Jab

Last updated

Jab
Allongecolor.jpg
Also known as Flag of Albania.svg Albanian: Direkt

Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil: Direto

Flag of Myanmar.svg Burmese: Pyon Latt-di

Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Chinese: 前手直拳/ 刺拳

Flag of Croatia.svg Croatian: Prednji direkt

Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech: Direkt

Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dutch: Directe

Flag of Estonia.svg Estonian: Sirge

Flag of France.svg French: Direct (bras avant)

Flag of Germany.svg German: Gerade (Führhand)

Flag of Israel.svg Hebrew: ישרה

Flag of Italy.svg Italian: Diretto

Flag of Japan.svg Japanese: Kizami zuki / Jun zuki (Choku zuki)

Flag of Poland.svg Polish: Prosty

Flag of Romania.svg Romanian: Directă (braţ faţă)

Flag of Russia.svg Russian:Джеб

Flag of Serbia.svg Serbian: Предњи директ (кец)

Flag of Thailand.svg Thai: Mat Trong Say (หมัด ตรง ซ้าย)

Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnamese: Đấm quai hàm.
Focus Striking

A jab is a type of punch used in martial arts. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended from the side of the torso. This process also involves a quick turn of the torso. It is an overhand punch; at the moment of impact, the pronated fist is generally held in a horizontal orientation with the palm facing the ground.

Contents

Etymology

The word jab was first used in 1825, to mean "to thrust with a point." The term is a Scottish variant of the word job, which means "to strike, pierce, thrust." [1]

Uses

Defense

A jab is an integral part of a fighter's defense. Its speed and power of execution and reach can keep the opponent at a distance, preventing him from charging in. Defensive jabs can be employed while moving backwards.

Speed jab

This jab gives a fighter high mobility and is often used with the intention of scoring points. Fighters use this variation of the jab when they want to preserve the mobility and balance of their stance.

Rangefinding jab

Used in order to establish a feeling for distance, the rangefinding jab is often used to set up a power punch with the other hand. Thus it can help conserve stamina and lower the risk of being countered by allowing the fighter to commit his stronger hand only when he is within proper range.

Boxers have been wobbled by a rangefinding jab. [2]

Power jab

Power can be added to a jab if it is thrown with a moderate step forward. The drawback to this technique is that it takes the fighter out of his boxing stance, committing him to the punch rather more than the speed jab. A "pivot jab" is the most powerful jab, one in which the weight shifts almost entirely to the lead foot, which pivots to put the mass of the body behind the punch. Jabbing from the hip, rather than from a tight guard, will add power to the jab at the expense of speed. [3]

Jab to the body

Jabbing to the body is relatively uncommon, because it increases a fighter's vulnerability to a counterpunch. Typically, the fighter bends at the waist and fires a speed jab to the midsection of his opponent in an attempt at getting the opponent to drop his guard. It is impractical to put the body weight behind this punch, so power is limited. The jab to the body can be used effectively to counter the opponents lead jab.

Jab combinations


Historians consider some of the best jabbers in history to be Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali, and George Foreman. Recent master jabbers include Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko, both coached by the same trainer and able to develop significant power into their jabs. Holmes' jab has often been called "the best among Heavyweights",[ citation needed ] Ali's jab was famous for its speed [4] and Liston's for its power. [5] Mike Tyson used a rare version of a slip jab, that allowed him to jab effectively against taller opponents with longer reach. [6] Gennady Golovkin is currently the most proficient jabber in boxing.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing</span> Full contact combat sport and martial art

Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox Lewis</span> British-Canadian boxer (born 1965)

Lennox Claudius Lewis is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics; in the latter, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wladimir Klitschko</span> Ukrainian boxer (born 1976)

NationalityUkrainianRelativesVitali Klitschko (brother) | module2 = Boxing careerOther namesDr. SteelhammerStatisticsWeight(s)HeavyweightHeight1.98 m Reach206 cm (81 in)StanceOrthodox Boxing recordTotal fights69Wins64Wins by KO53Losses5

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross (boxing)</span> Type of punch found in boxing

In boxing, a straight or cross are punches usually thrown with the dominant hand and are power punches like the uppercut and hook. Compubox, a computerized punch scoring system, counts the straight and cross as power punches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumite</span> Martial arts grappling technique

Kumite is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strike (attack)</span> Directed physical attack

A strike is a directed, forceful physical attack with either a part of the human body or with a handheld object, intended to cause blunt or penetrating trauma upon an opponent.

