The Jab: Speed, Power, and Setting Up Your Strikes
If all strikes are tools in your toolbox, the jab, your “one”, is the sturdy, well-used screwdriver sitting on top of the speed tray. Your lead-hand straight punch is one of your simplest and fastest techniques because it travels in a straight line, comes from the hand already closest to your opponent and doesn’t require a lot of movement to get there.
Not many jabs end in knockouts, but power isn’t necessarily their primary job. The jab is one of the surest ways to find openings for other strikes, interrupt what your opponent is doing and set up what you want to throw next.
Why Is the Jab So Useful?
One of the less obvious benefits of the jab is how well it can interfere with your opponent’s vision. A jab thrown directly toward the nose may land on the brow if your opponent is tucking their chin well, or it may be blocked or parried. Either way, at the point of impact your opponent may not have a perfectly clear view of what’s coming next. That’s one reason the jab is so often used to start, or “set up”, combinations. The cross can serve a similar purpose, hiding the beginning of the strike that follows it.
There is a tradeoff, though. Because the jab is such a natural way to start an attack, you can become predictable if you rely on it too heavily. Like any other tool, part of using it well is knowing when and how to change what you’re doing.
Should a Jab Be Fast or Powerful?
That depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. You can “load” the jab by pulling back your front shoulder before throwing it. The extra distance and weight can help you build more speed and power, but it also makes the punch much easier for your opponent to see coming.
A jab thrown after a rear-hand punch can also carry more power because your front shoulder should already have pulled back as your rear hand traveled forward. From there, your body is in a position to bring the lead hand back into the attack. So you don’t always have to choose between having a “fast jab” or a “powerful jab.” The way you set up and throw it can change depending on what you need it to do.
The Jab as a Counter and Setup
The jab’s simplicity is part of what makes it so useful. Because the lead hand starts close to its target and travels directly toward it, you can use it quickly without committing to a larger movement. That makes it useful not only for starting your own combinations, but also for countering and interrupting other strikes. Sometimes the jab isn’t supposed to finish the exchange. Its job is to create the opening for whatever you want to do next.
Distance Changes Which Strike Makes Sense
All strikes are simple at their core, and the core of your striking should be simple too. The important thing is using the appropriate tool for the distance you’re in. At punching range, the jab is fast and direct. It can even beat a kick from farther away if you’re able to step in and close the distance quickly enough. Get too close, however, and the jab starts to become smothered. You no longer have enough space to extend it effectively or generate the same power. In Muay Thai or MMA, that’s where another weapon, such as an elbow, may make much more sense.
Learning the jab, then, isn’t just about learning one punch. It’s about understanding speed, distance, timing and what you want the strike to accomplish.
At FightFit, we work on those details one-on-one rather than just having you repeat combinations. Our trainers come to you with the equipment, and we build your boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing or MMA training around your experience and goals.
– Matt, owner of FightFit Personal Trainers, Los Angeles
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