The Jab in Small Gloves
The same punch, thrown with a hand that no longer protects your face on the way back.
The Jab in Small Gloves
Vídeo · 9:00 · próximamente
En esta lección
- Adjust jab mechanics for a smaller glove and a squarer stance
- Use the jab to measure for the shot as well as the punch
- Keep the rear hand anchored through every jab
Clave del entrenador — Throw it, then get it home. The return is the half of the punch that matters here.
What changes
The jab is still the most important punch in the sport, and the mechanics from any boxing gym still apply: shoulder drives, arm follows, fist turns late, return on the same line.
Three things change in MMA.
The glove is smaller. A jab that gets partially blocked in boxing lands cleanly here — and so does theirs. The margin for a lazy return is gone.
The stance is squarer. You have slightly less reach on the lead side than a bladed boxer does. You make it up with the step, not by leaning.
A jab is also a range-finder for the shot. If your jab reaches, so does their double leg. Every jab you throw is telling you something about takedown range, whether you use the information or not.
Three jabs worth owning
- The measuring jab. Thrown short, at their glove or shoulder, mainly to establish where you both are. Costs almost nothing.
- The step-in jab. Half-step and punch together, landing with weight moving forward. This is the one that scores.
- The up-jab. Thrown from a lower position, travelling upward into the chin. Awkward to see and useful because it comes from the level you would shoot from.
Defending the answer
Every jab you throw invites two responses: a counter punch, and a level change. Two habits cover both:
- Rear hand anchored. It does not move during a jab. Not an inch.
- Head off the centre line as the hand returns. A small slip in either direction on the way back means the counter arrives where your head was.
Watch your own footage and count how many jabs you throw with your feet still. Then count how many you get countered on. The two numbers will be close.
Drill it
Two rounds of jabs on a bag, watching only the rear hand. Two rounds of step-in jabs where you must slip immediately on the return. Two rounds with a partner who throws a single counter or changes level at random after every jab you throw — you score nothing for landing, only for not being caught on the way back.