Basic Combo - Jab-Uppercut-Hook-Elbow
For this combination, we're going to slide smoothly from full straight punch range to short hook/uppercut range and into elbow/clinch range.
Jab — make sure you’re extending your arm fully and snapping from the shoulder. Don’t lob your jab or get lazy with it, especially when you’ve been working for a while and your body is getting tired.
Uppercut — we’re going to slide in and make this a short uppercut; slide in behind your jab by stepping with your lead foot then rear foot. This uppercut develops on your rear foot and comes up through rotation in the hip and shoulders. Don’t drop your hand too low from your face when scooping for your uppercut; this would create a moment for your opponent to throw a quick jab and beat you to the punch.
Short Hook — turn your front heel outward a bit to add hip and shoulder to your hook. This can be an extremely powerful punch if it gets through.
Rear-arm Horizontal Elbow — point a thumbs-down to the floor with the elbowing-side hand and raise the other hand up to guard the eyebrow and temple. We’ll need to take another small slide in by stepping with the lead foot then rear foot so that we’re not leaning out away from where our base and balance is. Raise the rear heel and twist through the elbow to give it a nice slice across your opponent’s head.
Grab-on Knee — after bringing your elbow across your target, pop the palm of your glove onto the across-side of the bag and hook on, or if you have a training partner you’ll hook onto the opposite-side base of the neck (right hand onto your opponent’s right-side neck). Pull down and into your hip with the same motion as you would move your arm past your hip for a straight knee. Pull and knee, then release. As you get comfortable with this combo, you can work into a clinch on your opponent — place your other hand on top of your opponent’s bicep to control the arm, and keep the elbow of your grabbing hand on your opponent’s chest. When you break this clinch, don’t just let go — push with your elbow against your opponent’s chest.
Not only is this combo useful itself, it’s is a great combination to practice reps of for our foot movement and managing distance — the more we practice throwing combos that include attacks of different ranges, the better habits we form to close distance and keep good balance and power from our feet.