The rear uppercut is a short, rising punch with your rear hand, thrown up under the chin or into the body at short to medium range. Most gyms call it the 6 (USA Boxing's manual numbers it 4). It is a rotational punch: your rear foot pivots and your hips and shoulders turn as the bent arm rises, while your hand stays at your face until the punch starts and your lead hand stays at guard.
Set up and load
Get to short or medium range first. The uppercut is a close punch: set it up with a lead hook or use it as a counter. If you are so close you would smother it, make space by lowering your hips a little or taking a small step back.
close enough that the punch rises, not reaches.
Load with a very slight knee bend and a small turn toward your rear side. Your weight settles over your rear leg. Your rear glove stays touching your face and your rear elbow stays by your hip. Don't drop the hand or pull the elbow back to wind up.
a small coil down and back, hands still in guard.
Drive up, rotate
Pull your lead elbow tight to your ribs and keep your lead glove on your cheekbone. Your lead arm stays up and firm the whole time; don't let the lead elbow fly away.
the lead side locked in as a shield.
Pivot on the ball of your rear foot until the toes point at the target, with your lead foot flat as the anchor. Turn your hips and shoulders toward the front, around your lead hip, so your rear shoulder comes forward. Keep both knees slightly bent; don't lock the front leg.
the turn starts at the rear foot and hip, not the shoulder.
Let your weight move forward onto the lead side as the punch rises, and finish balanced over your stance. Keep your nose and eyes on the target and your chin down.
you rise into the punch without leaning or falling forward.
Rising fist, stay tight
Drive the rear elbow up from your hip with the arm bent a little more than 90 degrees, palm facing you. Aim up under the opponent's chin, hit with the knuckles and follow through about elbow deep. Keep the elbow bent; this is not a straight punch.
a short upward whip, the forearm close to vertical.
Retract quickly along the same path and return to your stance, rear glove back on your face and rear elbow back by your ribs.
up and straight back down the same line.
Feel it
A compact punch that rises from a turning body: rear foot pivots, hips and shoulders turn, the bent arm comes up the middle and goes straight back to guard. If it feels weak, check that your hand didn't drop first; USA Boxing notes that dropping the hand from the face and the elbow behind the hip turns it into an arm punch. Your lead hand doesn't move. The app reads your body, not an opponent or punch force.
Fix-its
- You drop the hand or pull the elbow back to load Keep the rear glove on your face and the elbow by your hip until the punch starts. The load is a slight knee bend and small turn, not an arm wind-up, which telegraphs the punch and leaves your chin open.
- It's all arm, no turn Pivot the rear foot until the toes face the target and turn the hips and shoulders around the lead hip as the arm rises. Practise slowly until the foot and hips start before the fist leaves your face.
- Your lead hand drops or the lead elbow flies away Pin the lead elbow to your ribs and keep the lead glove on your cheekbone for the whole punch. Check it in a mirror or on film.
- You're smothered or reaching Too close: lower your hips a little or step back to make space. Too far: it isn't uppercut range; use a straight punch or close the distance first. Don't lean forward to reach.
- Slow or low return, chin up Bring the fist back along the same path straight to your face, chin down, eyes on the target.
Drill
- Slow rear uppercuts in a mirror, standing: slight knee bend, pivot, turn, bent arm rises, return. Check the rear glove stays on your face until the punch starts and the lead glove never moves.
- Add footwork in the AIBA order: rear uppercut with a step forward, then with a step back and side steps, resetting your stance after each one.
- Combinations: lead hook into rear uppercut (USA Boxing uses the hook to set it up); then Boxing Canada's rear uppercut to the body and lead hook to the head, and later lead hook to the head, rear uppercut to the body, lead hook to the head.
- Counter drill (Boxing Canada): a partner advances holding a pad; you retreat, anchor your back foot now and then, and snap the uppercut at the pad. Repeat while retreating side to side.
- Film yourself from the front or a 45-degree angle to check the rear-foot pivot, the hip and shoulder turn, the bent arm and the lead hand.
Safety: wrap your hands and wear gloves for bag, pad and partner work, and use a headguard and mouthguard for partner drills. Stop and get it checked if you feel pain in your hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder.
How it's used
Short to medium range: AIBA describes the uppercut as used mostly at short and medium distance. As a counter: Boxing Canada calls the rear uppercut mainly a counter to the chin or body, useful against an opponent who boxes from a crouch, and says it should never be telegraphed. After the hook: USA Boxing calls it your main short shot from the power hand and sets it up with the lead hook. The rear uppercut to the body is the same punch aimed lower, at the solar plexus.
Sources
- AIBA Coaches Commission — AIBA Coaches Manual, 2.5.3.3 Uppercut: rear arm uppercut to the head, teaching sequence, common mistakes in basic punches (2010)
- USA Boxing Grassroots Task Force — Training Manual v.01: Rear arm uppercut to the head; Right Uppercut (4) checklist and creating space (2014)
- Boxing Canada / Coaching Association of Canada — NCCP Club Coach Reference Material, 3.10 The Rear Hand Uppercut and 3.13 Combinations (2016)
- Dinu & Louis — Biomechanical Analysis of the Cross, Hook, and Uppercut in Junior vs. Elite Boxers, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (2020)
Last checked 2026-10-26.