keep your knuckles on target.
Makes sense to me, too.
I don't like that video because the way Gabe showed his "long hook" would not land with the knuckles when you remove the gloves. Throw in every way you want and then twist it thumbs down before impact and your hook will land with the big knuckles in every distance you want to throw it, especially in far range because thumbs down basically turn it into an overhand
@@jaketheasianguy3307 go watch russian school of boxing long range hook
I like IcyMike's cerebral approach to it, that the angle changes depending on the range he's working at. I've never heard it vocalized like that, and to me based on my experience, makes perfect sense. Good stuff.
Leverage Levels.
I'm a proponent of the range-based argument, but the body proportions of each person also coming into play is reasonable as well. The long range palm out hook I actually refer to as an Inward Back Fist Strike / Deung Jumeok An Chigi rather than a Hook Punch / Dollyeo Jireugi because I'm a giant TKD nerd.
Either way I love these kinds of videos. Awesome!
Ah, calling it a Deung Jumeok An Chigi is an interesting concept. The newer KKW manuals call it a Biteureo-Jireugi/Twisting Punch.
[I learned my leaping left hook from Roy Jones Jr. He actually did a video teaching the hook with the thumb up, for power, speed, and for the capacity to throw multiple hooks (which he was the king of). I used the palm down for short range hooks. I also used sort of an overhand hook with palm down and thumb almost down, too, hitting with those first 2 knuckles (just like you fellas show in the video lol). Weird I never thought about it until now lol.]
More power in Roy’s hooks with thumb up. Because you can use the lats with it. With palm down its not nearly as powerful because you can’t activate the lats with it as much and can’t throw multiple hooks because of that reason
Roy Jones Junior says palm in- more power, ability to double up the hook, also harder to over-extend.
Palm down hurts my shoulder at close ranges. But I almost always throw my hooks at a palm in range for me. Even if they are out of range I'll move in if the hook is there just to get into palm in range
Wait you guys have hands?
Brooooooo I almost choked on my water that's sneaky 🤣🤣🤣
😏😁😂
I'm more of a fan of the open hand slap.
Winning isn't enough. We must send a message.
I have this kinda rep... at 150lbs, it really pisses people off. 🤣🤣🤣
@@CoeCoeLocoI’m about your size & a slow runner. So I go for a quick resounding response. If that’s not possible I just drag it out waiting for that one slip.
Never looked for trouble, never turned my back on it.
Martial arts has been a lifelong blessing.
@mattgoodmangoodmanlawnmowi2454 Believe Me, the slip has saved My life many day. Mostly. A smack means I feel disrespected.
@@CoeCoeLoco
Mostly I just box, and take whatever he/they give me. I don’t look for trouble but sooner or later trouble will find you. Unless you run from it. But I’m a terrible runner. Sooner or later, fools will be fools. But I had good teachers. So I’ve only been in a too tight spot a couple of times, where I was in real danger for a moment.
Most people who think that they know how to box are really clueless.
And many people with a little knowledge become focused on snapping out a sequence from a kata independent of what they face.
You don’t have to be Bruce Lee. Just have quick hands and don’t become predictable, and garden variety beer muscles & bullies fold easily. If you have put in the work. Boxing is a lot more subtle than just trading punches.
@@mattgoodmangoodmanlawnmowi2454 The greatest weapon that I have ever seen in a fight is WILL!
Palm up is universal. Palm in gives more acceleration and snap. Palm down Locks the shoulder and generates locked power
Turning the wrist inward thumb 45 degrees in a hook (more common in Muay Thai actually adds another benefit I never hear people talk about. It protects the shoulder from injury. I always did the hook like the bald white guy. I believe it is more powerful but can cause problems even thrown correctly. I’ve been using the Muay Thai style hook for a while now bout 4 years now. The first 6 months was awkward but eventually started working good and also keeps your elbow high to avoid counter punches. It doesn’t seem powerful but it is powerful.
sorry i dont understand. ur saying the muay thai style is the palm down hook?
