A Hook Is Better Than A Straight Punch In The Street 

To counter what you are saying - since most non fighters just throw looping shots, if you are trained it might pay off to throw straights and meet them first

Makes sense. I'll just add that when having 'discussions' where I think there's the slightest chance of it becoming violent, my hands are NOT at my sides. That would be the FIRST thing I'd want to get across. Yes, a guard or 'fence' will feel like too much in the early stages, so use something more natural. I'm sure most are familiar with the 'thinker' pose, but I find it more 'do-able' to simply have my hands in front of my solar plexus; either one resting on the other, or lightly clasped, or steepled. From this position, you can quickly cover or jab. Get in the habit of adopting these positions in everday conversation, and you should do it when it matters.

This guy is such a legend. He truly cares about his fighters too.

Oddly enough even before I started training my right cross has always been my best punch lol. My trainer picked up on that in boxing and made it better. I agree with you though most people hooks come more naturally and what comes more natural is gonna be what's more useful to you in the street/self defense scenarios.

Even after all the martial arts training I've done a straight right is all I've ever had to use in a street fight, interestingly I never threw the 1st punch but always won. It's also the 1st move I was taught as a kid by my dad. I sometimes think I've wasted 20 years learning martial arts but at least it kept me fit, gave me confidence and I made a few friends.

I feel like a side note is you can hook to the body more easily then you can straight punch the body (for a new or untrained person)

Awesome video from an absolute legend!

hooks are always better... but you know what else is better? elbows. they ROCK.

I like your common sense and realistic thinking with the no bullshit approach. Good video.

You can definitely throw a straight right hand power punch from the waist/hip easily generating more power than a hook if you know how to use your bodyweight into the strike/punch

Good points. From a hands down position, the hook makes a lot of sense. A case could also be made for an open hand strike. However, the hands shouldn't really ever be down if you are that close(which you shouldn't be/create space) and suspect aggression, and with the hands up and open in a neutral position, I like a straight open-hand to the face and into the eyes as the initial strike.

I like the classic gentleman fistfighter thumbnail. Thank you

He was basically saying a hook is most convenient to throw a sucker punch

Great video.. Awesome Advice..👍👍...✌💨🏃

Explained v well interesting to listen to

Very informative video. Thanks!!

I remember once i got into a street fight and interesting thing us that it happened just at the middle of the street when i motorcycle got in contact with a car and the other person probably bigger than me got out of the car full of road rage kicked my motorcycle, made it fall, and started swinging punches (hooks) towards me ... I in return threw 3-4 straight punches/ crosses and to be honest till bone, none of his hooks could land properly but my straights while moving forward did push him back a bit till he fell on his butt ... All i learnt was that straights are much faster than hooks, u can move forward with repeated straights pressuring the other person but u cant properly move forward with repeated hooks, and the speed matters a lot... Street fights are fast and explosive and straights are best of that ... My straights connected his jaw and nose before his hooks could connect me which disrupted the power and accuracy of his hooks drastically...

Love it! Another well explained concept Sensei (I'll likely steal some of this in my own practice)... I would add that in "street" there is more off-balance footwork happening which lends much better to hooking (particularly for a person like me who is not a fighter and doesn't train to stand off)... thanks again

Straight punches are more powerful for skinny and tall people, hooks are more powerful for bulky and short people… as a tall skinny guy you don’t want to get close and throw weak hooks the bulky short guy will duck or just move forward with short hooks, as a bulky short guy you don’t want to use straight punches and always come up short… but what if you are average in all respects like the most of us. I believe the hook is more powerful because you not only can employ linear body momentum (like the straight uses when you punch forward with it) you can also add in rotational energy generation from the legs torso and shoulders. The ultimate power punch in my opinion is the overhand right hook leaning left as you not only jump linearly into it you also have extra rotational energy. My Favourite combination is duck down (dodges most punches) while bringing left foot forward slightly loading up for, left hook to head, then the overhand right hook (palm sideways) whilst getting head low and to the side to duck under the next punch, into double leg takedown. I like this because it defends against all punches initially, and even while you’re punching your considering defence (through the head movement during overhand right hook). You can repeat this two punch combination for the next dudes on the street.

Lots of truths were dropped here. Good, solid advice

Excellent logic

Excellent explanation. Plus, as the distance changes during a fight, (usually you and the opponent tend to get closer as you both go forward while throwing punches), the hook remains effective. See Cormier vs Stipe; very close but still in KO potential.

