The sport of Western boxing has had many fans since the early days of the 19th century in America. Even when organized public wrestling matches were still considered a crime punishable by jail time and a fine, they drew crowds of spectators. But then again, who doesn’t like a good fight?

The fight back then looked very different than the fight today. Over the years, more science and research has been done on human movement and fitness. The upright stances with lowered hands that make early boxing easy to identify have changed over the years.

In the 21st century, fighters appear more fluid, more aggressive, and in a crouched stance. Legs bent, body weight forward on toes. Unlike wrestlers of yesteryear, today’s wrestlers use their hands and shoulders to obscure and protect that path that leads directly to the “kisser” or “button.”

Fighters’ primary weapons remain their hands, while also using many grappling, thrusting, and supporting strategies to wear down their opponent. With those weapons, there is usually an arsenal of 8 specific hits that a good fighter will develop. From these eight punches there is an incredible variety of “combinations” that can be thrown as he tries to get past the opponent’s defenses in the opposite corner.

This list is a brief description of those 8 boxing punches:

1. “The Jabs”. This punch is delivered from the lead hand. It is fast, sometimes powerful, and is used to “keep your opponent away from you” or to judge distance from him while setting up a power punch.
2. “The cross”. This punch is from the back hand and is a direct power punch. It is usually used as a counter attack when your opponent throws a punch from the opposite side.
3. “The hook to the jaw”. This punch comes from the front hand from the side while keeping your elbow bent. The goal is to go around the defense and connect to the side of the opponent’s face. The uppercut has a lot of knockout power.
4. “Rear hand hook”. Similar to the previous one, because this strike comes from behind, it is usually used as a counter strike when your opponent has “left himself open”. The target could be both the head and the body.
5. “Lead hook to the body.” Again, from the front hand “hooking” to the body. The target is mainly the ribs or the kidney. This particular blow is so devastating that, when he successfully lands, he has finished many, many fights with the opponent still conscious.
6. “The High Blow”. This punch is also a power punch. It comes from the rear hand. It is similar to the withers, however it has a slight arching motion. The purpose of this punch is to go over opponents by aiming for the opponent’s face. Imagine the shape of a baseball pitcher and you have the basic concept.
7. “Lead Hand Uppercut”. The uppercut is used while the fighters are locked. The goal of this punch is to go under and behind the defense and land on the chin or “solar plexus” of the opponent. The former is a knockout punch, while the latter is a “breathless” punch that sets up the knockout punch.
8. “Back hand uppercut”. Very similar to the previous one. Just as effective, but has slightly less power. This is because the rear leg is not in a position to generate as much upward force as the front leg.

This 8-punch list is what most boxers use as an arsenal against their opponent. Anyone can use them and you don’t have to be a boxer per se. Consistent practice is a great upper body workout that has many benefits. No less important is building muscle and at the same time burning calories.