Front leg when jabbing

[HerbM]

Cheers HerbM, great advice as ever. I think you got it spot on about not bending MORE when jabbing as he kept telling me 'not to bend' but you obviously need to have a slight bend in your front leg otherwise you wouldn't get the reach.

Yes, and in fact I almost never have my legs straightened fully for anything -- perhaps with momentary exceptions and I am not even sure about that.

Even soldiers standing at attention don't actually fully lock out the knee -- doing this leads to passing out when at attention for long periods, and at best makes it difficult to move when ordered to turn or march.

[Thanks for the reputation points as well.]

--
HerbM

[Chris Nagel]

Koppas, ask your coach if he can elaborate.

Anyway, I think that a common mistake is when a fighter attempts to extend their reach by lunging like a fencer. It's a big risk. When your weight is shifted forward, and your front knee is sharply bent, it's hard for you to recover your stance quickly, let alone mount a proper defense in the nick of time. Even if you're doing it to a lesser degree, you're still compromising balance and movement. Moreover, you'd also be absorbing more force when you're leaning into the shots.

The key point should bend your knees, just not so much that you're leaning forward like what Herb was getting at. You can't make your arms longer.

Also, you're knees must bend more when you're changing levels, i.e. going to the body. For If you don't bend your knees when you jab to the body, for 1, you're open, and 2, your punch won't be as solid. As a good rule of thumb, your punches should be on level with your shoulder.

So, try to ask your trainer what they mean by that. Either way, you'll get to bottom of it. You'll know what there reasoning is (or lack there of), and be able to make up your own mind.

[boxingbantz]

Koppas, ask your coach if he can elaborate.

Anyway, I think that a common mistake is when a fighter attempts to extend their reach by lunging like a fencer. It's a big risk. When your weight is shifted forward, and your front knee is sharply bent, it's hard for you to recover your stance quickly, let alone mount a proper defense in the nick of time. Even if you're doing it to a lesser degree, you're still compromising balance and movement. Moreover, you'd also be absorbing more force when you're leaning into the shots.

The key point should bend your knees, just not so much that you're leaning forward like what Herb was getting at. You can't make your arms longer.

Also, you're knees must bend more when you're changing levels, i.e. going to the body. For If you don't bend your knees when you jab to the body, for 1, you're open, and 2, your punch won't be as solid. As a good rule of thumb, your punches should be on level with your shoulder.

So, try to ask your trainer what they mean by that. Either way, you'll get to bottom of it. You'll know what there reasoning is (or lack there of), and be able to make up your own mind.

Thanks for the advice mate. Am seeing my coach Monday so will elaborate then was just curious thinking about it the other day when I was practising on my heavy bag. As I said before, dont' want bad habits from my martial arts experience.

[HerbM]

...Thanks for the advice mate. Am seeing my coach Monday so will elaborate then was just curious thinking about it the other day when I was practising on my heavy bag. As I said before, dont' want bad habits from my martial arts experience.

I (finally) got to thinking and wonder in what specific way you would be 'bending your front knee' in martial arts, and what art that is.

Please describe the method you are referencing....

(There are supposedly things in various 'karate' styles that were taught by the originators SPECIFICALLY to mess up their enemies or outsiders -- I have heard this multiple times from people I respect to know such things even if its not something confirmed by me personally.)

I am thinking specifically of various front stance (bow stance) punching techniques and there may be others.

--
HerbM

[boxingbantz]

I'll be confusing myself Herb. I am just going to take the great advice on this thread, take it to the gym next week and go from there.

Thanks to you both.

[Scrap]

You can bend your front knee as much as you like, only make sure the back one is the same angle. Otherwise the head moves the shoulders are out of line, balance and stability is lost.