I agree to your points paw

I noticed that when he has his hands down he's kind of mimicking the pit symbol behind him

In my case,my right straight has always been my most natural punch,and i suck at hooks. It is mostly beacause i am overweight and i never felt comfortable severly twisting my hips .

Professor Hackleman is a legend in MMA and Kajukenbo.

I saw the video about the gloves and the bag and started training just like the pitmaster and I already had the shaved head 😂

Wanderlei would approve of this video, he's thrown one straight punch in his entire career and 80,000 hooks :) I prefer hooks too, great video John!

Plus, you can easily generate power with hook (rotate body + swing arm).

Truuue!

I personally like an element of surprise.. My favourite : uppercut 😁 they never see it coming

I like how you just tell if like It Is and get to the damn point. A lot of RU-vid martial arts guys can't seem to do this and always want to sell me something

I refer to this as a right haymaker. It's not only more natural, it's more forgiving in terms of the wrist position whereas a classical hook or straight shot would need to land with trained alignment. There are so many advantages to this kind of shot, as you state, the fact that it comes from outside tunnel vision, it's a shot most untrained people can do effectively, it delivers big power in what is likely to be the only shot you'll have time for before clinching, it takes the head offline, it can transition into an over the neck grab or a short elbow, can be done as an open palm or slap notwithstanding the fact that we rarely see straight punching in street fights which suggests that straight punching is at odds with gross-motor physiology and likely to incur more mental inhibition/delay to initiate.

I like them both ...i finish with hook but I do start straight punch first sensei

In my sparring matches, I always go for hooks

With a hook is knuckles up or sideways better?

this is because people naturally throw wild hooks in a street fight. If straight punches were thrown more, then it'll likely be the opposite.

can you give info on your bag gloves....

There situational, it really depends mostly on the range.

Is a punch to the front of the jaw as likely to KO your opponent as one that hits the side of the jaw?

Uppercuts are good too. They're harder to block especially for untrained goons and they're more unexpected than a haymaker. The downside would be theyre harder to land clean and dont seem to have the same one punch ko potential..

A good combination for going preemptively is the hook into a straight right cross into a lead upper cut but most people cant upper cut with the left hand me personally that is my dominant hand so i dont have issues using my left hand to throw a upper cut now my right side its akward it just feels more natural doing upper cuts with my lead left ..

@THE PIT Online Dojo I can’t get anyone to respond to this question! I want someone to elaborate on the “sitting on your punch” technique when throwing a hook. I’m only 5’ 10”, when I sit on my hook, I’m even shorter and there’s no way I can connect with a guy’s jaw. Advice? Tips?

IT'S YOU oh my god I didn't know you had a youtube channel. I was looking for videos about boxing and I see you and I think "I've seen this guy before he's good at boxing who was this guy" and then it hit me. I used to see you on master wong videos a few years ago when I was a child. I absolutely did not know you had your own channel hello!

He trains pro fighters but takes the time out to show the rest of us how to defend ourselves. Thumbs up! It makes sense to modify what he teaches as the average person can’t train six hours a day.

The key is to control the hook , and not let it be a haymaker

Hooks for may reasons.😎. Hooks pack killer power hard to stop.

Great channel man. You just need a mic that doesn't take so much background noise (the echoes from the room, the buzz of some light). I'd say that's one of the reasons why this channel isn't growing as it should, because otherwise the content is great!

The Pitmaster is the expert but I find from a purely technical perspective that it is easier to pick up a properly thrown straight than a properly thrown hook or uppercut once you start training them. Nonetheless always interested in what the Pitmaster has to say.

Yep I agree , always keep it basic , you don’t need a lot of tools just the Right ones

i threw a straight punch from the down position recently....but my opponent was drunk and ive been training since the 90s ahhaha

I throw straight for some reason. I’m right handed and I throw my right hand

I did not know that iDubbbz's dad is teaching boxing.

I’d probably just go with the elbow; but of course I have a little bit of training. I get what you’re saying about teaching someone with limited experience. It’s better to hone someone’s natural instinct off the bat.

A hook takes a lot more training and practice to land, and leaves you far more prone to injuring your self. A hook, especially a lead is the best punch in the hands of an expert. But a straight to the body is the quickest, easiest, lowest risk punch that can still end a fight with one shot.

