Shorter Fighters: Utilizing the Jab

[Falcyon]

I know there's a lot of tips for taller fighters and jabbing, not being lazy, controlling distance, etc.

There's quite a bit of advice regarding being a shorter fighter against a taller fighter, but the jab is rarely referred to. I feel like there's little discussion on utilizing the jab as a smaller fighter. So I wanted to start a compendium of sound tactics using the jab against taller fighters.

Here's a few bits and pieces of advice I've collected over the years geared towards shorter fighters and jabbing:

-Don't get lazy. Piston your fist out, piston your fist back.
-Jab at the shoulder, gloves, forearms, and elbows to jam up their arms and disrupt timing to get inside.
-Use quick footwork accompanied by a jab to get into the inside
-Keep things from being stale by feinting a jab and eliciting an exploitable response.

Anyone else care to comment on this?

 

[MisterT]

I know there's a lot of tips for taller fighters and jabbing, not being lazy, controlling distance, etc.

There's quite a bit of advice regarding being a shorter fighter against a taller fighter, but the jab is rarely referred to. I feel like there's little discussion on utilizing the jab as a smaller fighter. So I wanted to start a compendium of sound tactics using the jab against taller fighters.

Here's a few bits and pieces of advice I've collected over the years geared towards shorter fighters and jabbing:

-Don't get lazy. Piston your fist out, piston your fist back.
-Jab at the shoulder, gloves, forearms, and elbows to jam up their arms and disrupt timing to get inside.
-Use quick footwork accompanied by a jab to get into the inside
-Keep things from being stale by feinting a jab and eliciting an exploitable response.
Anyone else care to comment on this?

I find this to be especially useful against taller fighters or fighters with longer reaches.

I'll feint a jab to the face, the opponent will usually bring his hands up to defend, I'll return with a strong right cross to the body, followed by a strong left hook to the chin.

Another tactic I like using against tall guys are counter jabs (I saw this in one of Russ Anber's tutorials).
Basically:
- I time my opponents jab.
- When he jabs, I'll slip right + step to the right with my right foot.
- Then, step in with my left foot and return with my own jab (or right cross).

This is especially useful for shorter fighters trying to get on the inside of taller opponents with longer reach.

 

[Gontran]

I'll feint a jab to the face, the opponent will usually bring his hands up to defend, I'll return with a strong right cross to the body, followed by a strong left hook to the chin.

Yeah I love doing this, jab to the head + straight to the body against a taller opponent. It doesn't have to be a feint either. I usually throw the jab, it gets blocked and i throw the straight left (I'm southpaw) to the body

 

[OHNO]

Good tips. ^^ the straight body left from southpaw works really well I like to follow up with a high kick or knee if it's close enough. bit off topic but you guys covered the jab pretty well

 

[chino0503]

jab the body

 

[Da Speeit]

dont be like BJ Penn and keep your hands at your base hand at your waist.

 

[thirteen]

^^^ confused - do you mean to keep your jab hand
low (at waist level) and throw it from there?

 

[hughes fan]

I find that if you jab and move in and make a pre-emptive duck it will normally keep you going also if you keep your hands moving.

 

[Da Speeit]

^^^ confused - do you mean to keep your jab hand
low (at waist level) and throw it from there?

no, i mean if you throw form an orthodox stance and you keep your right hand low while you jab, you will get countered, and you will get outstruck by someone who knows what theyre doing.

 

[cptsteve21]

As a short fighter who likes to jab, I <3 this thread.

 

[ssullivan80]

-Don't get lazy. Piston your fist out, piston your fist back.
-Jab at the shoulder, gloves, forearms, and elbows to jam up their arms and disrupt timing to get inside.
-Use quick footwork accompanied by a jab to get into the inside
-Keep things from being stale by feinting a jab and eliciting an exploitable response.

Anyone else care to comment on this?

All good techniques, but i would say those are true of either a taller or shorter opponent. Personally, i am a taller guy but have sparred a lot of shorter guys that gave me hell with their jab, here are a couple things i remember them doing.

- Doubling/tripling jab to the body (excellent technique for a shorter fighter)
- Up jabing, throwing it low to high to push the guard up, great way to close distance or set up body shot off the other hand
- counter jabing under the taller fighters jab, I.E: tall guys throws high, shorter guy drops/slips and fires his jab underneath..... land it up on the high floating ribs, shit hurts!
- saftey jabing, excellent technique to keep from getting countered and open up oppurtunities for your own counter. In short, throw a jab at the end of every combo.... 1,2,1 or 1,2, lead Uc body,1 ........ If your a shorter fighter give this a try, it will make it much tougher to counter you as a taller guy and that jab at the end of the combo will be a super high percentage shot, promise! you will land that last jab 8 of 10 times.

 

[Corey Roberts]

As a shorter guy who likes to jab, i say watch the shorter type of boxers like how rocky marciano and jake lamotta used to jab.


At about the 5 minute mark of this vid the guy shows how to get your head off the centre line while jabbing, pretty much how the above mentioned fighters jab and also how randy couture and dan henderson use their jabs

YouTube - Jab in Boxing

Also Miguel Cotto is a good example of how to use the jab when you're a shorter guy

 

[lovesick]

I know there's a lot of tips for taller fighters and jabbing, not being lazy, controlling distance, etc.

There's quite a bit of advice regarding being a shorter fighter against a taller fighter, but the jab is rarely referred to. I feel like there's little discussion on utilizing the jab as a smaller fighter. So I wanted to start a compendium of sound tactics using the jab against taller fighters.

Here's a few bits and pieces of advice I've collected over the years geared towards shorter fighters and jabbing:

-Don't get lazy. Piston your fist out, piston your fist back.
-Jab at the shoulder, gloves, forearms, and elbows to jam up their arms and disrupt timing to get inside.
-Use quick footwork accompanied by a jab to get into the inside
-Keep things from being stale by feinting a jab and eliciting an exploitable response.

Anyone else care to comment on this?

Great tips! Thanks!