The Uppercuts
Short, vertical and useless at range — the punch that punishes a tight guard.
The Uppercuts
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En esta lección
- Generate the punch by extending the legs, not lifting the arm
- Keep the elbow close so the punch stays short
- Recognise the range where an uppercut is available
Clave del entrenador — Drop the level with your knees, then stand up through the punch.
When to use them
Uppercuts do not work at jabbing range. They are close-range punches that travel up the middle, between a pair of gloves that are set to stop things coming in horizontally. When someone covers up tight, the uppercut is the punch that opens the guard back up.
The trade is exposure: throwing one requires you to be close, and the punch travels upward past your own chin. Thrown at the wrong distance, an uppercut is a free counter for the other person.
The mechanics
- Drop your level slightly by bending the knees. Not a dip of the head — a bend of the legs.
- Turn the palm to face you. The elbow stays close to your ribs.
- Extend the legs. The punch is a leg extension with an arm along for the ride.
- Rotate the hip on the punching side, exactly as you would for a cross or a hook.
- Stop the punch at head height. Following through past the target puts your elbow in the air and your chin in front of it.
The lead uppercut is shorter and faster; the rear uppercut is heavier and travels further. Both use the same sequence.
What usually goes wrong
| Mistake | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Winding up from the hip | The fist drops below the ribs before it rises |
| Leaning back | Weight goes to the rear foot; punch has nothing |
| Elbow flaring outward | The punch becomes a wide scoop and misses |
| Dipping the head to load | Your head arrives before your punch does |
Pairing it
The uppercut lives inside combinations rather than on its own. The two most useful pairings for a beginner:
- Uppercut then hook — the uppercut lifts the chin, the hook meets it.
- Hook then uppercut — the hook moves the guard sideways, the uppercut goes through the gap.
Drill it
Two minutes of level changes with no punches — knees only, chin over the hips. Two minutes of single uppercuts, alternating hands, stopping each one at head height. Two minutes of 5-3 and 3-6, slowly, checking the elbow stays close on every uppercut.