Uppercut

Adrien Broner

The uppercut is a curved punch delivered in an upward motion along a vertical line to the opponents head or body. 

Basic Mechanics
When throwing the uppercut, the punching arm should be bent. For a close range uppercut, the arm forms approximately a 90 degree angle. The angle increases when delivering longer uppercuts. The bend of the arm does not extend (straighten) at the end of the punch - fully extending the arm is a common beginner mistake (perhaps a very long uppercut is the exception tot the rule)

When throwing the lead left uppercut, rotate to the right, slightly pivoting off the left foot. As you throw the punch, transfer about 10-20% of your weight from the left foot to the right foot. Having said that, there is a variation of the lead uppercut which is often taught where you still rotate the body to the right, but your weight doesn't shift from front foot to back foot.  

Often the lead uppercut is loaded before it is executed by first throwing a rear hand strike or by simply using a slipping/bobbing like motion to shift to the lead side, but this isn't always the case.

With the rear right uppercut, rotate to the left, pivoting on the right foot. Transfer about 10-20% of your weight from the right foot to the left foot. 

Beginners tend to make the mistake of drastically dropping the hand in preparation of throwing the punch. Try to keep the path of the punch a tight, upward arc rather than wide or looping.

Fist Position

The fist position for the uppercut is most often palm up (palm facing toward the fighters body). There are some exceptions where a vertical fist is used . 

Uppercut Variations

Gazelle/Leaping Uppercut

Shovel Hook

The shovel hook is a curved punch delivered in an angled upward motion. 

Where the hook punch moves along a horizontal line and the uppercut along a verticle line, the shovel hook lies between the two, thrown at a 45 degree angle. 

It more often targets the body but can also be delivered to the head. I prefer it to the traditional body hook. 

Though the name might suggest it is more of a hook variant, I beleive the mechanics are closer to the uppercut, which is why I've included it in this section. 

Example