How to throw a lead hook
A short horizontal arc from the lead hand that goes around the guard instead of through it.
Action
Keep the elbow bent at roughly 90 degrees and level with the fist. From the guard, pivot the lead foot and turn the whole lead side of the body: the hip rotates, the shoulder swings around, and the fist travels in a tight horizontal arc toward the jaw, knuckles facing down. The arm stays rigid — it does not swing. The power is body rotation, not the shoulder. Bring the fist back inside your guard immediately.
When to use
At close to mid range, when the guard is high and tight: the hook goes around it, not through it. Classic placements are after the jab (1-3) or after the cross (1-2-3), aimed at the jaw or the temple — or, with the elbow slightly wider, at the ribs and liver.
Advantages
It attacks from outside the opponent's field of vision, so it arrives where the guard isn't. With the whole body behind the rotation it is one of the two classic knockout punches, and it needs almost no wind-up.
Limits
It only works at the right distance: too far and it becomes a slap, too close and there is no room for the arc. A wide miss swings your own jaw into the counter, and the punch telegraphs badly if the elbow flares before the hip turns.