Hooks From The Outside With Peter Aerts

Hooks are an awesome punch to land. They are hard quick shots that hit a different target than most punches. Hook punches are also one of the highest percentage strikes for scoring a knockout. There are a few reasons for this, first is because their impact makes the head of your opponent and therefore their brain turn, which will increase the likelihood of the brain hitting the skull, which is what causes concussions and knockouts.

The second reason is that hooks are punches that go at a better angle to hit certain weak points on the head that are more likely to cause a knockout. These spots that the hook is better at hitting are your opponent’s jawline and their temple, with the jaw being one of the biggest knockout spots on the human body.

Aside from just causing a knockout or rocking your opponent, hooks do a good job at mixing up your targets, making it harder for your opponent to know what you’re throwing next and therefore, making it harder for them to defend against your strikes. 

Hooks also do a solid job of cutting off a laterally moving opponent. This means that if your opponent is backed up against the ropes or the cage and they are trying to get away from you, a solid hook to the side that they are moving will likely cause them to think twice about that plan of escape. 

The only problem with hooks is that in order for them to get the maximum amount of power possible, they have to be somewhat short punches and that means that the person throwing them needs to get into range to land them. This can be dangerous as you are getting into a close range with your opponent, who can counter your strikes or catch you coming in. 

This is where having some good knowledge on how to move into range safely to land hooks is really important. A good way to get into range instead of just straight up stepping completely into it is by slipping into it. This will not only get you into range but also load up your hips to help generate as much power as possible into your hook.

In this video, former world champion Kickboxer and renowned striking coach Peter Aerts goes over this very technique. The technique is a very standard boxing drill. You have a partner throw a rear straight at you, provided that you are both in the same stance. When your partner throws their rear straight you’re going to step in and slip to the outside of the punch. This will do a few things. 

This will get you in range and load up your hips like we mentioned earlier, but since you’re slipping to the outside of the strike, your opponent will also be completely exposed on the side that you slipped to. This plus the fact that they are so heavy on their front leg after the strike, means that your hook is almost guaranteed to land. From this position, you can either throw to one of the targets on the head we mentioned earlier or to the body which will also be exposed as your opponent is punching. 

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