The Jab, Part 1: Speed, Simplicity, and Setting Up Your Strikes

If all strikes are tools in your toolbox, the jab (the “one”) would be the sturdy, well-used screwdriver sitting on top of the speed tray. Your lead-hand straight punch is your simplest, fastest technique by virtue of being a straight-line strike with a relatively light part of your body that starts closest to its target.

Not many jabs have ended in knockouts, but they are one of the surest paths to finding openings for other strikes, and their utility in countering other strikes can’t be understated.

Another less obvious benefit of the jab is how well it hinders your opponent’s vision. This is true of the cross (your rear-hand straight-line strike) as well, and it serves to effectively hide the beginning of the strike following it.

A jab thrown directly at the nose will often land on the opponent’s brow (if they’re tucking their chin well), or be blocked or parried in such a way that the opponent still doesn’t have a perfectly clear view at the point of impact.

This is why it’s so often used to start—or “set up”—combinations. (Note, too, that this is why the jab can become predictable if you’re overly reliant on it.)