Backhand Drill

The backhand and its cousin the hammer fist are illegal in modern boxing but they were a part of classic pugilism. Actually, the backhand is found in a multitude of martial arts but we are talking about boxing here. So, the backhand becomes a variant of the jab. The differences between the jab and the backhand are varied. This is because the backhand strikes from...the back. This changes the way the fist lands and requires pinpoint targeting of the temple, nose, and the common knockout points on the head. The way the hand lands and the way your opponent reacts will be slightly different from what would happen with the jab. However, the common followups to the jab would be the same.

A common drill would be backhand and cross or backhand and rear overhand. The are commonly worked with focus mitts.

The backhand is a somewhat overlooked technique and well worth exploring. Next time we will take a look at the backhand's close "relative" the hammer fist.