Almost like the palm is outward? Thumb down?
this 45 degree hook is also the soviet style hook
I do it based on where I'm aiming. If I'm going towards the chin (the corner of the mouth), then palm in. If it's closer towards the back of the jaw, then it's palm down
This too
I’m coming from the kickboxing side of things, specifically from Joe Lewis’ fighting system, and we were trained palm down because it provided better protection. Palm down brings the shoulder up and naturally covers your chin to where you barely even have to tuck it (though You always should!) if your forearm is properly parallel. The power comes from the step, up through the ground to the hips, and finally right through to the opponents chin. The difference in stances and even glove size in boxing might account for some differences I can’t say.
Hey Icy Mike, remember when you killed Seth w a grenade? I just rewatched that video. You said you don't like the baton however you discussed it as an implement to strike with. It is also a lever that allows you to grapple (compared to a longer stick); sweeps, locks, and control. I'm no authority tho.
The long hook saved my ass when two guys came into my home. I'm about your size I think. I stuffed one guy w a long hook as he double jabbed. I caught him in the temple with the tiniest surface of my big knuckle. If I was a boxer I would have followed up, but I watched him react. He went head first into a wall on wobbly legs. Then he got his arms in front of him and I pushed him out the door. (It's a narrow hallway and he was about 6 inches taller)
Awesome channel🥊💥, cheers 🇨🇦
Palm in typically gives you more power, but I love palm down because of the range and increased knuckle placement, also you can do a nice variant of palm down called a Thai hook which is where you’re throwing at a slightly downward angle, let’s you chop through guards pretty nice.
Palm in... Speed and movement when finding range, and inside engagement. Palm down... For power off counters, or clean slips when you pivot outside guard.
I do however subscribe to sometimes rotating the Palm depending on the specific target.
9:02 he just went to the body 😨
The reason you go palm down is the twisting motion of the arm ads power , if your to close to turn it back up
I'm palm in because palm down hurts my shoulder more plus palm in let's me angle the hook slightly upwards when going for the liver or spleen.
Remember being coached up by ONE kickboxing George Tsutsui and he said “doesn’t really matter which hook, I’ve knocked guys out with both” 🤷♂️
I trained at Kenny Weldons (Holyfileds first trainer). He taught palm down on tight hooks, as the hook becomes longer rotate the thumb up (the clock method like you showed). I asked Vinny Pazienza once what he thought and he said "I dont think the guy who gets knocked out will notice". lol. Its all personal preference.
I throw hooks palm in because I'm less likely to clip just my pinky on a grazing shot. Less likely I'll screw up my hand. Power isn't everything. I do throw the long range ones, too. I almost never throw palm down, even though the range demo you showed here makes sense.
Very good point!
With wrapped up hand in gloves, it's a distance thing. Close distance = palm inwards, medium range = palm down, long range = palm diagonally outwards. However, with bare knuckles it's probably safest to keep the palm inwards to prevent injuries to the pinky side of the hand.
For me, my first boxing trainer was also an orthopedic assistant. So, he engraved in me thumb up for maximum safety. With thumb up, the bones are parallel and all your knuckles are aligned with the target, thus risk of injury is much lower as the entire arm is more sturdy. Where as, palm down, the bones on the forearm are crossed like a X, thus putting more stress on the bones upon impact. Also, if you miss judge distance while palm down, but just a bit, you’ll hit with your pinky knuckles further risking injury. With thumb up, it’s much less likely to hit anyone with your pinkies.
palm in gives you as faster hook because you can snap with the bicep, but I think structurally palm down is much stronger at the shoulder joint, giving you less give on impact. The position your arm is in when you land your hook is the halfway point of where your arm would be during a bench press whereas palm in is the halfway point for a chest fly. The chest fly engages the bicep more but the press engages the anterior deltoid more. When you hit at a proper angle with a hook (non slappy), your forearm is perpendicular to the point of impact so you're bicep does not really get pulled on, maybe on the way there but at impact, it shouldn't be affected much. Meanwhile, your shoulder joint takes the majority of the impact because the forearm will be perpendicular to the upperarm putting all the strain upon impact on your shoulder. Therefore I think a palm down hook can endure a stronger hook when you're throwing with your body behind it.
