Dude Johnny it’s driving me nuts i need your opinion.
When somebody is mitting for me or I see ppl working the mitts the holder moves the left hook that follows a 1,2, inward. This means its always a short hook from a static position. The mitter actually reaches out and closes the distance for a fighter standing still.
First that only seems to make sense if the opponent slips in under the right and even then the striker has to usually shift. I cant think of reasons to drill a standing still long range 1,2, followed by a short hook.
Ive been seeing a lot of boxing “coaches” doing this and when i try to start the conversation about it i get an attitude of this is how it’s done son…
Dude I workout and spar hard with real fighters 4/5 times a week and cant see how that helps anywhere=
– John S
ANSWER: I wouldn’t know the origin either but from having hit the mitts myself as well as holding the mitts, the current practice makes the most sense to me. These are my thoughts:
It’s anatomically easier for the mittholder to feed you a short hook. The mittholder is more comfortable when his arm is stretched out about halfway and allows him to turn into the shot. For him to feed you a long hook, he would have to either leave the mitt by his face (scary AND awkward wrist angle) or lean back and extend his arm at a weird angle where he wouldn’t be able to put as much body leverage into absorbing your punch. Him being a little close-up is the most comfortable position to feed you 1, 2’s and hooks and all other punches. You can also try having him hold his hand in any other position and you’ll see that he won’t be able to absorb your left hook as much…it’s a matter of comfort for you (the puncher) as well.
The “inwards angle” on the short hook that he feeds you makes the most sense for developing beginner fundamentals like “shifting weight”. By giving you long rights and short hooks, you would be forced to shift weight forwards on the right hand and then backwards on the left hook which is correct. If you DON’T shift weight backwards on your left hook, you only have 2 other options. One is a left swing at the head (not exactly a hook) and the other is left hook to the body (requiring a forward shift and an entirely different punch).
My favorite reasoning is this one…it’s to develop rhythm. Both you and the mittholder go in at the same time, out at the same time, and across at the same time. For example, you both go in on the jab and right hand and both go out on the hook as you pull back, and then in again for the follow-up right hand, etc. This rhythm isn’t just for punching, it’s also for evading punches. So theoretically, you could throw a 1-2 and then instead of firing a hook into his mitt, you just roll backwards under HIS hook. And likewise, instead of throwing a right hand into his mitt, you could roll forward under his right hand and come back with a counter hook, etc.
With that said, there are a few things that can affect how “short” your hook feels. If you OR your mittholder are standing too much sideways, it would indeed make your right hand feel especially long and your hooks especially short. It might feel better to you to stand slightly more square. Another reason may also be due to you or your mittholder having especially long arms. If you think about it, the longer your arms, the shorter the space will be since your hands would be extending further forward.
Depending on who you learn from, punches may or may not be practiced at the full range on the mitts. Some trainers make you extend and shift to your full range on every punch. Other trainers (look at Roger Mayweather), he does all the work for you while you just stay in rhythm hitting at that middle space right in front of you (without much arm extension).
Always wondered this myself!
Hey Johnny:
I agree with your rationales for doing mitts the way you do them. If you have a specific theme or idea to impart then the more specific needs to be your drill. One drill and one way of doing things all the time is NOT the way to teach anything. But I can see why it’s done the same by most coaches most of the time. They deal with mostly noncompetitive recreationalists or beginner amateur boxers who NEED to learn solid basics. BUT: Advanced drills for specific attributes and tactics are for advanced players of the game. This is the essential point of this conversation: Who is your boxer and what does he need right now?
Agreed!
My boxing coach solves this issue easily — he forces me to do BOTH when holding the mitts for me. Sometimes he brings them in for short hooks and then pulls them out and specifically instructs me to reach for long hooks.