Punch Numbering System in Boxing

Introduction

This will be a short post about the punch numbering system in boxing. The numbering system can vary from coach to coach, gym to gym, but there is a standard system which most people learn when they first start boxing.

What is Punch Numbering:

It is the assignment of punches in boxing to a certain number. It allows for ease of transcribing combos and memorizing combos. It is also easier to refer to a punch as its number than to say to what specific punch you are referring.

The typical numbering system used by gyms and coaches is as follows:

Jab: 1

Straight/Cross: 2

Lead Hook: 3

Rear Hook: 4

Lead Uppercut: 5

Rear Uppercut: 6

A simple combo would therefore be: 1-2-3-4-5-6 or jab-straight-lead hook-… In order to refer to the body version of a punch, add a “b” to the number of the punch, e.g. 1b = jab to the body.

Note that the numbering system can vary in order to accommodate a more granular set of punches (e.g. a coach wants to name the straight “21” and the cross “22”) or to deceive others of what punch one has in mind for, say, a match where a coach tells his boxer to do a “2” that would actually be the 4 or rear hook.