Upgrade Your Straight Punches With Mike Winkeljohn
Straight punches are probably the first thing that are taught to most people when they step into a beginner MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing or Muay Thai class. If they aren’t the first thing taught, they are usually at least the first actual strike you learn, even in a world with kicks and takedowns. The main reason that is the case is because straight punches are pretty easy to learn and throw. They are also going to be some of the most effective strikes that any striker has in their arsenal.
While straight punches are pretty easy to learn, they are incredibly difficult to master. There are so many little details that you need to make sure you are aware of and dril to so that you can throw the best possible straight punch that you can. From the placement of your knuckles to the turning of your knee, ankle and hips to where your head is, it can actually be kind of overwhelming for some people, even more experienced fighters.
This is why it’s good to have an experienced coach guide you along the way and we have one of the best in the business to help you with your straight punches. In this video, Mike Winkeljohn shows you how you can improve your straight punches, especially with your rear hand. If you haven’t heard of Mike Winkeljohn, then you have probably been living under a rock. Winkeljohn is one half of the dynamic duo of MMA coaches alongside Greg Jackson..Together they own and coach out of Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At this gym they train top tier MMA talent like Jon Jones, Michelle Waterson and Holly Holm.
Technique Breakdown
The video starts off with coach Winkeljohn talking about getting your body involved when you're throwing a straight. The most obvious and mentioned one of these is twisting your hips when you are punching. This gets more torque and body weight into your strike.
Something that Coach Winkeljohn says that a lot of people miss when it comes to throwing the rear straight has to do with the lead hand. If you are able to pull back your lead hand while throwing your rear straight as fast as you can, you will add to the speed, power and snap of your strike.
This is something that is commonly done in traditional martial arts like Taekwondo and a lot of styles of Karate. This helps with the rotation.
Keep in mind that just because you threw the punch, doesn’t mean that your job is done. You need to be able to bring yourself back to your starting position to either throw something else, or to be able to defend yourself against the counter strikes that your opponent might throw. You don’t want to over rotate or else you’ll end up out of position.
If you want to get a bit more length on your punches, you can lean, not twist to the side. tHis wil increase the reach on your punch and also get your head off of the centerline, which can help avoid any counters that your opponent might throw.
Mike's Instructional
If you liked this tutorial and want to learn more striking tips from the legendary Mike Winkeljohn, then check out his complete video series “Power Punching by Mike Winkeljohn” available exclusively on Dynamic Striking!