Developing More Functional Body Shots By Stephen Whittier
When you look at fighting in general most people instinctively punch to the face, after all we have all watched the UFC and seen some ferocious knockouts! Anyone who has trained in Martial Arts for a while, has realised it takes more than a wild swing to get the job done.
You have to be more calculated and attack with efficiency and accuracy if you want to beat your opponent. Looking for body shots is an excellent way to hurt your opponent, aiming for the ribs, sternum or the liver can leave you in a more dominant position in order to win the fight.
We talk about developing function within our striking, making sure that we are utilising the proper advantage and execute using proper form. Good functionality means to use the correct set of techniques in order to best serve your purpose. There will always be different functions for different instances, In this case Stephen talks about landing good body hooks.
Body hooks are excellent weapons as they will always pop up in the middle of a fight, body hooks are easy to land when you use striking techniques like slipping punches or rolling under them. This will always open up a chance for a good body shot but you must use the right amount of circular rotation off the pivot to get enough power to finish off your opponent.
That’s why we have brought this great video from the highly decorated trainer Stephen Whittier to help you develop better function when you attempt to land body hooks on your opponent!
Who Is Stephen Whittier?
Stephen Whittier is a highly decorated Martial Arts instructor who teaches out of Straight Blast Gym in the United States. He holds a 3rd degree Black Belt in Brazialn Jiu Jitsu and is only the 4th person to ever achieve the rank of Red Mongkol in Sityodtong Muay Thai kickboxing. He also holds Black Belts in Eskrima and Shotokan Karate as well as instructor level in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts. Stephen Whittier is a highly sought after instructor and well known for his seminars and camps he runs all over the U.S, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Check Out Stephen's Instructional here! Click Learn More!
Stephen Whittier has extensive expertise in teaching functional striking, so get on board and check out this video below! On how to properly execute more functional body hooks!
Utilize A More Functional Body Hook
In this video Stephen Whittier explains what he likes to call “circular punches” he refers to a coil spring action which is more of a diagonal technique then traditional style of striking. It requires you to lean more into your stance, so that when you rotate your hips off the pivot you strike with a circular motion.
To understand the core function within this technique you must mimic every detail. The functional structure that Stephen talks about is not just dipping to the side and coming up straight into your traditional hook. You must create a tilt with your body so now your shoulders are on a diagonal angle. Making sure you're in range, you then rotate into your circular motion driving everything forward off your pivot, which is where your power will come from.
This technique works the same if you wanted to land a higher hook, you would just not tilt as low as you would when you are going for the body. This is a really good way to strike your opponent because of the different angles you will create when entering their range.
An important detail to remember is that when you are in your opponents range, you don't want to just level change and tilt into your punch right in front of your opponent as that could get dangerous for you. You must throw in distracting punches as you lead in or level change as you slip one of your opponents attacks, this will give you a better set up into this more functional technique.
Now that you have seen this more functional body hook from Stephen Whittier, use the lesson and implement this into your striking repertoire!
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