Situational / Hands / Pads + coach

Jab → cross → hook / pads

Three punches in a row and three returns to the same guard.

A familiar hands-only sequence for supervised pad practice. Jab, cross, hook is the pad round everyone has held and thrown. It is here because three punches in a row show whether the guard survives the sequence: the rear hand while the jab is out, the lead hand while the cross is out, and both on the return of the hook. The coach figure in the viewer holds the mitt where each punch lands.

The actions, phase by phase

Lead straight / jab

1. Guard. Identify your lead hand before starting.
2. Extend. Send that fist forward while the other hand stays home.
3. Reach. Reach without throwing your body beyond your base.
4. Recover. Bring the fist directly back to its starting guard.

Watch for. Do not let the returning hand drop toward the waist.

Rear straight / cross

1. Guard. The rear hand begins beside the chin.
2. Turn. The rear foot, hip and shoulder contribute to the turn.
3. Extend. Send the rear fist along the target line; retain your base.
4. Recover. Recover the hand and stance together.

Watch for. Do not substitute leaning forward for rotation.

Lead hook

1. Guard. Begin inside your comfortable bent-arm range.
2. Prepare. Keep the movement compact; do not wind up behind you.
3. Arc. Turn through a short arc with the elbow bent.
4. Recover. Return the lead fist to guard.

Watch for. Use the camera to inspect depth. This study does not prescribe your individual elbow angle.

Muay Thai guard

1. Base. Keep a stance from which either leg can lift.
2. Hands ready. Bring the hands into your coach-taught guard.
3. Balance. Keep the torso upright enough to manage kicks and checks.
4. Reset. Re-establish the base after every action.

Watch for. This illustration does not show clinch posture or an opponent.

Shared timing

1. Agree on the sequence with your pad holder.
2. Use appropriate equipment and controlled effort.
3. Stop the timer whenever communication is needed.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Hook opens into a swing. the arm stays bent through the arc; the elbow does not straighten.
2. Cross without the hip. the rear heel drives and the hip turns with the chest.
3. Rushing the third punch. three returns to the same guard, not two and a lunge.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 90 seconds with 45 seconds between them. Agree the sequence with the holder. Ten sets per round; stop to talk whenever needed. Load the study into the session builder with these numbers and change them to suit the round you are preparing for.

What this loop is, and is not

Solo rehearsal of a shape you have already been taught. No partner, no contact, no pad impact, and no coach has reviewed this loop. It shows where the joints go, not whether they should go there for you. This study draws a second figure, a pad holder where the pad is held. It is an illustration of position, not a partner technique to copy without a coach.

Where it sits

Stage: Situational. After it: Clinch posture / hold. Sessions that use it: A pad session. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.