Rear Hook

Last updated: May 25, 2026

What is a rear hook?

The rear hook is one of the six core punches in boxing’s numbering system. Every MMA striker drills it. It comes from the rear hand, which for an orthodox fighter is the right and for a southpaw is the left.

Mechanically, the punch travels in a semicircular arc on roughly the same plane as the shoulder, with the arm bent at about a 90-degree angle. The fist arrives at the side of the target rather than the front, which is what separates it from the cross. According to Wikipedia’s entry on the boxing hook, hooks are usually aimed at the jaw but can also be turned into body shots, particularly to the liver.

The rear hook exists in the numbering system as the number four because trainers needed a quick way to call combinations without describing each strike. One is a jab, two a cross, three a lead hook, four a rear hook, five and six the lead and rear uppercuts. A coach who shouts “two-three-four” is asking for a cross, lead hook, and rear hook.

Inside MMA, the punch shows up less often than the lead hook and the cross. It carries serious knockout potential when it lands clean, but the travel distance from a bladed stance makes it harder to land than its lead-side counterpart.

How the rear hook works

Power for the rear hook does not come from the arm. The energy starts at the back foot, where the pivot creates rotational force. That force travels up through the hips and torso, with the bent elbow holding the shoulder in position so the energy reaches the target.

Research on punch biomechanics from Basic Reflex notes a trade-off: hooks generate faster peak hand speed than jabs or crosses because of core rotation and the longer acceleration path, but they take roughly 34% longer to reach the target than a straight shot. That extra time is why the rear hook needs a setup to land cleanly against a competent opponent.

In MMA specifically, the smaller four-ounce gloves change what the rear hook can do compared to boxing. A turned-over fist with the palm facing down can slip through gaps in an opponent’s guard that would close around larger boxing gloves. That variation is taught by coaches like Mike Winkeljohn of Jackson Wink MMA.

Rear hook vs. cross

These two punches share a hand but almost nothing else.

Feature	Rear hook (4)	Cross (2)
Path	Curved, horizontal arc	Straight line
Elbow at impact	Bent at about 90°	Nearly straight
Effective range	Close to mid	Mid
Target line	Side of head or body	Front of head or body
Common setup	Jab, slipped opponent cross	Jab

The cross extends fully across the centerline, with the arm reaching toward the target. The rear hook keeps the elbow bent and wraps around the opponent’s guard from the outside. A cross arrives on a predictable straight path that is easy to see but hard to slip; a rear hook arrives on an angle the opponent may not be tracking.

Rear hook vs. overhand

The overhand and the rear hook get confused often because both use the back hand, and both swing rather than travel straight. The difference is the angle of the swing.

An overhand loops downward at a diagonal, coming over the top of an opponent’s lead hand and down onto the chin or temple. A rear hook stays on roughly the horizontal plane of the shoulder.

The simplest visual cue: if the punch dips down at an angle, it is an overhand; if it stays level and wraps in from the side, it is a rear hook. As one MartialTalk discussion put it, the rear hook is a horizontal motion, while the overhand is a diagonal down motion.

Setups also differ. Overhands often follow a level change or a slip, with the fighter loading from a lower position. The rear hook usually comes off a jab or a missed straight punch from the opponent.

Why the rear hook is rare in MMA

Most MMA fighters stand in a bladed stance, with the lead shoulder pointed at the opponent. From that position, the rear hand sits far back, and a hook from the rear hand has to cover both that distance and the lateral arc to land. The strike telegraphs more than the lead hook and exposes the chin during the windup.

Dynamic Striking notes that some boxing coaches consider the rear hook a poor risk-reward trade, since the puncher has to open up the stance to deliver it and gets caught coming in. The same article also makes the case for drilling it anyway, because the power it can generate makes it worth the risk when the setup is right.

After a jab forces the opponent’s hands up, after a slipped cross opens an angle, or after a level-change feint, the rear hook becomes a viable surprise weapon. Outside those windows, it is closer to a punch of opportunity than a punch fighters lead with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the rear hook the same as a right hook?

For an orthodox fighter, yes. The rear hook is whichever hand is in the back position, so for an orthodox fighter, that is the right hand, and for a southpaw, it is the left.

What number is the rear hook in boxing?

Four. The standard numbering used across boxing and MMA gyms runs one (jab), two (cross), three (lead hook), four (rear hook), five (lead uppercut), six (rear uppercut).

Why is it called the rear hook?

Because it is thrown with the rear hand, the hand farther from the opponent in the fighter’s stance. The label avoids the left or right confusion that comes with orthodox versus southpaw fighters.

Is the rear hook stronger than the cross?

Not necessarily. Both are rear-hand power punches driven by hip rotation. A cross can carry more pure forward force because of the full arm extension and weight transfer; a hook can generate faster peak hand speed. Power depends on technique and setup, not the punch type alone.

Can the rear hook knock someone out?

Yes. Full body rotation behind a short arc to the jaw or temple is enough to end a fight. The punch is rare in MMA partly because landing it cleanly is difficult. The finishing power is there when it connects.

---

Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Hook (boxing).” Accessed 22 May 2026.
2. Wikipedia. “Overhand punch.” Accessed 22 May 2026.
3. Wikipedia. “Cross (boxing).” Accessed 22 May 2026.
4. Evolve Daily. “How To Master The Rear Hook In Boxing.” 23 August 2022.
5. Dynamic Striking. “How To Throw A Rear Hook With Mike Winkeljohn.”
6. Basic Reflex. “The Science Behind The Boxing Hook.” 19 June 2023.
7. Legends Boxing. “From Jab to Uppercut: Decoding the Six Basic Boxing Punches.”
8. FightCamp. “6 Types of Boxing Punches & Combinations.” 26 September 2022.

Related MMA Terms