The first punch in the punching routine is the straight punch. It’s called that because the fist is straight, or vertical. All punches have three basic parts: the striking movement with the hand, the cover movement with the other hand, and a body lean.
Watch or listen to the video below, and see if you can synchronize your punching hand, the cover hand, and the body lean:
Once you’ve done this, stand in front of a wall so that your fist just barely touches the wall when the arm is fully extended. Do the straight punch again and ask yourself – which part of your hand touched the wall first? Make sure that the knuckle form your index finger is what touches first. If your bent fingers touch first, you are at risk of hurting your hand! Adjust the angle of your wrist until you can reliably punch without endangering your hand.