There are three details often neglected by beginners while performing the Straight Punch Low:
- Changing levels.
- Rolling the shoulder up.
- Moving the head off the centerline.
This video demonstrates these three positions and explains why they are important to do while delivering the Straight Punch Low.
Transcript:
“Hey, this is Randall with KravMagaTraining.com. This video we’re going to discuss the three important details to delivering the straight punch low. Whether it be a straight punch to the body, or even possibly, a straight punch to the attacker’s groin if they are a lot taller than you or you’re shorter than them. There’s three little details that are often neglected when beginners do the straight punch low.
Point number one is to make sure that when you deliver the straight punch that on impact your shoulder is level with your fist. And you do that by, as your twisting your body, rotating your body, and delivering the punch, you’re supposed to bend your knees, change your levels in order for that to happen. Like that. Or like that.
Now this is important for two reasons. One is, defensively it’s a lot safer for you to do that. When I’m like this and I’m punching down like this, you see how my face is wide open. All right. This is obviously unacceptable because it’s going to be very easy for him to take his fist and hit me back like this. So a lot safer is to do this. Now, if anything, he’s going to hit me it’s going to be more on the top of the head, on the skull, which can absorb a lot more damage than me sitting here like a silly person with my chin up and waiting for it to get rocked.
The other reason why this is important is because it allows you to maximize your reach on the straight punch down low. From here, notice I can’t even reach the body from here. As soon as I bend my knees, now I can. Because now, because the arm is level, it’s going to protrude out farther away from my body. Whereas if I stand up tall, it has to arc down so it’s losing some of that length and that reach. So like I just said, make sure you’re changing levels. Make sure your shoulders are level with your fist because it also maximizes your reach as well.
That’s the first and most important thing that is often neglected by beginners. So make sure you really buckle down and do that. ‘Boom!’, on impact shoulder level with the fist. ‘Boom!’, shoulder level with the fist.
Okay. The second thing that will also keep you safe is to make sure that your shoulder rolls up to your chin on impact. So if I deliver the punch, notice on impact my shoulders touching my chin like this. Or like this. So if I do it towards the camera you can see this. Notice I’m not doing this. For obvious reasons. Because I’m not protecting myself as well. Think of this shoulder is protecting the side of your jaw so as you’re delivering the strike, if you do get hit, you are not going to get hit the jaw, have your head gets snapped or rattled like this where the brain slams into your skull. That’s why it hurts so much. If I’m like this the chances of that happening are minimized dramatically. Like that, or like that. So make sure you roll that shoulder up. You should feel a part of your shoulder touch the side of your jaw.
Now the third thing is to maximize your chances of getting less likely to get hit by the counterstrike, is think about as you deliver the punch your head, when it starts it’s on the centerline between you and your opponent, but as you deliver the punch the head moves off the centerline, one way or the other. So if I’m delivering my left punch watch how my head moves over to the right side. I’m changing levels, I’m bending my knees, ‘boom!’, there it is. I’m still hitting the target but my head is off to the side. If I use this hand my head goes off to the other side. When I do that, any time you move your body off the centerline away from your opponent’s 12 o’clock, it’s a lot harder for your attacker to counterstrike. Not just with this combative but that rule generally applies to most techniques. Especially for those of you guys who are more advanced and you’re sparring. That little detail of moving your head off the centerline will be very, very important. So one more time. If I punch with my left hand, my head goes to the right. If I punch with my right hand, it goes off to the left.
So those are the three things. Quick review. Make sure your shoulder is level with your fist, on impact. Number two, make sure your shoulder rolls up and covers your jaw. Notice you can’t see my jaw right there. Or if I do it from this side, like that. And then finally, make sure your head moves off the centerline. One way, or the other.
So those are my three tips to make for an effective straight punch down low. And more importantly, so you are less likely to get counterstruck by your opponent or your sparring partner.”
“Kill the body and the head will die.” -Joe Frazier
