Tyson's Arching Uppercuts & Leaping Hooks Explained - Technique Breakdown

Iron Mike Tyson was one of the most powerful fighters to ever lace up gloves nearly every punch Tyson threw had the potential to knock out his competitors what's that Tyson apart from the common brawlers of his era was his commitment to technique and his vast knowledge of the fundamentals of boxing Tyson knew power mechanics so well he could use risky unorthodox methods against even skilled competitors this resulted in Tyson developing two punches that were absolutely devastating to his opponent his arching uppercuts and leaping left hook at first glance Tyson's leaping hook looks a lot like a gazelle punch the gazelle punch a shuffling lead hook has a history of being used by the great and while Tyson's punch began the same way his mastery of shifting stances allows him to turn this bunch into something far more complex and powerful Tyson's leaping hook useful work in between his shift and a shuffle rather than put his back foot to his front Tyson would forcefully shift his hips and widen his stance traveling off angled far past his opponents centerline in other words by the time I had connected his lead hook had usually turned into a rear hook I've mentioned before how Tyson like to fight close to his opponents in an open staggered stance it was this open stance the types of transition to in mid air when throwing his leaping hook Tyson could use the stand to intercept his opponent regardless of which way they move if his adversary moved to the outside Tyson would cut them off and run them right into his win if they circled inside he would shift right and catch the mid pivot this was all the same punch from the same position the only thing that had changed was which way Tyson's opponent was moving this punch was not only versatile but extremely powerful Tyson created a wide art that rapidly shorten increasing momentum and luster he began in a deep crouch and shifted his entire body weight from foot to foot widening basically did so and to top it all off because Tyson crossed far past his opponents centerline he was able to get the same rotation and follow-through from his lead hand that he would normally get from his backhand while his hook punch may have ended the majority of his fight Tyson's arching uppercuts stand out as his most iconic move his positioning was so unique they even animated it into the popular Nintendo game Mike Tyson's punch-out the uppercut is probably the most misunderstood striking competitive fighter many fighters twist their hips into their uppercuts as their only form of building momentum this holds the fist sideways rather than straight up in his book championship fighting the great Jack Dempsey suggests dropping down and then swaying your hips forward instead Tyson took this advice to heart at this extreme angle Tyson tips are able to stretch his shoulder and with his hand forward this created a perfect angle for his punch to travel straight through the small gap in his opponents guard Tyson usually through this punch at the exact helmet his opponents tried to clinch taking a small step back in the southpaw they want to grab his arms but as extreme lean back meant that his arms were gone the only thing left there was Tyson's fist Tyson was an expert at taking away his competitors options and leaving them with narrowing choices that just got worse and worse at times it becomes hard to define which stance Tyson is actually in or what kind of punch is actually throwing but really these are just names that we give to help conceptualize movement and positions true masters can band or break these rules and Tyson in his prime was absolutely one of boxing's greatest masters leave suggestions for fighters you want to see broken down in the comments I'm doing as many suggestions as home by the way while going through the footage I couldn't stop laughing when I noticed the typhoon had lifted the spiders feet completely off the ground as probably him jumping as a reflex from getting hit but it's Tyson so no thanks for all the kind words and encouragement for the modern martial artist this is n David Christian wishing you happy Tran

Channel: The Modern Martial Artist

Views: 822,539

Rating: 4.9597158 out of 5

Keywords: mike tyson, boxing, breakdown, uppercuts, hooks, punches, cus d'amato, highlights, technique breakdown, modern martial artist, iron mike

Id: mKwaYE2JEoY

Length: 4min 26sec (266 seconds)

Published: Sun May 28 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/JorusC]

It's amazing how he makes these other trained and skilled boxers look like children. I remember Tyson having a reputation as a brutal thug to laymen, but he was truly an artist with his movements. All that strength combined with the reflexes of a cat. I love how he sees attacks coming so far in advance that he just ducks his entire giant body under the punch and uses the rise to generate power.