Shovel hook
Martial arts punch
- Type
- Punches
- Martial arts
- Kickboxing, Boxing
- Classified as
- combat technique
The shovel hook is a sophisticated and powerful hybrid punch, occupying a unique middle ground between boxing's fundamental blows. It combines the horizontal torso rotation of a hook with the vertical, rising trajectory of an uppercut. This results in a punch that travels on a sharp, compact diagonal arc, moving forward and upward toward the target. Unlike a wide, sweeping hook, the shovel hook is a tighter, more concentrated punch, often described as a "digging" or "lifting" motion designed to deliver force underneath an opponent's defensive shell.
The primary anatomical target of the shovel hook is the solar plexus, jaw, or the liver. Its upward angle is engineered to slip under the elbow and connect with the soft tissue beneath the rigid structure of the rib cage. When thrown to the liver—located on the right side of the body—the punch's upward drive compresses the organ against the diaphragm, rib cage and spine, maximizing the traumatic impact. This strategic targeting of vulnerable organs is what gives the shovel hook its fight-ending potential, as it can trigger an overwhelming physiological shutdown via the vagus nerve.
Other Kickboxing punches
- Bob and weave
- Check hook
- Jab
- One-two combo
- Overhand punch
- Punch
- Punching power
- Slipping
- Uppercut
- Shadowboxing
- Cross
- Rope-a-dope
- Russian hook
- Hook
- Rabbit punch
- Milling (military training exercise)
- Counterpunch
- Bolo punch
Japanese terms for punches
| Term | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 正拳 | seiken | seiken (karate proper fist); straight punch |
| 四つ身 | yotsumi | cross-grips (situation in which each rikishi has an underarm grip on the other) |
| 引っ掛け | hikkake | hook; gab |
| 腕を返す | kainaokaesu | to place one's arms under those of the opponent and lift them up, in order to prevent an overhand grip on one's mawashi |
| 上手投げ | uwatenage | overhand throw |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q136805426 (CC0); text quoted from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.