Increasing the Power of the Jab

When striking/punching with power we should be looking to utilize and employ our entire body. This doesn’t mean simply throwing ourselves forward in an aggressive mess, as we look to throw ourselves and our weight at an aggressor, in the hope that one of our strikes lands with enough power to end the fight, but rather we should look to chain together and synchronize multiple body movements to create a set/combination of efficient and effective strikes/punches. There is sometimes the belief in certain Krav Maga circles that aggression trumps form, and that it is better to throw as many shots as you can to simply overwhelm your attacker. Whilst this “show of force” may intimidate some people, for others it will not i.e., if an assailant recognizes that you are throwing weak strikes and punches, they will soon realize that they have nothing to worry about – and rightly so. In last week’s article I wrote about ways to improve your chances of landing the jab, in this week’s, I want to look at how to add power to this punch so that it can deliver concussive force/power.

In combat sports such as boxing, the jab can be used as an extremely versatile punch e.g., it can be used to find range, to distract, and to keep an opponent at bay etc. In a prolonged fight with rules, and a predefined way in which the fight can be won, taking your time is an option, whereas in a real-life confrontation it is not; the longer a fight goes on, the greater the chance of multiple assailants joining the fray, and/or a weapon getting pulled, etc. In real-life confrontations, we should be looking to disengage from them as soon as we can, so as to avoid the risk of injury, and to maintain our legal claim of acting in “self-defense” and not using excessive force – the longer we stay engaged, especially if we had opportunities to exit the fight/confrontation, the less believable our claim of defending ourselves becomes. Whilst we may use our jab to set up punches that can deliver more power, if we can make our first strike a powerful one, then we can send a clear message to the person we are dealing with, that if they want to continue with the fight, they are going to experience pain, and get hurt; this can be a wake-up call to many, encouraging them to exit the fight.

The jab is comprised of two foot movements: a step forward with the lead foot, that is driven by a “push off” from the rear foot. It is this latter part that is often forgotten. In fact, the role of the legs in developing power is often overlooked when punching, as people tend to focus on the arms and shoulders, and then on the torso turning, whilst neglecting to utilize the potential driving force that the legs can offer in assisting the strike. If we neglect to employ the legs when punching, then we are only using half of our body – and not the strongest half. The concentration on the arms, tends to occur, when inexperienced individuals “rush” their punches, trying to throw as many as they can in the shortest possible timeframe. As well as resulting in ineffectual strikes/punches, it often means that the body gets left behind, as the individual over-extends themselves, trying to reach the target as quickly as they can – this presents a problem with any subsequent movement, as the feet are now no longer under the body, which means this issue has to be rectified/addressed before any further movement occurs; possibly not an issue if you are working against a static target such as a heavy bag, striking shield etc., but a serious problem if you are dealing with a dynamic assailant who moves in response to your movements.

The jab should be initiated by the back foot pushing off of the ground, as the front foot in response to this movement steps forward. As this occurs, the front arm should extend forward, reaching full extension as the front foot hits the ground, transferring the body weight forward. Personally, I tighten my fist as this happens, and as it makes impact with the target, however I have worked with individuals who advocate tightening it much sooner, because they factor in the possibility of the person moving forward and/or covering etc. and compromising their timing. It’s a sound argument that I accept, however I have never encountered this issue, and so prefer to keep my arm and shoulder relaxed before impact, as the arm can move faster when it’s not tense; however, like many things when it comes to fighting, I can accept and validate another person’s reasoning and experience, without feeling the need to force my own, personal opinion on them. As the arm reaches extension, and the weight has travelled forward, the hips should sink somewhat, as the foot is placed down. If you are tying your breathing to individual strikes/punches – rather than across a combination – this sinking would accompany your exhalation. To employ the torso and back muscles into the strike, the drive forward of the arm, should be in part powered by the pull back of the opposite shoulder. This way the legs, hips, back and arms are utilized in the strike. It is important to note that although the torso is turning the head should not i.e., your face should remain facing your aggressor.

It is easy to forget and/or ignore the role of the legs when punching - it is not just the jab that uses them to generate power, all punches do – as we put undue emphasis on the “delivery mechanism” of the power i.e., the arms, forgetting to tap into the potential power source of the legs. This is why in training it is often useful to breakdown movements, and practice punching without the arms, so that we can focus entirely on the role that the legs and body play in generating punching power.