I hit the heavy bad palm in because palm down hurts my hand for some reason, but on pads and in sparring, always palm down. The difference is very apparent. The palm in gives a loud slap, but palm down gives a low thud which goes right through the target and gets a noticeable reaction from my pad holders.
I agree with your last part, my palm in is loud asf and safer on the wrist for more sturdy objects but my palm down is def more of a deep thud and more impact crams into my wrists.
Palm down simulates more of a looping overhand than a hook, and if bare knuckles, runs more of a risk of hurting your hand.
As a southpaw, I tend to throw a right hook, and my follow through drives straight left as I twist my hips.
Fact number 1: Biomechanics require rotation of the wrist when extending the elbow.
Fact number 2: There are variations with respect to different proportions of people's bodies.
That said, I understand that at medium distance a hook to the body should be executed with the palm of the hand facing the body, and a hook to the head should be executed with the thumb up. Already in the long distance, the overhand must be executed with the thumb down.
I advocate the thumbs-up position on the head hook as the most appropriate, due to the recruitment of the biceps. It makes the hook stronger and allows for better recovery for another hook in a row.
Congratulations on the videos!
For me it's the twisting motion of the hand what adds power rather than the final position of the hand itself.
There is two ways of hooking Thai boxing and kenpo/kempo karate for less than 90 degree angle thumb down to change to elbow. The second way boxing thumb up for wider than 90 degrees angle for more reaching hook for a chopping hook with a small circular movement with the hand.
When I was initially learning the hook, my coach made an argument which I think is valid too for the palm in/thumb up hook:
You want to make sure to hit the target with the 2 big knuckles and not the smaller/weaker ones.
Using the right technique based on range seems to be the correct answer but I think that at least beginners should be taught the palm in way. Just to avoid injury if not for anything else. After they figure out the range and how to actually hit the target they can experiment and switch it around.
I was about to comment the same thing. Palm down you risk catching your opponent with the little / ring fingers or knuckles if you get your range wrong or they evade. Barehand, this could be rather painful for you rather than them!
Great stuff exploring. Same thing applies for jab thumbs up or thumb side. You see both ways
Reading Jack Dempseys book Championship Boxing on the subject of hooks and knuckle placement is beneficial to any discussion on the subject
I like to use palm in when I switch from orthodox to south paw using the D'Amato shift to give them a nasty hooks to the nose or when I'm pivoting back and to the left to check my opponent, but I love using my palm down hooks at medium range right on the chin and behind the ear around a guard or after doing an overhand right as a followup punch and leaning back to get away from retaliation if possible. Basically, palm down is more precise but less accurate and palm in is more accurate but less precise due to surface area.
They're both correct. As a coach you have to find what works for each fighter, as every person is unique. Just because YOU throw a harder hook palm in, doesn't mean everyone is going to.
Also, it depends on the combination you're throwing. Palm down/in might flow better after a certain punch. As boxing is not just about learning to throw 1 punch, it's learning how to set up punches with other punches, feints etc
First off I think this is my favorite video I've seen in a very long time. Also it's really interesting that everything with using the right strike with the organ, the palm up and in for the liver. It's all the same pressure point stuff we learned in karate. Pretty sweet
Palm down weakens the link between your center and your fist. But either will work depending on body positions and momentum.
Good overall analysis of an important detail. And a good example of sharing perspectives. Many of the most solid things I have ever learned have come from looking at techniques from both an aikido and a wing chun perspective. with a friend from another system. Plus some classic boxing. thrown in.
This type of video is some of your best work IMNERHO.
I never really paid attention, cause as you're saying it just depends on how I'm using it. But when I visualize it, when I'm on top hooking down, it's palm down. But I get low and come up, I hook with my thumb up. That's pretty cool, thank you Mike.
That's the most important part of the video. One guy says palm down and other guy says palm in, but if you watched their sparring we'd probably see every variation. I noticed this watching Pacquiao. He was teaching a young Inoue about palm-down hooks, but if you watch Pacquiao's fights he throws them every way possible. Hard to see, but in slow motion and the right angle you can see it.
