The uppercut

Hi John,

What do you think of the uppercut as a first strike tool. Have you ever led off with one in a real confrontation.

Thanks John, and Merry Christmas.

Rusty I absolutly love the uppercut thrown as a pre-emptive strike.
When delivered correctly it is an unseen silent killer of a blow. Punching has had some bad press over the years and the uppercut has taken the brunt of it.
It is(oops, was) one of my best kept secrets as a pre-emptive shot. I have delivered the punch in so many different street fight scenarios but I prefer it as a first strike finisher using my method.
How do you rate it? do you or have you used it in a none competative enviroment?
Jump in people lets have some opinions on the uppercut!!
Thanks for the question rusty.
Have a good christmas and new year mate
John
P.s. I have a policy and a moral code of dealing with violence whent it is in your face. Avoidance is paramount but when you can't avoid!**!"!$%

John

It seems with me that most of my hand injuries have occurred with uppercuts.

Thoughts?

Jeff

John Skillen wrote:
When delivered correctly it is an unseen silent killer of a blow. Punching has had some bad press over the years and the uppercut has taken the brunt of it.

It is a fantastic strike but if you 'screw up' for whatever reason it can really make you suffer. By screw up I mean your target moving, I remember pulling pieces of tooth out of my knuckle one night. Not something I intend on doing ever again!!!

There's more leway for screwing up with a horizontal hook or a straight but its great when it lands on target.

I think this strike has tremendous potential. It's overlooked and unappreciated by many in the industry. I've had great success with this strike, but like Jeff, I too have suffered some injuries using it. This however, would not prevent me from using it if the need arose. Fighting is about risk and sacrifice, so to me, its merits outweigh the risks.
I rate it higher than the chinjab, largely because it's easier to disguise any telltale chamber. With the chinjab, you basically have to play off like you have to cough or something in order to get it loaded. With the uppercut, you can access tremendous torque with a dip in the shoulder and a slight bend of the knee. it's easier to land on all but the tallest foe, and since it comes up from beneath their field of vision, the bad guy never sees it coming.

Hi Jeff Yes its injurious but so is not using the best availible strike for the job at the right time. I've found out over the years that we are not always in the position we want to be when the turd is being sliced by the fan. a broad spectrum of technique is required and if the uppercut is there take the shot do not wait for something else to present itself or be manufactured it could be too late and you could get pre-emptied don't let the thought of injury from using a peticular technique affect your decision to go for it!.
Take care Jeff
John
P.s. By the way Jeff i'm not assuming you do or would mate I think you know where i'm coming from.

I can't consciously remember using an uppercut in a real go, although it is probable that I have, but it has been reliable in the ring/sparring for me many times.

Perhaps my most trusted combination is a left cross/right uppercut, (I am a southpaw), shouldn't be saying this because this works for me time and time again, but..... I pepper the guy with jabs to get the hands nice and high, then lower my level and fire a very hard left straight into the chest/sloar plexus area, travelling in as I throw it, this normally makes the man's head shoot forward as I collapse his chest slightly, whereupon I stand up into a fast little right uppercut under his chin.

Used in sparring I clip the uppercut off just to let them know, if we are going harder or it's a competition I throw it full force - I have had a few knockouts from this one/two combo.

I refined the movement that was already there by watching Ramon Dekkers and how he sets up combinations and moves his whole body to get the most out of his uppercuts - I urge you to "youtube" him t osee his fights - he is a devastating puncher, one of those guys that looks as if he could hurt you in ANY weight class.

Perhaps one of the most effective punches at close range is a sort of shovel hook/uppercut hybrid that travels up under the jaw at 45degrees, outside and below the field of vision, if you get that crouch and explosive stand-up motion behind it you can literally lift people up with that shot.

Thanks for the insight John. Great stuff as always my friend.

Ed, do you remember a fighter from the late 80's, early 90's named Razor Ruddock? (he fought Tyson twice) He had a signature punch called the smash which was exactly like the 45 degree uppercut you described. He KO'd Michael Dokes for over 5 minutes with it!

