Boxing Tip #14 - Jab Fake

Similar to the Jab Tap, I learned this technique the hard way - glove to face in the ring.  I have to give you a little background - so bear with me.  You see, when I first started boxing, I tended to hold my hands just below eye level.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but my trainer had a hay day with it.

In the beginning...

Being new to the sport, I didn't have the skill or reflexes to be able to bring my hands up to block what seemed like lightning bolt jabs coming from my trainer.  He easily came through my mixed stance type of defence - over and over again, I might add.

Well, eventually, I wisened up a bit and decided fine, if I can't block his jabs, I'll hold my hands higher, adopting a much more peek a boo style of stance at the risk of exposing my body.  I have a strong core and figured I could take the punishment the few times that I couldn't get my elbows down to block a body shot.

This actually worked -- for a little while.  I held my hands more at the level of my forehead and peeked through the opening between my forearms.  My head was completely protected - or so I thought.

My Demise...

Once my trainer wisened up, and it didn't take long, he taught me a valuable tip - again - the hard way.  If you think about my stance, hands held high, body more or less exposed, forearms nearly directly in front of my face, getting a jab in there is pretty difficult.  If you were fighting me, you could easily go to my body, but because of my stance, I'd be watching for that - I know my body was exposed and had a plan to adapt to a body assault.

Connecting with the left hook
Photo by mborowick

Instead, my trainer said, okay, I won't jab him, I'll pretend to jab and then nail him with a left hook.  And that is what he did, over and over.  He faked the jab meaning I braced for impact from the front and somehow he managed to change his fake jab into a solid left hook that connected everytime.  I couldn't react fast enough to block it when I finally realized the jab wasn't actually going to impact.  Back to the drawing board for me as I was pummeled repeatedly by left hooks the rest of the night.

He only had to connect once to make subsequent hooks easier for himself.  Just the fact that he made it through my solid fortress of forearms made me question where his jab was going to actually go.  Now, if I made a move to block the hook, he just carried through with the jab which nailed me anyways.

If you perfect this technique you will have a punch - hook or jab - that will land 90% of the time (at least until your opponent figures out how to use his right as a block the same time he is using his left to block - something for another tip in the future.)

When to use the Jab Fake

This works best when your opponent is in a peek a boo stance.  With his arms held high, it is much more difficult for him to react quickly - partly because of the position of his arms, but also because his vision is likely partly obstructed by his own arms and hands.  This lends perfectly to faking a punch, especially if you manage to do it behind one his blind spots.

If you don't know what I mean by a blind spot, sitting where you are, lift your arms up in front of your face as if you were in a peek a boo stance.  Notice your arms.  Anything that happens behind them is partially obstructed from view.  If you can initiate a fake punch in your opponent's blind spots - causing him to flinch, you are going to buy yourself a little time to throw the actual punch.

Granted, throwing something in a blind spot is more a matter of luck than skill, but it is still something you should strive to achieve.

To summarize, use the jab fake against someone who is squared off in front of you in a fairly upright position, with arms held high partially blocking their view.

Utilizing the Jab Fake

You initiate a jab fake like you would any jab and you have to make it believable.  Your opponent has to believe a jab is coming at him and is going to impact.  That way, in a high peek a book guard, he will brace his forearms for impact (if he doesn't try slipping).  If it is not believable, he won't, and you'll have less chance of landing the actual punch.

So, throw your jab, but pull it back about a quarter of the way into it and loop it into a left hook that goes around your opponent's forearm and strikes the intended target.  This is hard to do.  Stopping the forward momentum is difficult and the more you can loop on the way back, the more powerful the hook will be as you change the direction of the force.  Speed is key here.

Another way to aid in making your opponent commit to an incoming jab and brace is to give other cues - such as throwing your shoulder forward.  Read the boxing tip on feints for other ideas on making a believable fake.

Practicing the Jab Fake

You can practice this pretty much anywhere.  The biggest thing to master is halting the forward momentum of your jab and re-routing that force into a left hook.  It is going to feel awkward, but with practice you can do it and even get your torso to throw a little extra force behind it.  Do this on a heavy bag and strive to achieve a solid left hook after you fake the jab.

Then, if you can find a partner willing.  Have him spar with you with hands held high.  See if you can get him to believe in your fake jab and trick him into receiving your left hook.  It will give you a good idea of how much you need to pretend to commit the jab in order to give you the time required to land the hook.

An Alternative - Cross Fake

Of note, you can easily adapt this and do the exact same thing with a straight right. Fake throwing the fake right and instead turn it into a looping right hand (right hook). You are doing the exact same thing, just to the other side. I've actually had some good success with this and find it easier to alter the path of my right as opposed to my jab. Maybe it's because I'm right handed and have better control with my right. At any rate, it isn't a stretch to do this from either side.

Strike Fast, Strike Hard...Good Luck.

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