A jab is a type of quick punch used in martial arts to set up more heavier punches
You should step forward when you are jabbing because it makes your jab stronger and faster. In addition, your body will get the momentum that actually helps you to fight and throw a heavy jab towards your opponent.
I am personally a fan of jab stepping and have done it quite often. In this article, I will focus on jab steps, the advantages, as well as how to do it correctly.
Table of Contents
Should You Step Forward When You Jab?
Stepping forward as you jab gives you momentum and stronger punch.
You should step forward a few inches when you jab to have the momentum. Your front foot should be behind your stretched arm and ahead of your head. It is highly recommended to jab step when your opponent is beyond your reach – it will be a surprise to the opponent.
However, once you step forward, you will likely be in your opponent’s reach as well. So make sure to immediately step back after the jab or else, you are prone to counters.
When you step forward while jabbing, your chin must be covered with the other hand. It helps to protect you from getting hit. If you hit hard anywhere except the chin, it spreads the pressure evenly to avoid a serious knockout.
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Benefits Of Stepping Forward When Jabbing
Stepping forward as you jab makes your jab much stronger because you gain momentum.
- Builds the momentum to provide more power.
- Makes your jabbing sharper and harder.
- Helps in quick movement from outer reach to inner reach of your opponent.
- Helps in stepping forward to test your opponent’s defense skill.
Stepping forward makes your jab more powerful than the basic one. It builds the momentum that helps you to knock your opponent harder. When you step forward while jabbing, it makes your punches harder and sharper. It means you could easily break your opponent’s defense system for a knock.
Finally, you can easily step forward to test how much defense skill your opponent has. It is because the continuous stepping forward makes him busy when jabbing.
How Do You Step With Your Jab?
To jab step, make sure your left leg moves forward with your left hand.
If you want to step with your jab, the main focus should always be moving your left leg forward together with your left hand as you throw the jab. Once you jab step, you can follow it up with a right cross, or return to your original position and maintain distance.
Follow the steps and video guide below to try out the jab step:
- Stand in a stance of relaxed and nice nature.
- Throw a jab as usual but this time, move your left leg forward at the same time.
- Keep your right hand up to cover your chin while stepping forward.
- Follow with your right leg forward to follow up with a cross (1,2 jab cross combo)
- Or return your left leg back to return to your original position
If you step with your jab, the main balance is set by your back foot. You must adjust your stance in front of the mirror. In the shadow fight at your practice you can set this stance for you.
When you stand in a more relaxed and nice stance, it helps you to cut the extra effort in other things. Instead, all your power and focus now is on your jab.
At this stage you now start pushing off your jab with more power but in little amount. It sets your position in front of your opponent. While using more power to your jab, you must close the gap. Once the gap lessens, you can easily grab your opponent for a knock.
While stepping up with your jab, you should always keep your right hand up near the chin. It always helps to protect you from the major hurt from an opponent’s knock.
If you load your back heel up, you could easily access your momentum. It does not affect your balance, and gives push to your momentum for better jabbing.
Always try to stay on your toes, and do not touch your back foot. It helps to retain the body balance in the momentum while you jab. One thing you must remember is that you should always be relaxed while jabbing. It helps you focus more on your opponent.
Do You Use Your Hips When Throwing a Jab?
When throwing your jab offensively, put some hip into it for stronger punch!
When throwing a jab, use your hips to add acceleration to your punch. Rotating your hips could add extra power to your punch. It also helps to retain the body balance.
Then you should transfer your body weight forward with the help of your hips. It helps to attack more powerfully. Then, you must try to rotate your palms. It helps to launch more power in the opponent’s face.
While doing this, remember to keep your other hand up at all time to cover your face, especially your chin from attack. Finally, you should be quick in your movement, and step back when you are fully stepped forward. That said, you must keep in mind that jabs should be quick rather than powerful.
Where Do You Aim a Jab?
You should always aim a jab at the jaw or the nose of your opponent. The jaw is a weak point on the face and can make your opponent lose balance – whereas nose is the most sensitive part of the body. When you throw a punch on the jaw or nose, it could be very effective in weakening your opponent of even knock them down.
If the opponent’s face is heavily guarded, you could also jab at the body – around the stomach or solar plexus. Repeatedly throw these quick jabs to bait your opponent into lowering their defense around the face. Once they do so, strike the nose or jaw with another jab, or even go for more powerful punches like crosses or hooks.
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Tips to Make Your Jab Stronger
If you want to make your jab stronger, you must use the momentum of your body behind your punch. At this time, your left hand and shoulder should step forward, and the right part should lean back. Your palm and wrist should always be inwards.
Jabs get stronger if you put all the momentum in your punch. It becomes more effective when you lean properly along with your body balance. Inwardly closed palms and wrists act as the barrier between your face and your opponent’s punch.
Develop a stronger arm to get the most of your punch. The more you harden your muscles strong the more your punch will be effective. Then you could access a stronger jab onto your opponent’s face.
How Do You Jab Faster in Boxing
If you want to jab faster in boxing, try to shadowbox in front of a mirror and get into your rhythm. Always stay relaxed and focus on speed, accuracy and timing. Over time, as you get used to the form and using your hip to throw the punch, you will eventually get faster. It’s mostly about practise and muscle memory.
Once you are used to jabbing, you must know the weak point of your opponent’s body. Then you hit them there to get the most of it. If you know the weak point of your opponent, you can easily knock them down. Practice shadowing will make you more focused towards your flaws. You should practice in rhythm while doing step and ja to be more quick.
Always cover your body to be safe from the attack. Try to be more accurate and timely while jabbing. These tips will make your jab faster in boxing.
