that is a smooth, smooth set up . i'm trying to think of how i would react to such a thing


my jab, i am really proud of. i keep my left hand low but it doesnt dangle limply at my side and i dont flick/backhand it. Its held out like Tommy Loughran.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acMVVn-OT2o Watch for yourself



note how slanted he stands, almost sideways. this is so that one can roll behind the shoulder with almost no effort at all and at such a slant it would be impossible to land any straight punch to the solar plexus. Well the jab could but if it did it would pretty much just graze by as there is no flush flat target for it to land on. the liver is essentially behind you from this stance since you are standing nearly sideways which means you dont have to worry about getting punched in the liver unless the guy is some kind of cartoon character and can run all the way back there really fast. this is good because by standing this way you limit what and where you can be hit in the body which makes the opponent more predictable. but youre probably saying to yourself right now that you would have your belly completely open. and youre right, you would. but the left arm can be folded back in to cover up the belly in a very simple and easy movement. note how joe louis holds his left hand here:




the left hand is held so that the forearm can come back in with the glove resting over the solar plexus or shoot out with a stiff, rising jab. you must note that you cannot left hook (slapping hooks you can, but i dont consider them real punches) from this stance. all this is necessary to know if you want to know how to pull off using your shoulder effectively in boxing. it also helps me lead into explaining my use of the jab.


my jab is a pretty hard and stiff punch. though i stand nearly sideways i do have a bit of give (just enough) which allows me to twist the torso. as a result the jab is driven outward. there is no special motion in the arm other than extending out. literally, it simply goes out. the energy is generated from the body not the arm. i'm hitting with my hip more than anything as my hand is shooting upward from the hip and the hip is what is generating the power. thus it follows that this sort of a jab would have a good deal of pop to it since there is no loss of power in transfering the energy created at the hip ultimately to the fist: the fist is literally coming from the hip. indeed, this is the most powerful type of jab that can be thrown in boxing. its called a rising jab.

but though i have a very hard jab, as a general rule, i typically will only ever give out my jab in this way when i am countering my opponent's jab.

do you remember how it was noted that my belly was wide open? well, this actually is a great advantage to myself and i'll explain why. i think in all my time boxing there hasnt been one thing used against me more than the counter left hook to the body off of my jab. and why shouldnt it be? my body is wide open and when i jab my left arm is committed to punching and thus unable to fold back in to protect me during this window. all you would need to do is wait for me to jab and you probably will knock my wind out. sounds like a great idea, right? well it should be because i made it for you. i circle you, not doing much. i defend myself from your lead punches without countering back. i dont want to exchange with you. i give you only my jab and a pretty non-committed one at that. I don't give enough to be countered. its there but not quite enough for you to make me pay. so you dont pay it much mind. its not damaging you after all. but after you are brought to sleep i mix up some of my heavy jabs in the mix. thus far i have only given you jabs, nothing else. you start reacting to every jab as though it were a hard jab, as my jabs - soft or hard - all look the same at the start. how you will react varries but typically i will draw the slip + a left hook to my body strategy. sometimes i get other startegies but this is the usual one. i attempt to time you doing it, get a good feel of your pattern, then throw a light jab out there so as to load up my right hand and nail you while you come in with your left hook catching you as you slip right into it.

the main point is that the jab (i feel) should be thrown with the intention to create reactions. this is the primary purpose of the jab.