Really helpful, clear answer to something I'd been having problems with
In conventional weight lifting supination or palm up is a stronger grip because your able to engage the bicep, were a pronate grip or palm up has no bicep.
When I turn my hand to throw a hook (with my thumbs up) I can flex my bicep and maintain stabilization throughout my wrist (with a significantly reduced risk of injuring my wrist versus palms down).
I love Boxer .VS. Kickboxer technique debates 🥊🥊🥋
It definitely is about distance in what you use, but I'm surprised thumb down/palm out wasn't mentioned... it's the longest range, good for mid-range too and you ensure the just the knuckles are landing on the target.
My bad.. I spoke too early. Hahaha, I see at 2:59 you do just this. Love the vid
It's not either/or, but a bareknuckle pugilism technique I learned to love is inverted fist, thumb down, known as a rounding blow. With this I can sneak in a powerful blow at or behind the ear, and it has a lot of rotational force behind it. I also love it because I have shorter arms, and the inverted fist gives you an extra inch or so of reach. It is slower than a tight hook with thumb up, but that is a different punch.
Yes, thumbs down all the way. You will land with the knuckles in every single distance you wanna throw it
I had never considered that until i saw a video from Gabriel Varga about the difference between thumb up (palm in) thumb pointing in (palm down) and thumb pointing down (palm out, i think the rounding punch you described). The inverted hook seemed ridiculous until i tried it. You have to be very close, almost clinching range, and ideally with your target right off your opposite shoulder, but you can throw it out wicked fast and (especially important for bare knuckle) it's a way to throw a very close hook while still having a straight wrist. There might be a good reason why it's not seen very much, but i imagined i was using it against someone who was directly beside me (mugger, attacker etc.) and i thought it was more effective than trying to throw a same side elbow (that could get easily stopped) and didn't even take much body movement to throw with decent power.
I enjoy this kind of stuff. This is exactly how I think when I'm throwing. What is the persons body like, what are their individual weaknesses and strength, what is the angle of their jaw etc.
I find palm down, thumb down slide more easily behind the guard. But palm in is more powerful.
Great explanation & conversation👌🏾
Super cool to see all of the different factors to and explanations behind throwing hooks differently. I always love learning from this channel! 💪
This is like the 10th video I've seen on hooks and it always ends with "there are advantages to both and it depends on your body proportions"
The way he explains it is what feel the most natural
I start by throwing hooks with thumbs up and rotate the wrist at the end of the punch, ending with thumb/palm down. This also keeps me from overspending which makes me more vulnerable to a counter. I feel quicker to.
One thing I was hoping you would mention, because I am curious about what you think: When you don't have gloves and use palm down, if you misjudge distance or the other person moves, you risk grazing them with just pinky and hurting it. If you use palm in, you don't stick out the pinky knuckle. It seems like an obvious argument to me, but I've never seen anyone talk about it. Am I missing something?
Filipino boxing does palm in for that exact reason. I think it's called a boxers fracture. I've also seen old bare knuckle texts that turn the palm out for long range, and they were referred to as swings instead of hooks.
Great analysis of position vs range. Thanks
I was always taught to throw "palm in" when attacking the head, and "palm down" when attacking the body. The logic to me was that we're trying to bludgeon our opponent up top, but we're trying to sort of dig deep on the body (like the knuckles hitting between the ribs).
mike i wish you were in michigan I would sign up for your gym in a heartbeat
As someone who has worked security for nightclubs for over 15 years, I strongly suggest the “thumbs up” hook if you can in a real street altercation. Because if you’re range or timing is off palm down, or they move their head slightly, you are throwing an incredibly hard punch that my connect with your ring and pinky knuckles only if you punch palm down. And that is almost always a recipe for a hand or knuckle fracture. Also, I threw the hardest hook I could against a drunken assailant, and knocked him down and possibly out briefly, but also tore my rotator cuff. I NEVER have rotator cuff issues hitting hard with the “thumbs up” position.
