the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

How will you train your basic punching skill?

If both you and your opponent has right side forward, when you throw a right jab, your opponent may

1. dodge your punch (this is a No-op), you then throw another jab.
2, block his leading right arm to his left (your right). When he does this, his face will be open for your left cross (or left hook).
3. block his leading right arm to his right (your left). When he does this since your leading right arm will jam your back left arm, you can't throw a left cross, but you can borrow his blocking force, change your right jab into a right hook.

1. jab, jab,
2. jab, cross (or hook),
3. jab, hook (with the same arm).

can take care all 3 situations.

Depending on how your opponent may block your 2nd punch, your 3rd punch will attack his new opening.

IMO, this is the easiest way to learn a punching skill by starting with just

1. jab,
2. cross,
3. hook.

The uppercut, back fist, hammer fist, side punch, ... can be added in later.

Your thought?

I teach punching in jab, cross, hook order too but for slightly different reason. It's just ordered according to use-percentage.

The jab is only the root of a tree.

1. A throws a jab.
2. B counters with a kick.
3. A catches A's kicking leg.
4. B shift weight on leading leg, and hammer fist on A's head.
5. A blocks B's hammer fist, and ...

Even just starting from a jab, the counter and re-counter can go as deep as 5 levels. A MA tree is then constructed. IMO, this is the easiest way to train MA.

It's been a while since I've done any boxing training, but being tall and having an exceedingly long reach I based my style heavily off the jab, so spent a lot of time training both jabs, orthodox and southpaw, and variations thereof. I particularly liked trying to surprise people with a fast hook off the jab.

I don't know how others may train TMA. I prefer to train TMA with logic.

What's the most logic 1st punch that one can throw?

1. Jab
2. Hook
3. ...

What's the most logic 2nd punch that one can throw?

1. Jab, cross
2. Jab, hook
3. Jab, hook (same arm)
3. Hook, hook
4. Hook, cross
5. Hook, uppercut
6. ...

What's the most logic 3rd punch that one can throw?

1. Jab, cross, jab
2. Jab, cross, hook
3. Jab, hook, hook
4. Jab, hook, jab
5. Jab, hook, uppercut
6. Jab, hook (same arm), jab
7. Jab, hook (same arm), hook
8. Jab, hook (same arm), uppercut
9. ...

IMO, some combos don't make sense such as "Jab, uppercut" because when your opponent dodge your jab, the distance may be to far for your uppercut. In other words, not all combos make sense.

There is no way that your TMA teacher will teach you all those "meaningful" combos. But with logic, you should be able to come up a complete picture by yourself.

johnwang wrote:IMO, some combos don't make sense such as "Jab, uppercut" because when your opponent dodge your jab, the distance may be to far for your uppercut. In other words, not all combos make sense.

Jab, upper has some use

Jab - opponent level changes and avoids, moves in for a high shoot
Uppercut - if lucky nails them especially if they have dropped their hands, otherwise positioned to stuff the shoot

Also the Jab can be placed guiding the opponent's head vs a flicking to control the entry. This works when an opponent level changes and angle steps in to get closer. The Jab switches to a stiff arm and guides them into an uppercut.

As a teacher (TMA or not) would you teach these examples of use or just show the moves and let the student work out the rest? I know I've trained jab/upper but not shown these applications. Then one day I used it and it made more sense.

Also just curious is a jab/cross viewed as a TMA technique?

dspyrido wrote:Jab - opponent level changes and avoids, moves in for a high shoot.

Most of the time, your opponent will move in during a hook and not during a jab. A jab is a non-committed punch. A hook is a committed punch. To move in during your opponent's non-committed punch is dangerous.

dspyrido wrote:Also just curious is a jab/cross viewed as a TMA technique?

All TMA "1 step 3 punches" are jab, cross, jab.

When your opponent block your jab, he may open part of his body. You can then use cross to punch through that opening.

johnwang wrote:

dspyrido wrote:Jab - opponent level changes and avoids, moves in for a high shoot.

Most of the time, your opponent will move in during a hook and not during a jab. A jab is a non-committed punch. A hook is a committed punch. To move in during your opponent's non-committed punch is dangerous.

The example was more about using an uppercut against a high double leg. The slip to the jab was just an example but here is a case where it was used this way:



Dropping an arm for an uppercut against a double leg can stuff it up. Alternatively it is well positioned to support the sprawl better than having the arms on the side.