Recoil The Rear Hand With Carlos Condit
Most combinations tend to switch between the different sides, going left to right or right to left. This is because doing this allows a fighter to get the maximum amount of power into each shot but utilizing the hip rotation that happens every time you switch which side of the body is hitting.
There are a few exceptions to this, such as the double jab, which is done, or at least should be done, by most fighters. This is because the jab is not generally thrown as a power shot and doubling it up is a great way to get your opponent focused on your lead hand and maybe even blinking so they don’t see another shot coming.
Doubling up on the same side will naturally mean that the second punch off of that side will have less power. This is especially the case when it comes to doubling up shots off of your rear hand, as rear hand strikes generally require more torso and hip rotation to cause more power. There is a way to get the exact same amount of power off of two same side strikes that doesn’t involve using the other side to strike though.
In this video, former UFC interim Welterweight champion Carlos Condit displays the way to do this, what he calls recoiling, to maximize the power in your shots off of the same side.
The combination that Condit uses to demonstrate this starts with the very simple double jab cross but Condit recoils his rear hand after the cross to throw a powerful uppercut. That combo sounds really simple but just how does one recoil after a strike. Recoiling is also pretty simple, you just need to bring your rear hand back after the cross and bring yourself back to your stance, this way it will be just like throwing a normal uppercut from your standard stance.
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Condit says that you can switch up which uppercut you can use during this combination, either being a longer one or a shorter one depending on the distance of your strikes. Condit says that this is a good combination to use if you land that cross hard on your opponent, causing them to duck down or possibly shoot for a takedown, which will put them right in the path of the uppercut.
Recoiling is a great tool to use if you want to catch your opponent off guard. Most people don’t double up strikes, except for maybe the jab and even then it’s not that often. People rarely double up on any other strikes or on the rear side, which really needs that hip rotation that was mentioned earlier.
This means that when you do recoil and fire a strike from the rear side twice, whether it be the same strike or two different strikes, it will probably catch your opponent off guard, meaning you might catch them with a strike that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Don’t overuse this technique though as it is a somewhat slow technique when compared to the traditional left to right side switching combination strike that most people are used to seeing.
If you want to learn more striking tips and tricks like this from Carlos Condit, check Combat Tested Combinations, available now!