Boxing Fundamentals: Crosses and Straights

I very much believe you are going to like this lesson, simply because you are going to be the most comfortable throwing a cross or a straight punch. It is the one punch everyone has probably used throughout their life, whether it was in fights, playing with your brothers/sisters, or teasing your boyfriend/girlfriend.

Remember back in a previous article about boxing fundamentals and basics, when we were setting up your stance and I told you that you were an orthodox fighter if you were right handed and a southpaw if you were left handed?

That of course, made your lead hand your weaker punch and thus saved your rear hand for this punch - a power punch.

Power punches are characterized by a transfer in weight. For orthodox fighters, this punch is called a straight right or right cross. For southpaws, it is a straight left or left cross. In both instances, weight is transferred from the rear foot to the front foot allowing you to throw a lot of power into this punch.

The punch you naturally throw is probably more like an overhand right or left, so resist the urge to wind up and throw a looping right hand and call it a straight right or left. These punches are called straight, because they shoot straight out from your guard position and then come straight back in.

Most often, they are used in a combination with the jab leading. The 1-2 combination that you will learn about in the succeeding lesson is a prime example of this. The jab sets up the straight right.

If you can picture an opponent, picture what happens when you land a jab. You defeat his guard and knock his head up and back exposing his chin. If you time the straight right or left after that, good chance you can clock him/her straight on the chin and send him crashing to the floor.

The temple and the chin are two excellent targets that will induce knockouts. Improving your crosses and your straights may take a while, but if you badly want to win every fight, knowing how and when to throw a cross or a straight can be the difference between losing and winning.