The jab
In boxing, the first and most important punch to learn is the jab. This punch is more useful than all other punches combined.
With a nice jab, a fighter can do everything; he can set up other punches, create openings, find the range, distract and keep the opponent off him.
For this reasons, the jab is the most important weapon in a boxer’s arsenal.
Characteristics of the jab
The jab is a punch executed from your basic fighting stance and performed with your lead hand (left if orthodox, right if southpaw). This punch is the fastest, the longest and the most likely to land without leaving you too much vulnerable to counters.
Execution of the jab
From your fighting stance:
- Extend your lead arm towards your opponent.
- Rotate your arm mid-way while throwing it, you want your punch landing with the palm facing down and your shoulder up to cover your chin.
- Your elbow should be straight while throwing the jab instead of sideways
- Start with your feet and slightly rotate your hips when throwing the jab.
The jab is straightforward literally. Your elbow should be pointed straight at the floor all the way to your opponent’s head (or body). At the last moment, you turn your wrist so that your hand turns over with your fist striking your opponent with your index and middle fingers.
Key points to remember
- Keep your guard up, always making sure that your backhand is guarding your chin.
- Keep your chin down.
- Tighten your fist right at the moment of impact.
- Whether you hit or miss with your jab, always remember to bring it back to its original position.
- Stay always in balance, don’t reach forward to land the shot. Instead, take a small step to get closer and then throw the jab.
- Snap the jab; it must be thrown quickly and snappy to catch your opponent off guard.
- In boxing, every punch starts in your feet.
- When throwing the jab, you should have a slight twist in your hips to add some speed and steam to it.
- The more relaxed you can be the faster the jab you will be able to throw.
- Always remember to exhale when throwing each punch.
Mastering the jab
In boxing, everything starts with the jab. If in a training session you throw 1000 punches, 600/700 should be jabs.
There are many variations of the jab: step jab, up jab, body jab, double jab, but all of them involve the same principles.
Mastering the jab will give you an edge over your opponents, allowing you to find the range, create openings and angles, getting your opponent to blink or cover up to set other punches and combinations.
Remember in your training to make all the fundamentals of the jab a habit and to train them constantly, good technique and experience will make you a much better fighter.
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