Punch Technique: Textbook vs Natural

LondonBoxer / Pigeonkak / Aussie Davo,

Thanks for the insight and advise, I will be working on your suggestions.

[quote]LondonBoxer123 wrote:

My biggest beef with conventional boxing training is that so little emphasis is put on developing the jab as an offensive weapon. An elite level jab can be used to hurt your opponent, time and again, and more than any other punch can throw them off your game. Think about how often you have been in the ring with someone and thought, doesn’t matter if i take the jab, as long as i dont get hit by his … Fuck that. You’re opponent should be thinking at all times ‘I’m fucked if I’m taking another one of those jabs, I’ve got to get my head out of the way, then I’ll deal with the other stuff’. If your opponent is thinking that, he is already distracted from your power shots, giving you more opportunity to land them.[/quote]

I just wanted to echo your sentiments about the jab. And if you aren’t constantly training your jab you wont reap the benefits in a fight. A little anecdote: one day I was looking in the mirror and I noticed a weird lump on my left shoulder. I felt it up and realised it was a slightly over developed muscle from, I assume, me favoring my jab. I also noticed that as my military press became stronger and heavier, it was my left arm that began picking up the slack, as my right began to fatigue. I can only assume it is from the thousands of jabs I’ve thrown. Not real sports science, but any excuse to tell people about my shoulders, lol.

Agree 100% on the jab. Even when I watch ammies fight they dont jab nearly enough. Train that sucker to shoot out constantly ala Ike Quartey.

I started out with my palms vertical for hooks. It was a very clubbing but hard punch. I never understood the horizontal hook and it never felt right. I started working with a guy who learned the mechanics of it by standing on a balance board. This way you cannot muscle it, and if your leverage is one bit off, the board shifts to the ground (think like a see saw). I worked on that a bit, and fell in love with the horizontal hook.

Its a different sort though, much more snapping and dropping my bodyweight into it than violently turning my hips.

I have noticed it is 1) faster 2) more of a sharp impact than clubbing 3) better off combinations, as in my overall 1-2-3 or whatnot is faster. 4)I can throw it from further away, a long hook if you will. Fedor uses this somewhat, as it almost comes out like a jab at range.

I do something like a slip to my right as I throw it to shift my weight into it.