Uppercut
Punch
アッパーカット · 上勾拳
- Type
- Punches
- Martial arts
- Kickboxing, Boxing, Judo
- Classified as
- punch
- Listed in
- Kobushi-ate-waza: fist techniques (judo techniques)
- Learning path
- Boxing: step 11 of 23 (intermediate), Muay Thai: step 12 of 32 (intermediate)
The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut) is a punch used in boxing that starts low and travels upwards vertically aiming at the opponent's chin or upper abdomen (so-called "solar plexus"). It is, along with the cross, one of the two main punches that count in the statistics as power punches.
Uppercuts are useful when thrown at close range, because they are considered to cause more damage. The uppercut is a powerful punch capable of delivering a knockout strike. Additionally, it is likely that a boxer would miss if the uppercut is thrown when the opponents are apart. Uppercuts usually do more damage when landed to the chin, but they can also cause severe pain and injury when thrown to the body (particularly the solar plexus) or when landing on the nose or eyes.
The punch moves as its name implies: it usually initiates from the attacker's belly, making an upward motion that resembles a pirate's hook in shape, before landing on the opponent's face or body. In a conventional boxing combination, it is the second punch thrown, after the jab, but it can either initiate or finish a combination.
Other Kickboxing punches
- Bob and weave
- Check hook
- Jab
- One-two combo
- Overhand punch
- Punch
- Punching power
- Shovel hook
- Slipping
- 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 Q760131 (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); Subskills sports technique taxonomy (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.