When to Use
Use from a crouched position after bobbing and weaving inside the opponent's punches. The uppercut opener works naturally from the crouched stance because your legs are loaded for the upward drive. The three follow-up punches overwhelm the guard from vertical, lateral, straight, and lateral angles before the opponent can process the first attack.
Execution Steps
- From a deeply crouched position with the knees bent and weight loaded on both legs, explode upward with a rear uppercut using the stored leg drive to power the punch vertically through the opponent's chin.
- Let the uppercut's upward rotation naturally load your lead hip and shoulder — fire a tight lead hook immediately to the head or body, keeping the elbow at 90 degrees for a compact arc.
- The hook's lateral rotation loads your rear hip for the cross — drive it straight down the center through the guard that is now disorganized from processing vertical and lateral attacks in rapid succession.
- Use the cross's rotation to load one final lead hook, throwing it with maximum power as the finishing punch while the opponent's guard is completely scrambled from three different attack angles.
- Move your head off the center line and return to guard immediately, as four close-range punches have left you stationary in the danger zone where counters are most likely.
Coaching Cues
"Up-wide-straight-wide — four angles in four beats."
"Start from a deep crouch — the lower you start, the more power."
"Each punch feeds the next — feel the chain."
"Explode upward on the first punch."
Pro Tips
- Mike Tyson threw devastating variations of this combination from his peek-a-boo stance throughout his early career, using his exceptional leg drive and compact frame to generate uppercuts that lifted opponents off their feet.
- The key is starting low and working upward throughout the sequence — the crouch gives you leverage on the uppercut, and each subsequent punch should rise slightly in height as you stand up through the combination.
- Throw this combination when the opponent is retreating straight backward and cannot escape laterally — their backward motion actually carries them into your punches as you drive forward through the sequence.
Conditioning Drills
- Up-Down Squats: 3 sets of 20 explosive squat-to-stand reps simulating the crouch-to-uppercut motion, adding shadow punches at the top of each rep.
- Heavy Bag (close range): 5 rounds of 3 minutes drilling the full four-punch sequence from a crouched starting position, building the flow and rotation chain.
- Mitt Work: 3 rounds of 3 minutes where the coach calls the combo from a crouched starting position, varying the speed and adding a defensive action between sets.
Gym Workout: Peek-a-Boo Swarm & Ripping
4 exercises · 25 min · Hit the gym and sharpen this technique
🥊 PRACTICE MODE
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Q1 of 3
Which of these is a common mistake when performing The 6-3-2-3 (Uppercut-Hook-Cross-Hook)?