A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent. A hook is usually aimed at the jaw, but it can also be used for body shots, especially to the liver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Footwork (martial arts)</span> Concept in martial arts

Footwork is a martial arts and combat sports term for the general usage of the legs and feet in stand-up fighting. Footwork involves keeping balance, closing or furthering the distance, controlling spatial positioning, and/or creating additional momentum for strikes.

Peek-a-boo is a boxing style which received its common name for the defensive hand position, which are normally placed in front of the face, like in the baby's game of the same name. The technique is thought to offer extra protection to the face while making it easier to jab the opponent's face. The fighter holds their gloves close to their cheeks and pulls their arms tight against their torso. A major proponent of the style was trainer Cus D'Amato, who did not use the term peek-a-boo and instead referred to it as a "tight defense." The style was criticized by some because it was believed that an efficient attack could not be launched from it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing styles and technique</span>

Throughout the history of gloved boxing styles, techniques and strategies have changed to varying degrees. Ring conditions, promoter demands, teaching techniques, and the influence of successful boxers are some of the reasons styles and strategies have fluctuated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Chambers</span> American boxer

Edward Chambers is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by The Ring at the conclusion of 2009. A defensively-oriented fighter, Chambers has been widely credited for his counterpunching skills and particularly praised for his hand speed and footwork. He has also been one of the first heavyweights with ability to switch between fighting orthodox and southpaw.

<i>Foes of Ali</i> 1995 boxing video game

Foes of Ali is a boxing video game that was developed by Gray Matter and published by EA Sports. It was released near the end of 1995 exclusively for the 3DO system. It was one of the first boxing games to render matches using 3D graphics. Thus, boxers in the game could be shown to move 360 degrees around the ring in a more convincing fashion than had previously been possible using 2D sprites. The gameplay bears many similarities to that featured in 4D Sports Boxing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthodox stance</span> Way of positioning the feet and hands in combat sports

In combat sports such as boxing and MMA, an orthodox stance, also known as a northpaw stance, is one in which the fighter places their left foot in front, thus placing their left side closer to the opponent. Because it places the right side in the rear, the orthodox stance can allow for more rotation and distance to accelerate right sided strikes, in turn generating more power. This makes it the most common stance in boxing, as well as MMA, and primarily used by right-handed fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One-two combo</span>

In boxing, the "one-two combo" is the name given to the combination consisting of two common punches found in boxing – a jab followed by the cross. In boxing parlance, fundamental punches are commonly assigned numbers by trainers and in this case there is the jab (#1) and the cross (#2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slipping</span> Boxing technique

Slipping is a technique used in boxing that is similar to bobbing. It is considered one of the four basic defensive strategies, along with blocking, holding, and clinching. It is performed by moving the head to either side so that the opponent's punches "slip" by the boxer.

A counterpunch is a boxing punch that immediately follows an attack launched by an opponent. It exploits the opening created in an opponent's guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uppercut</span> Boxing punch

The uppercut is a punch used in boxing that starts low and travels upwards vertically aiming at the opponent's chin or upper abdomen. It is, along with the cross, one of the two main punches that count in the statistics as power punches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Fury</span> British boxer (born 1988)

Tyson Luke Fury is a British professional boxer. He has held multiple heavyweight world titles, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the Ring magazine title twice between 2015 and 2022, and the World Boxing Council (WBC) title from 2020 to 2024. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title during his first reign as champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Check hook</span> Technique used in boxing

In boxing, a check hook is employed to prevent aggressive boxers from lunging in. There are two parts to the check hook. The first part consists of a regular hook. The second, trickier part involves the footwork. As the opponent lunges in, the boxer should throw the hook and pivot on his lead foot and swing his back foot 90 degrees around. If executed correctly, the aggressive boxer will lunge in and sail harmlessly past his opponent like a bull missing a matador. This is rarely seen in professional boxing as it requires a great disparity in skill level to execute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing career of Muhammad Ali</span> Overview of Muhammad Alis boxing career

Muhammad Ali was a boxer who mastered the rope-a-dope fighting technique. He is widely regarded by many boxing commentators and historians as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Boxing magazine The Ring named him number one in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras. In 1999, The Associated Press voted Ali the number one heavyweight of the 20th century.

References

  1. "Jab". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  2. "Vitali Klitschko vs. Tamasz Adamek". Abload GIF. Retrieved October 12, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Johnny N (June 30, 2010). "The 5 Types of Jabs". ExpertBoxing.com. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  4. "The Boxer". 2012 Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  5. "East Side Boxing". East side Boxing. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  6. Vasquez, Ricardo (June 22, 2016). "The Science of Mike Tyson and Elements of Peek-A-Boo: part II (jab section)". SugarBoxing.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2014.