too. Just a classic, Boxing 101 mantra repeated again and again. When people explain why the jab is the most important punch, they generally say things like, "the jab sets everything up" and "the jab is your measuring stick." These statements are certainly true but they also may not inherently mean anything to someone new to the sport nor do they always fully resonate with experienced boxers. So I wanted to go a little deeper and break them down so you can better understand what they really mean. Here are 5 reasons why the jab is so important + 1 thing I never hear talked about but may very well be as important as everything else:
1.) Range
The bell rings and both fighters come out of opposite corners of the ring. The object is to punch your opponent so each one must get closer to the other. The first punch you can land at maximum punching distance is the jab. It is your lead hand, so it is closest to your opponent, and it is a straight punch so your arm is fully extended. It is true that you can have as much range on your cross as you do your jab if you rotate your body properly but this rotation takes more time to complete, is easy to spot, and requires more of a weight commitment. We will go into some of those things later but in regards to range, the jab is the first punch you can hit someone with and if this person wants to get even closer to you, the jab can be used to keep them away. If you can hit them with your extended jab, they can't hit you with a hook or uppercut or any of their power punches. Control the jab and you control the range.
2.) Safety!
Somewhat along these lines, the jab is the safest punch you can throw in boxing in the sense that it requires the least commitment, is generally faster than any other punch and is more difficult to directly counter. Let's take the "least commitment" first. When you throw a jab, you are whipping your lead hand + shoulder forward and shifting your weight to your back foot. Provided you bring your shoulder up, your head is not very exposed. A hook or an overhand could come around and catch you but that requires that your opponent is closer than jab range. The body is a little open but as mentioned again in #1 above, the only thing available to reach your body is another jab low, timed perfectly. Since the jab is not a power punch, there isn't a lot of rotation or bigger movements that could put you off balance or in position where follow-up movement is compromised.
This is part of the reason why the jab is harder to counter. With less movement, commitment and power, the jab is the fastest punch you can throw. So if you slip, catch or parry your opponent's jab, by the time you throw a more powerful counter, that opponent may very well not be there anymore. Plus, as mentioned earlier, your weight should transfer back to the back foot (even if you initiated the jab by pushing off the back foot) so angular movement away from your opponent is going to be easier. Therefore, your jab is faster and the movement after the jab is faster too, keeping you out of danger.
3.) Your Opponent Must React
This is the "set-up" part people always talk about. When you throw a jab - even not a particularly hard jab - your opponent will likely react in some way. They'll move their head, their feet, their hands or maybe all 3. What that does informs the next decision you will make. If they move away, then maybe you don't throw another punch until they are back in range. If they dip under and move in, maybe your next punch is an uppercut, trying to catch them as they close the distance. If they bring both hands up to defend, maybe you go to the body next. If they try to parry your jab, maybe you fake the jab next and come around for a hook. Or they try to catch and counter your jab with their power hand so you slip inside and counter their counter! There are a million little variables but the jab is what opens them all up.
One of my favorite boxing minds ever, Teddy Atlas, has referred to jabs as keys to the door. I like that. What's inside that door will depend on what your opponent does next (as well as you) but you won't get it open without the key, without the jab. And when you are fighting anyone remotely decent, you will never land those power shots without setting them up first. You see this all the time in the later rounds, when a boxer is clearly behind on points. They need a knock out. Thus, they start throwing more knockout punches. But they are rarely able to pull it off because they stop trying to set it up. They stop jabbing. They get impatient and desperate. They forget that you still need a key to open the door.
Note: Sometimes even if they throw one knockout punch on its own, it would not have been possible without the jab. Not that it is an example of great boxing but a fight a lot of people watched, Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul. Paul won with a power rear hook that Woodley stepped into. But the only reason why that happened was that Woodley had been catching the jab with his left hand, which brought it forward, creating the gap for the rear hook. Tyron clearly expected a jab, went to defend it like he had been doing for the fight, guessed wrong, and left himself open.
4.) Fencing
This is kind of like Part 2 of the set-up. You can use your jab as more than just a punch. It can be used to blind your opponent or what I like to think of as fencing. Most people refer to this as "hand-fighting" and that's probably a better description but I did fence a little bit as a kid and what I loved doing was knocking my opponents foil out of the way and then attacking (the beat lunge, it is called). I like doing it in boxing too, against someone who likes to catch block my punches and especially when they block with their right hand. I can try to knock their hand out of the way and throw something more powerful behind or at the very least, occupy one of their hands so I don't have to worry as much about it when going in. I haven't much talked about orthodox vs. southpaw but if you are fighting anyone of opposite handedness, this becomes SUPER important. Both of your lead hands are on the same track so very close to each other. Whether you're fighting a southpaw or not, one thing I have noticed is that this seems to annoy and frustrate people. That's a good thing too! Usually the more annoyed and frustrated someone is, the more they start to attach with less caution, which sets you up to counter and control the fight in general.
5.) Power to the Power Hand
As mentioned in #2, when you throw a jab, even a powerful jab where you step, as soon as it lands, your lead shoulder should be turned and your weight should transfer to your back foot. This means your back hand, your power hand, is loaded! If you were to just walk up to someone and throw a cross, you would either not load it at all and get less power on it or you would shift your weight back to load the cross but your opponent would likely recognize this coming a mile away. But if you throw the cross right off of the jab, you get the loading for free. And if you're REALLY good, your opponent may not even see the crossing coming at any point because you hide it behind the jab. Muhammad Ali was really good at this but I digress. Not only does the jab open the door and set you up strategically but it sets you up for power on your power hand.
BONUS #6 - It's Something To Do!
You might think I am trying to be funny with this one but not at all. In fact, you wouldn't believe how important this is in the ring. Imagine you're fighting someone. They are moving around with their hands up, you are moving around with your hands up - what do you do next? What should you do next? A million things may run through your head but I can make it very simple. Throw your jab! Throw a double-jab even. Doesn't mean you should necessarily jab constantly but you should jab consistently. For all the reasons mentioned above but I am calling this out separately because this can eliminate what is a difficult decision process during a tense moment when you may be nervous. Not sure what to do? Throw the jab. See what happens. Or better yet, react to what happens. Now tons and tons of variables and options start to flood in but if you train well and train properly, you won't have to think about them as much either. Your body will just react. In the interim or if you don't feel like you're reacting well, just keep on jabbing.
So there you have it. 5 reasons + 1 bonus reason why the jab really is the most important punch in boxing. Hopefully that helps you to better understand it and as such, will help motivate you to make your jab even better!!
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