The last punch in our punching drill is the arrow punch. This punch ends like a straight punch, but starts with the punching hand and elbow at eye level, with the fist facing out. It’s a natural punch that can follow a rising block or a side block, since the hand is high already.
Here’s a short video you can watch to follow along (I hate how my eyes are closed at the beginning – have to figure out how to edit that!):
A funny story about the arrow punch. When I was very new to Bando, I was in a class that was led by two great teachers – Joe Manley and Errol Younger. They taught as a team, and I loved how each brought different perspectives into the class. So when we were first learning this punch, I mis-heard it and thought it was the “Errol” punch. (Just like those stories of when kids misunderstand song lyrics…) So I was a bit embarrassed when I realized I had been calling it the “Errol punch” for quite a long time!