Palm in thumb up feels better when it connects
Lmao so I put this on because this man makes great content but me also being a learning man was doing it by myself and coming to the same conclusions as the but I was off in my own head then look up and seeing us all doing the same distance to power example. Man this channel is so good
I was taught this in 1982 by a Korean Grand Master in Mudkwon Tae Kwon Do. Its not this wimpy TKD of today. Normal training for a hook. Reason for turning palm down is because you want to punch with the 2 first knuckles on your hand only. Little fingers get broke. Swing your opposite foot of your hook at same time to increase speed and power. Sounds like somebody needs to study the 365 electric points(TARGETS) on the body. Look at an acupuncture chart to figure it out. Not all are targets on the chart, but look where people kick in martial arts. There will be an internal organ that it connects to and a mental emotion. For example in Muay Thai, inside shin kick tightens the muscles of the inner leg, puts pressure on the liver, and gives the emotions of frustration, anger and depression. Now you know how martial arts work. I have learned all these points in medicine and martial arts training. Enjoy!
Good episode 💯🥊 Great to see the open mindedness in technique. I personally use the short hook (palm up) for the body, whereas the long hook for mid range to the head...👍🏾
Palm in also minimises damage to the wrist on impact .
In Muay, you use palm down for short hooks because you may follow with an elbow too. And palm in for longer shots, but also palm out for the longer circular overhead punch or Buffalo swing style punch in Thai, called Wieng Kwai. So certainly it depends. All have their beneficts and cons. And of course you have to take into account if you are bare hand or gloved.
For myself the "palms down" with a hook works, just as Mike and dude said, I 'bore' down in it.
Palm down is definitely a hallmark of the Cuban style. I use both for sure.
“One of those there” is an over hand bowler punch. Hooks yours is the classical the flat hand is Russian hook and they teach it for whipping in under elbow and as you demonstrated as range goes out the hand turns over. Theres 3 level range for hooks you can’t rename a tight uppercut as a hook, nor rename the bowler as an overhand hook. Bowlers are great trained the under and over at range both together (if ya get me) there’s no diss here you guys are great
Once I figured this out, that it’s all dependent on range, it clicked for me and made sense. It’s also safer and puts less stress on your wrist/joints when striking.
When you throw a hook palm down it falls straight across from its position in your guard, the “hook” becomes a descending, linear movement of the hand, the circularity of the hook is created by the foot work and turning of your body, this creates a powerful blow coming up from the ground this hook is harder to evade and much more powerful. When I throw it palm perpendicular to the floor, I am street fighting, it is not friendly and the target is the base of the skull behind the ear.
I think there might be a different angle to approach this. What's the safest way to throw a hook? Some of you may have noticed that the "palm down" technique tends to be a safer choice, since it exposes your wrist to lesser injury risk. This happens sometimes during pad training, particularly if the pad holder is inexperienced or has the bad habit of "throwing the pads at you", meeting your punches halfway.
Palm down actually holds a much higher injury risk for your shoulder
I personally feel like palm in is a heavier hit, but palm down feels like the rotation's far faster.
I go palm out (facing my opponent) with my thumb down. Anything else at full power hurts my wrists. But when I'm just tapping on the gaurd I do go palm in. Almost like a slap
Range is exactly how I explain why I throw the different hooks.
I use both when doing a double hook go to the body with the thumb up and palm down to the head
For hooks to the head, palm down gets the elbow up for protection; that's why boxers use it.
But without big padded gloves you really need palm in; you saw hooks change to that in MMA because of the small gloves.
If there is a power diff, it's secondary to protecting yourself and your hands.
I throw my hooks like I'm striking a match , palm in. That last second drag/pull adds a little extra oomph and pain, and loads my hand back up for a follow up shot.
I always thought it was just a range thing, closer shots are palm in, medium range is palm down, and long range hunting for the chin is palm out. Going for knuckle alignment, mostly.
and my guess was right, feeling validated that my barely training ass knew that
I have small hands and pretty compact arms, so I almost always through my hooks palm in or palm up if it’s a body shot. Only ever throw it palm down if it’s something like a check hook or a hook around the guard. In the end ion think it matters either way, you can hit both at any range really.