Razor Ruddock had awesome power. The smash was his devastating (albeit risky) signature move.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNo8nXD3xoc

great clip, thanks for that.

anyone read this book ... http://www.amazon.com/Science-Boxing-Articles-Training-Generalship/dp/0965295257

written in 1893! according to the first review, it shows some unique bare knuckle variations of different strikes, including the uppercut.

I prefer the open palm variant uppercut.
palm is facing as if you were giving a thumbsup, hand cupped as if holding a shotput. Arm is very comfortable in this position. It allows for an easier grab attempt if you miss.

Normally when I'm drilling pre-emptives I use a bubble zone. That is to say that when the padded assailant steps into my bubble or punching range, I go. This usually precludes the use of the uppercut as my first strike because we're not at extreme close quarters when it initially goes off. This thread however is getting me psyched to start off more scenarios almost nose to nose. Hell, while I'm at it I'll start drilling the double hip elbow strike again. Sea Bass, how's your dental plan.

Ahh crap, I think I would rather take a smash hit from Razor Ruddock

Jeff, yeah I have heard of Razor, but I didn't know much about him - I checked out that clip and looked up a few others - nice work!!

He appeared to have that "leap" in with the punch too, some thing Tyson, Roy Jones Jr etc all had every now and then, all great punchers.

Mick Coup has a similar Jump onto the target propelling all the weight forward, and he hits hard too!

How you getting on with the DVDs mate?

Ed.

Ed

The DVDs arrived safe and sound and I've watched them both.

I enjoyed them alot and found your take on the chin-jab interesting. It seems as though you throw it much differently than it is traditionally taught (using the lead hand as opposed to the rear hand)

Have you had success using the chin-jab in this manner in a real scrap?

Yeah I have not been taught the traditional chin jab as you put it, but had some success in training and for real with jamming the hand under the chin. Actually it came from a push to the chest that I was taught in a Reality based martial art I studied for a few years a while back - the sensei there used a lead hand fence positioned over the sternum area, and he had this incredible jab/push which often dropped people and had a delayed sort of winding effect.

I don't advocate too many hits to the body unless you are really good, in fact an elbow shot if the circumstances are right is the only one really, but I appled the same mechanics to the chin shot and found it was a powerful and hard to read shot.

I can only think of one situation in which I hit someone with it, and it dropped him; he bit half his tongue off and curled up in a ball, I threw a left cross at him a second after and he wasn't there!

You can change the angle of that shot to suit, from simply pushing the head back, which makes a lot of people lose bottle (door scenario) to straight up under the chin if say someone was closing you down fast and you used it to chamber a hard rear cross.

I have used the uppercut quite a few times,but never as a pre-emptive strike that I can recall.
Having said that,I once had a situation with a guy threatening my friend as my friend and I were sat on the floor(at an outdoor concert).
The guy doing the threatening had crouched down to get in my friends face,and so I stood up,hitting the guy with an improvised uppercut as I did so.
I then sang him a lullaby with my feet!
Overall,I love the uppercut and have used it fairly often in fights,with a couple of KOs.
Generally,these punches come out naturally for me when the opponent covers up or crouches etc.,to avoid punishment after the cross or hook I may already have thrown.
Even if the uppercuts don't drop them by immediate impact,they seem to drive the already defensive 'victim' even further into their shell(and so practically out of the fight).
The two times that I have re-arranged the structure of my knuckles,however,have come from throwing uppercuts.
The first time was,I think,from hitting the teeth,and the second (a few weeks back),when I'm sure it was the forehead that did the damage.
A brilliant strike,though,as are all of the boxing blows(I'm aware some time ago I said to you,John,that I had stopped punching-but old habits die hard and a good clean punch to the chin is the best fight-stopper I've found!).
Sorry if the post is a little bit rambling,but I've got a tooth-ache at this precise moment!
Peace and carrots.
Kemlyn.

I used the uppercut pre-emptivley once, broke a finger!!
Wicked shot though got a clean KO and some astonished looks!

Turns out he was a carpet fitter who turned up to fit my dining room, ha look on his face was pricless when i answered the door!