Timing the cross

My first post!
I have a question to the knowledgeable forum members:
how do I set up my cross? My coach told me I should try
to use it more, but I just don´t know how to set it
up. I usually spar with a JKD guy, who´se way more
experienced than me, but I have more reach, so his
strategy often seems to be to try to get me throw a
commited shot, which he tries to counter with a combo
of his own. He usually corners me (the ring is tiny!)
and usually I end up eating some leather. I´m getting
kind of tired of being on the recieving end :) Any
tips on hitting and not getting hit?

Thanks, lefthooker!

I´ll definitely try doubling the jab if I get to spar
today. Improving the technique won´t hurt either, I
guess :)




Nikto,


How long you been boxing?


Mark

Right hands are sometimes difficult to land against experienced fighters, because they come from a little farther back than punches thrown with a left hand. Doubling and trippling up on a jab like Lefthooker said, is definitely a way to make it easier to land a right hand. Is your opponent moving straight back when you throw your jab? If he is, the right hand will be easier to land, because more than likely you can move forward quicker than he can move backwards. Don't forget to use feints. They will also make it easier to land right hands. Using angles will also make it easier to land the right hand, but that's a totally different subject. lol

One last thing...you might be throwing "pullback" right hands. Meaning, that you are throwing a right hand, and not following through with it, because you're afraid of the counter. A right hand is a punch that you have to follow through with.

1groovyunit: I´ve been training for about 8 months,
started sparring a couple of months ago.
Mr. Palmer: I do use feints, which definitely help
land the jab and the left hook. I´ve been landing
right hands as a counter to his lunges after my jab,
but now I need to learn to use right hands
"offensively". We didn´t spar yesterday, but I got a
ton of drills for the right hand instead...have to get
busy this weekend, so I can try it next tuesday.
Thanks a lot for the answers :)

If you are sparring against a JKD guy, he's probably using a right hand lead. That's why your coach is telling you to throw rights. Throw an overhand right over his jab. Stay to the outside of his lead leg.

as a right-hand lead fighter I see and use a lot of crosses :P

landing the cross by itself: don't throw it hard!

snap it into your opponent's face. It's too slow to throw a power cross and expect to catch him. Hit him a coupla times with a quick cross (which will still have some good pop to it) will make him respect it.

Double up on it. cross, cross. cross, CROSS. cross, overhand cross. Use the first cross as a quick punch like above, follow it with another cross, use more power if you like. If you follow it an overhand the natural head movement of the overhand will help you not get hit.

Get used to throwing 3hit (or more) combos so you have to use the cross.

I love this place! Lots of good advice, thanks a lot!

ttt