Unexpectedly wholesome content
I do palm down, even at close range, as I'm used to rotating my arm in sync with my hip as I strike.
i feel like you engage your forearm more with the palm in. adding to the power
It also depends on what you are using in your hands, with 16oz boxing gloves you can do thumbs up all the time and have a lot of range, but if you were bareknuckle you'd be landing with your fingers first, and that's ok, you're using the glove to your advantage. With mma gloves it makes sense to turn the fist to look for the knuckle first approach to protect your exposed fingers. With no gloves people usually do palm strikes like in old Pancrase matches, and that would be thumb up, or thumb in round up - down hooks.
Where i love this video is when he says there is no one style fits all. Im a tall guy and I would rather keep the punches short and palm down. Using the palm up will also cause damage to my wrist over time
Key thing is forearm bone and thumb damage. Palm in protects both.
Just subbed
With shorter ranger I always throw palm in and with longer range palm down.
Very informative!
I think the hook that actually lands and does damage is the right one! 😅 timing and target assessment can compensate for the “wrong” palm position.
Subscribed!
SB is a good dude, ill have to reach out to him again, been about a year.
European hooks is palm inward. American hooks are palm down. Personally I have always preferred the European hook for short hooks. It feels more right with my wrist. For longer hooks I do the variant you showed where you almost punches from the top and down with the two knuckles..
In our KM school they said that palm down is risky because ring fingers and pinkies can break if you don't hit right...
I had a Mexican trainer who taught me how to turn the thumb all the way down (palm away)... I thought it was silly until he sparred with me, and I felt his knuckles bang Into my bones like they were bare. (Reyes gloves have almost no padding on top). Works especially well to get behind the elbow to the ribs. You have to build up the muscles on the top of your wrist and forearms, tho. I could barely use those muscles for a bit, when I started hitting the bag like that.
Depending on what you're training for, the fact that a thumb up hook movement more easily translates to an open hand hook can be of interest.
The only thing I didn't really see expressly discussed was the strength and stiffness added when internally rotating the shoulder.
The way I had a left hook explained to me was it was like making a muscle to show off your bicep but, instead of having the fist pointing straight up, you put it at a 90 degree angle to your body. Ideally you'd slip to your left, bringing your left shoulder and hip back then torque the body and hips around. The left elbow should remain in line with both of your shoulders and you'd rely on the hips and shoulders moving for the power. if you were slipping past his right hand you'd aim for the body to try and knock the wind out of him and, if you caught him off guard and his guard was down, you'd aim for the side of the jaw.
The kind of long hooks they demonstrated at 2:25 don't really make any sense to me as you wouldn't have the forearm braced to support the movement and power of your body. You'd be taking longer to throw the punch than a jab or straight and your arms and fists would be out of line, leaving you open in case the other guy counter punches. In fairness though I was taught a traditional boxing style with the hands up to protect the head and elbows tucked to protect the body so that level of refinement may not apply to an opponent using a different style to fight.
As for thumb up or thumb parallel to the ground, considering the targets are the body or the side of the head I don't think it makes a major difference. Straight punches you can worry about which knuckles to use.
Palm down forces the elbow out which makes for a cleaner, more technically correct hook. However, palm in feel better and harder.
I’m a rank amateur but for me it depends on what I’m trying to hit. If I’m throwing a hook to the head, I like palm in because if I miss I won’t hit with the weaker part of my hand. For body shots I like palm down because I can put more of my pec and shoulders into it, gives it a better snap IMO
Depends on the target, distance, and whether you are wearing gloves
I’ve always naturally thrown my left hook palm in, my right hook palm down. The distance theory makes sense.
At short ranges, palm down feels the most natural for me!
For my part, it's entirely dependent on what's most natural. In amateur boxing (UK) the palm-in is discouraged as it may be conceived as a slap by the ref. Oddly, I throw palm-in on lefts, palm-down on rights.
Thumbs up generates more power!
I practice the left hook 10000 times over the years!