============================================= Hook
A semi-circular punch thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponent's head. From the guard position, the elbow is drawn back with a horizontal fist (knuckles pointing forward) and the elbow bent. The rear hand is tucked firmly against the jaw to protect the chin. The torso and hips are rotated clockwise, propelling the fist through a tight, clockwise arc across the front of the body and connecting with the target. At the same time, the lead foot pivots clockwise, turning the left heel outwards. Upon contact, the hook's circular path ends abruptly and the lead hand is pulled quickly back into the guard position. A hook may also target the lower body (the classic Mexican hook to the liver) and this technique is sometimes called the "rip" to distinguish it from the conventional hook to the head. The hook may also be thrown with the rear hand.
============================================= Medical concerns
It should be noted that knocking a person unconscious or even causing concussion may cause some permanent brain damage. Furthermore, there is no clear division between the force required to knock out a human and an amount of force which will kill them. More than 350 amateur and professional boxers have been killed in the ring since 1945,for example, Duk Koo Kim who on November 13th 1982 held a fight with Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini which led to his death five days later.
In 1983, The Journal of the American Medical Association called for a ban on boxing. The editor, Dr. George Lundberg, called boxing an "obscenity" that "should not be sanctioned by any civilized society." Since then, the American Neurological Association, American Academy of Neurology and British, Canadian and Australian Medical Associations have also wanted to abolish the sport.
Many support the ban because it seems that causing injury to another athlete is the goal of the sport. Dr. Bill O'Neill, boxing spokesman for the British Medical Association, has supported the BMA's proposed ban on boxing: "It is the only sport where the intention is to inflict serious injury on your opponent, and we feel that we must have a total ban on boxing."
Professional boxing is forbidden in Norway, Iceland, Cuba, Iran and North-Korea.
=============================================== Fatalities versus brain injury
In 1984, R.J. McCunney and P.K. Russo published a study entitled Brain Injuries in Boxing.
The study argued that boxing is relatively safe compared to other sports by citing the following figures on U.S. sports fatalities:
Fatality rates per 100,000 participants
1. Horse racing: 128
2. Sky diving: 123
3. Hang gliding: 56
4. Mountaineering: 51
5. Scuba Diving: 11
6. Motorcycle racing: 7
7. College Football: 3
8. Boxing: 1.3
Dr. Lundberg replied: "It's not the deaths but the chronic brain damage that is so frequent."
The AMA reports brain deterioration in three out of four boxers who have twenty or more professional fights.
To date, there has been little research regarding the long-term effects of amateur boxing.
sursa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing
agregate