🛠️MMA Tactical Tool Box: Jab Variations
Different type of jabs
The jab is often referred to as the most important punch in boxing. The jab controls range and it controls the timing of when to set up power shots. The jab is a controlling weapon and this will be a guide on the different ways to establish and set up the jab.
Jabs that Trevor Wittman has Justin Gaethje drill in his instructional- Secrets to a Champion: Balance.
Multi Directional Jabs
The basic directions for single jabs. Jabbing and moving is one of the most fundamental aspects of striking since it allows the fighter to create different positions in a fight.
Basic jab moving forward.
The key to this jab is to push off the back foot and land flat on the front foot to catch the body weight and not overextend.
Secrets of a Champion: Balance by Trevor Wittman
Basic jab moving backwards.
The key to this jab is transferring weight to the lead foot as you move backwards.
This is an awkward jab to learn since to move backward, weight needs to transfer to the rear foot, but the jab needs to fire once the rear foot lands to transfer weight back to the lead foot.
Secrets of a Champion: Balance by Trevor Wittman
Basic jab moving to the left and right.
The jab moving to the left as an orthodox fighter is very easy since its a very natural movement due to moving towards the path of your lead shoulder.
The jab moving to the right as an orthodox fighter is difficult since its executed in a similar way as jabbing backwards.
Secrets of a Champion: Balance by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Double Jab Variations
While jabbing in multiple directions help establish position, double jabbing allows the fighter to to control the opponents movement.
Flashing two consecutive jabs at the opponent will force them to do two things:
Cycle defensive reactions
Move backwards (most common defense in MMA)
The first double jab variation involves taking choppy steps.
These small steps allows the fighter to move forward without overextending as well as chew up space that the opponent concedes.
Core Striking and Combinations by Firas Zahabi
“The double jab is supremely important: it’s going to help me set up my combinations, its going to help me maneuver myself around the octagon or ring, its going to help me set up my feints that will help me setup key strikes during the match.
Firas Zahabi from his instructional Core Striking and Combinations
The second double jab variation involves a T-step.
A T-step or a pendulum step is a footwork pattern used for closing the distance.
The the rear foot and bring it up to the heel of the lead foot, then push off the rear foot to spear in on the second jab.
The idea of this jab is to bring the rear foot close to your lead foot, shortening the stance, then you can extend into a longer stance on the second jab.
When both feet come together like this, the fighter is not in a good structure to take punches, so its important to hide the rear leg step with a jab.
Its important to keep weight on the lead foot when executing the first jab, in order to make the rear foot light to allow it to be brought up.
Second jab should be a long jab, allowing the fighter to spear in.
The Footwork Blueprint by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Drilling the T-step jab
As the pad holder its important to start out at borders.
Catch the first jab on lead pad and catch the second jab with the rear pad. Catching the second jab on the rear pad will force the student to spear in.
The Footwork Blueprint by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
The last application of the double jab is using it as an exit.
This is probably one of the easiest exits from the pocket to learn because it doesn’t involve any additional skills such as slips or rolling.
The double jab as an exit is great because it allows the fighter to safely exit the pocket with balance, and keep the opponent off balance at the same time.
As seen in the example below, the double jab doesn’t need to land for it to be effective after a combination. Just showing it to the opponent after exiting the pocket in either the left or the right will force them to react or reset.
Rose Namajunas using the double jab to circle out as Jessica Andrade charges in on her.
Rose Namajunas spearing in with a lead right hand. Her feet and hips level out as she enters the pocket, to re-establish both her distance and her balance she jabs towards her left. Not a double jab but this is a great example of using the jab as an exiting tool.
The easiest way to drill this idea, is to end every combination with a double jab while changing positions, whether on the bag or on the pads.
Duane Ludwig explaining both the mechanics and directions of the double jab.
Power Jab
The examples above are ways to move with the jab and make it hard for the opponent to counter. However, just moving with the jab does not create openings, the jab must be established as a legitimate threat before a fighter can start to feint and build off of it.
The easiest way to get power on the jab while stepping forward is to shift weight from rear foot to lead foot.
Its important to put weight on the rear foot before pushing forward.
Secrets To Power by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Getting weight off the lead foot then stepping in with the jab is another way to drill the power jab. Trevor Wittman explains this drill by imagining that fighter is going to step and crush a can with their lead foot.
The idea behind these drills is the weight transfer from rear foot to lead foot.
Secrets To Power by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
When getting power into the jab its important to jab high with the lead shoulder up. This is to prevent the cross counter. The jab may be the most important punch in boxing but its also the most countered. Lazily jabbing into range can get a fighter in trouble as seen in the animation below where Michael Chandler gets knocked out by Patricio Freire.
Michael Chandler lazily jabs into range with his lead shoulder low, Freire punishes it by going over the top with a well timed cross counter.
Jabbing high with the lead shoulder up drill.
The key to this drill is for the pad holder to hold the rear pad high so the fighter can be disciplined keeping the lead shoulder high when committing to the jab.
Secrets To Power by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Fencing jab.
This is a jab where you purposefully take a rhythm step to draw your opponent in. The reason this jab draws the opponent in is because it looks like the fighter is conceding space by slightly retracting the lead foot. This builds on the principle of getting the weight to the rear foot first then stepping in hard when the opponent is drawn in.
(Barry Robinson is going to hate this one)
Secrets To Power by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Stationary push jab.
Don’t step in to jab in this drill, the purpose of this is to feel the weight going from rear foot to lead foot as you push with the jab.
Secrets To Power by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Hooking off the jab is a great way to drill and understand the pushing motion of the jab and the weight transitions between each punch.
After pushing with the jab, pull the lead shoulder and transfer weight to rear foot in order to get power on the hook.
This is a good drill to do stationary.
Secrets To Power by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Setups for the Jab
The jab is normally the setup punch and entry into the pocket, however, its also important to have different ways to set up the jab with different feints and different footwork patterns.
The opponent will often have the idea to establish their jab first so splitting their jab can be a good option to counter them.
Splitting the jab also known as the dipping jab. It’s the jab that gave Amanda Nunes so much trouble that she had to switch to a different stance to not even deal with it.
This is a simultaneous counter whereby you execute a jab and slip to the outside of the opponent’s jab at the same time.
Secrets To Counter Fighting by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Feinting the rear hand and jab.
Feinting the rear hand allows the fighter to hide the rear foot lining up with the lead foot.
When the feet and hips are squared it’s easy to spear in with a jab.
Secrets To Counter Fighting by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Both Israel Adesnaya and Sodiq Yusuff use a variation of this idea but instead of feinting their way into a squared stance, they will extend there rear hand outright and start out in the squared stance.
Features of the squared stance that both Israel Adesanya and Sodiq Yusuff use. For more information on how to build off this position refer to this study.
Israel Adesanya jabs Paulo Costa on the tracks by starting out in the squared position.
Timing the jab off the opponent’s rear foot. This type of jab is great for pressure fighters against good ring generals. Ring generals will often step back to correct distance and this jab looks to exploit that idea.
Whenever anybody steps back they have to transition their weight from lead foot to rear foot.
This jab doesn’t need to land as long as it’s timed when the opponent is in the middle of taking a step back.
Secrets To Counter Fighting by Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje
Closing Thoughts
These are different applications and drills to improve the jab. As with any move in mixed martial arts or any combat sports these are not the be all end all techniques. They are just different ways to jab. Try them out in your own training and see what your results are.
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