How many reps of the One-Two-Hook Combination should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Throw 5 sets of 8 to 10 complete combinations, resting about 30 to 45 seconds between sets, rather than timing continuous rounds yet. Move to timed 1- to 2-minute rounds once every combination flows without a pause between punches.

How do you make the One-Two-Hook Combination easier or harder?

To regress it, drill the jab and cross alone until they snap back cleanly, then add the hook once that two-punch base is solid. To progress it, throw the string faster for full rounds, add a second hook or a body shot, or move the same combination to a heavy bag or pads.

What is the One-Two-Hook Combination good for?

It teaches fighters to flow between straight and rotational punches without resetting, which builds shoulder and core endurance useful for sparring, bag work, and general conditioning. It is not the place to start if you have not drilled the jab, cross, and hook separately, since stacking three new mechanics at once tends to make each one sloppier.

Intermediate

One-Two-Hook Combination

Chaining a jab and cross into a lead hook trains you to flow between straight and rotational punches without resetting. The straights load the front delt and triceps while the hook adds a hard trunk rotation, so the whole combination taxes the shoulders and core under continuous work. It is a staple conditioning string for shadow and pad rounds.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs, Shoulder
Type: Cardio, Functional
Browse by muscle: Deltoid Anterior, Pectoralis Major Sternocostal, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Rotation

How to do it

1
Set a stable stance with both hands guarding the chin.
2
Fire a lead jab, extending the arm fully and snapping it back.
3
Follow with a rear cross, rotating the rear hip and shoulder through.
4
Immediately pivot the lead foot and turn a lead hook across the target.
5
Return both hands to guard after all three punches and reset before the next string.
6
Breathe out on each punch and repeat the combination for timed rounds.

Tips

Keep the rhythm crisp: each punch snaps back before the next fires.
Recover the cross fully so the hook has a base to rotate from.
Stay light on the lead foot so the pivot into the hook is fast.

Variations

Common mistakes

The jab lands as a half-extended push instead of a full snap back, so the whole three-punch string starts a beat slow.
Weight stays flat-footed through the whole combination instead of shifting through the stance on each punch, so the hook arrives with no rotational assist at all.
Some fighters skip the reset before the next string and chain combinations together nonstop, so fatigue creeps in and the last few reps blur into arm punches.
The rear hand drops during the jab instead of staying at the chin, leaving a gap right as the lead hand is furthest from guard.
Exhaling gets skipped on the hook specifically while the jab and cross still get a breath, so the final and hardest-rotating punch is the one thrown with a held breath.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the One-Two-Hook Combination should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Throw 5 sets of 8 to 10 complete combinations, resting about 30 to 45 seconds between sets, rather than timing continuous rounds yet. Move to timed 1- to 2-minute rounds once every combination flows without a pause between punches.
How do you make the One-Two-Hook Combination easier or harder?: To regress it, drill the jab and cross alone until they snap back cleanly, then add the hook once that two-punch base is solid. To progress it, throw the string faster for full rounds, add a second hook or a body shot, or move the same combination to a heavy bag or pads.
What is the One-Two-Hook Combination good for?: It teaches fighters to flow between straight and rotational punches without resetting, which builds shoulder and core endurance useful for sparring, bag work, and general conditioning. It is not the place to start if you have not drilled the jab, cross, and hook separately, since stacking three new mechanics at once tends to make each one sloppier.

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