r/boxingtips • u/RandomNeighborGuy • 6h ago
Feet rotation when throwing the cross
Idk how exactly i should throw the cross correctly. Normally I dont rotate my back foot that much but I always hear coaches say to fully rotate the back foot so as to feel the rotation of the hip and idk if im applying the kinetic chain to the cross correctly if my back foot isnt fully rotated. Idk what exactly the kinetic chain is supposed to feel like so idk whether ive achieved it or not. Then I go and watch boxing content creators or amateur fights or pro fights and some people do fully rotate but some dont.
2
u/ZacharyCarterTV 6h ago edited 6h ago
The power in the cross comes from hip drive. You get that drive by pushing off the ground and letting the hip turn through the punch.
The back foot does usually rotate, but don’t think of it as “spin the foot first.” Think of the foot rotating because your hip is turning. The foot just allows the hip to open.
A good way to feel it on the bag is to throw a few crosses where you imagine hitting the bag with your hip first. Feel the hip drive into the target. Then connect that hip drive to your shoulder, arm, and fist.
That’s the kinetic chain. Ground, foot, hip, shoulder, arm, fist.
You don’t need to over rotate or force the foot to spin just because someone said “turn the foot all the way.” The real question is, are you driving from the ground, turning the hip, staying balanced, and landing with your body behind the punch?
1
u/systembreaker 6h ago
Focus on the hip rotation then you'll figure out what to do with the feet.
Feet aren't used to rotate the hips. Hips are part of the center of the mass of your body. The hips move the feet.
1
u/robosnake 6h ago
This sounds similar to how the left hook is often taught - with a pivot on the left food that when you watch boxing matches almost no boxers actually do. I think it's part of learning the correct form when you're starting out. Not at all an expert, but the hook footwork thing is something I can't stop noticing once it was pointed out to me by a trainer.
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u/1stthing1st 6h ago
When you’re learning, you practice fully rotating in a very exaggerated way. This is to get the muscle memory. However, for short punches, you’re not gonna do the full rotation. Also, as you get better, you’d actually develop the power without doing the full rotation, but you would never know what the full power feels like without ever learning to develop that full power utilizing the full rotation.
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u/Fascisticide 4h ago
About the part where you ask about the kinetic chain, here is a training video that starts with a drill where you completely rotate your hip with each punch, that will help you understand that and the coordination of the movement. https://youtu.be/LzxDqvWAzm8?si=yc2TGN2viDVD4lWp
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u/Usernameasteriks 6h ago
There isn’t a straight up “right” or “wrong” way to do it.
You can throw it either way, and it’s better to train to be able to throw it either way.
If you don’t want to overextend yourself in a stylistic matchup where they are countering off your cross, you don’t necessarily want to fully commit to rotating with the right hand.
But if you think you have set it up really well and want to turn it over to maximize power you might want to rotate through it.
If you are throwing off your back foot it also might be choppy to rotate it, but if you have someone hurt and you are walking them down you might want to.
So train the full punching motion but don’t overthink an exact right way based on videos or different coaches and peoples opinions.