Using Your Jab For Sucess In Mixed Martial Arts

The jab and a better understanding of it’s use

More often then not the first punch you learn is the jab. Yup the jab. Plan jane, super basic, seen it before, the jab punch.

And yes it’s true, it’s old as dirt, no arguing that. But as old and basic as the jab is it’s still the #1 punch in the business.

Ask any pro fighter, MMA, Boxing or Muay Thai and they’ll tell you, the jab is king.

Now there are some MMA Coaches that say the jab isn’t useful for MMA events like the UFC. I disagree with that. I mean come on, you can look at a lot of great fighters in MMA who’ve used the jab effectively.

Names such as GSP, Nick and Nate Diaz and BJ Penn all come to mind. They’ve all got excellent jabs.

Why Work On The Jab?

You need a good jab for a lot of different reasons. Offense, defense, to set up other striking techniques like the cross and hook. Oh and of course to set up other things like kicks, knees, takedowns and elbows.

Something like A well placed round kick is many times due to a well placed (and timed) jab.

Pretty much if you don’t have a good jab or use it at all you’re at a disadvantage. Plan and simple.

So now that we’ve established what the jab is all about let’s talk about some ways that you can improve it. Improve and over time hopefully master it.

Training tips and techniques you can use for a better jab.

There’s many ways you can work your jab in training. The easiest and most common way would be during shadow boxing.

I like to dedicate at least one round of shadow boxing to just the jab. That’s how much I value this punch. It gets one round all to itself.

Other ways to work on your jab include the following:

–Mitt work
–Heavy Bag Training
–Using the Double End Ball
–Partner Drills
–Sparring

Remember that becoming good with the jab is no different then anything else. Lots of practice and hard work. It won’t be easy.

The really good news is that if you put the work in you’ll get in return a killer jab. You’ll be able to to use it to set up your attacks and block those of your opponent.

Jabbing videos worth studying…

So for today I tossed in two great youtube videos. Both focused on the jab. The first one features Boxing legend Bernard “B-Hop” Hopkins.

Bernard is by far one of my favorite fighters of all time. His use of the jab is in my opinion the greatest of all time.

This video is easly one of the best that you’ll ever see when it comes to the jab and breaking down it’s uses and the technique as a whole.

Check it out.

This next youtube video showcases some of the best boxers to ever use the jab. And yes I know I know, this is a MMA themed blog so why am I showing boxing technique videos?

Because good boxing skills are a huge part of success in Mixed Martial Arts. That includes the jab!

Check out the video below. Study both videos and try to incorporate a better jab into your training regiment.

Trust me, It’s worth your time 🙂

Oh and feedback is always welcomed. Leave a comment or email me at info@iveyleaguemma.com