In karate we have agetsuki/rising punch. We train to punch with power in a short distance without pulling the hand back. Instead we move in and use the hips to drive the power from feet to the tip of knuckles. And also there are ways to keep the arms up and ready without revealing the guard. I'm sure you know that though. Thank you for sharing.

Hey please answer, if I’m in a street fight and I wanna rush the person do I rush with just hooks? Hook after hook or do jab cross then random combos ?

Very true. I have experience in this. Most people end up bitch slapping

I am so fast with my straights tho I practice every day I can hook but I wouldn't chose to.

For someone who doesn’t train.. neither punch is effective, broken bones are likely. Better to use palms.

It's the velocity and momentum, not the force and penetration of the punch, that causes a headshot KO. Hooks and haymakers have more velocity and momentum.

Against multiple opponents too is the hook the best punch?

Make sense

I’ve given a thumbs up but the best shot in this situation is the lead jab…

0:24 I agree that the hook is the better punch in "the street" or a self-defense situation, but I disagree with you here. The hook in general, and I think especially so the lead hook, is a difficult punch to get good at, let alone master, so I'd say for someone who "doesn't train that much" or doesn't have any training the hook would not be a great punch for the situation you described, or any situation. 4:00 this is an excellent point, and why I also think the hook is better. you are already squared up and within range for a hook most of the time when you are talking to someone, especially if the conversation is heated or threatening. all it takes is setting the elbow 90 degrees and simply lifting the arm at the shoulder to get the arm into hook form, and that can be done while you are doing the other things, like twisting your legs and rotating your body, that you do when throwing the hook.

Most all knockout punches come from ones they dont see coming. Cus DAmatos Tight Defense style was tailored off Hooks and Uppercuts for the reason hooking blows have a higher knockout ratio than straight blows. Due to being able to add your bodyweight hell add in a Gazelle hooking blow he is going night night. Love your material sir!!

Funny thing: Yes you can throw a straight punch with the arms down. That is what the "Hikite-thing" in the traditional karatepunch actually teaches. Doesn't collide with your views on the "overuse" of the "Hikite" in traditional karate, when a "hands up"-guard position is really better.

Having your hands down in a confrontational situation is a bad idea.

I am not so big but I knocked many people with a cross in the street

Straight punch from hands down Of course a lot of telegraphing ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TgWVQp3mGqk.html The hook punch is much less visible

Hook punch u have to get closer where probs can happen. Also hook has way higher chance of wrist fracture. Straight punches longer distance and generate more power. All martial arts has sussed this out years ago that's why they mainly use them. Karate ,wing Chun etc. Straight punch a bag and hook a bag with bare knuckles you will feel the straight is way more stable I mean for a fact of a fracture etc.

Headbutt then a left hook, I studied way of the hard bastard.

46 people talk with their hands up

Naturel IS best n.1

The point is teaching what's effective not what's natural. It's the whole principle behind learning a martial art, it's unlearning the natural movement, then learning a structured, more effective new skillset until it's natural. So if you have time to learn the straight punch, it will beat the hook 99% of the time. If two people who can't fight get into a brawl hooks will be more likely to be thrown and hit but it doesn't make it more effective than the straight. In the end learning a to throw a good straight will make you more likely to win a fight against the average guy. Of course all cases are different and you can get clipped by a fantasy hook. Learn boxing !!

Then put your both hands up like you don't wanna fight. Its easily to close the fists and and its a good d.

spea hand to the eye from a non violent posture.

No you do NOT have to champer your hand before throwing a straight punch. Especially with lead hand. A hook also requires that you have to get closer to your opponent. The straight lead has a significantly quicker recovery compared to a hook.

just fake the hook and throw the right

Just a little sound insulation will make that gym 1000% more video-friendly.

Or u could act like ur backing up and swing the back fist

bad information. you’re teaching people to sucker punch from a talking distance. would be better to teach people to properly defend themselves in those situations instead. its better to keep distance in a scenario where tensions are high. keep your hands up always. keep distance if you dont wanna have your hands up. better to calm a situation rather than throw a sucker punch. also jab is the best punch because it keeps distance and allows you to make reads on someone that swings wild. then you can set up a right hook once you’re confident in your reads on someone

This video could have been 1 minute 30. Waaaay too much waffling.

Mma stinks

I hope this guy doesn’t teach boxing!!! Embarrassing advice this shit is!!!

The way he is throwing hook is not right.