Issue 047

March 2009

Tighten up your right cross with our resident MMA fighter Pete Irving.

The right cross is the power shot for many fighters, the one that delivers the knockouts. One good right hand can turn the tide of any fight. The right hand though, when used alone as a leading technique, can be easy to see coming, having more distance to cover than a jab and travelling directly along the line of sight, unlike a kick, knee, or hook. So attention must be paid not just to landing the right cross, but also to use it effectively to set up other techniques.

3 minute clinic

Keep good cover

Don’t leave your chin hanging out when you throw a punch. The left hand remains high at the temple and the chin stays down. Keep your entire left arm tight against your body to protect against any counters.  

In and out

The cross fires out in a straight line and comes home the same way, back to the guard.  

Twist your hips

Twist the whole body as you throw the punch, driving with the back foot as you throw the cross to generate power from the floor up through the foot, knee, hip and shoulder, into the fist.  

Keep good base

Throw the cross with your weight distributed evenly over both legs. Your stance mustn’t be too wide so that you can’t sprawl, check low kicks, or follow up the cross with another shot, or move off in any direction. Experiment with different stances to find what works for you.  

Right cross to low-point kick

Step 1 Pete (black) and Knox (white) square up.

Step 2 Pete leads with a right cross.

Step 3 Knox blocks the punch, but Pete leaves it in his face to distract him and lands the low-point kick.  

Right cross to body shot

Step 1 Pete and Knox face off.

Step 2 Pete throws his right hand to the face and Knox brings his guard high to defend.

Step 3 Pete follows up to the body with his left hand, aiming at the liver.  

Right cross to elbow

Step 1 Pete and Knox square up.

Step 2 Pete finds his range with a right hand, landing on Knox’s guard.

Step 3 Pete steps through with his back leg, coming over Knox’s guard with an elbow to the face.