The Jab: Elements of an Effective Strike

The Jab is a near-perfect weapon for a striker: It's quick. it's hard to defend, defensively it doesn't open you up very much and it sets up a variety of other attacks. A very large variety.

Elements of a good jab:

• Use the lead hand. The hand closest to your opponent.
•  Proper distance.
• You need to know how long your arm is. You don't want to flail at empty air. You want to make contact but not try to go too deep, that will only jam the jab, decreasing its effectiveness. The jab should make contact right at the end of snap when you throw it.
• Make it snap.
• The Jab should snap out like a whip and return just as quickly to the starting position.
• The fist should turn at the end of the strike, adding to the snapping effect. I only turn my fist about a quarter rather than a full turn, maybe it's my imagination but it just feels quicker to me. By that I mean I turn it from a vertical starting position to just a slight turn at the end of the punch, as illustrated below.

Beginning of jab

End of jab



• Throw your lead shoulder with the punch. Your shoulders should end up somewhat perpendicular to your opponent.
• Put your weight into it.
• Shift your weight onto your front foot with the impact of the punch.
• Typically, you move your front foot toward your target. I'll describe in more detail in later blogs but here are a couple of ways to do this:
• Move your front foot forward, toward the target. I call it "splitting the middle". Draw a line from your opponent's nose or chin straight down to the floor and step forward onto that line as you jab.
• Step out as you jab coordinating front and back feet as they move to the side, in order to reposition yourself and avoid a counter. 
• Snap your hip into the jab, same hip as the jab.
• On impact, your front foot, shoulder and hip should have shifted sharply toward the target.
• Hit with the big knuckles.
• As always, keep your chin down and tucked and stay loose.

This video shows how I do a jab:

That's enough for now. I'll talk more about the jab and footwork that goes along with it in future posts.  

The Jab: A Lesson From a Street Fight

The pure effectiveness of the jab

An atypical street fight
I saw a street fight many years ago, back in the day when I was inclined to hang out in places where such things happened and with people who they happened to, and I have recounted this fight several times to many of my martial arts students and other likewise interested persons.

Now, I have seen a number of street fights, bar fights, etc. (and have even been in a couple or three myself) but this was different: one of the fighters had true skill and a dynamite jab.


Jab master!
After the prerequisite shouting and pushing, one of the antagonists, a heavier, solid-built guy, charged the other, obviously going for a take down (he had been a state-level high school champ wrestler). The other man, tall and lanky and a few weight divisions smaller, stepped away and threw a picture-perfect, solid jab to the nose. Bam! Instant blood.

Stick and move
This went on for a bit--the big guy charging, trying to grab his opponent for a takedown or sometimes throwing wild, swinging punches, the skinnier guy jabbing accurately and moving away--until the bigger man began to stagger with each blow. Finally, the skinny guy followed the left jab with a hard right cross. This resulted in a spray of blood that splattered my shirt, and I was several feet away from the action. It only took a couple of these to lay the big man out, his face a mask of blood. As he struggled back to his feet, which took awhile, since his legs had been transformed into rubber, the skinny guy gave me a nod and took off (it was my job to keep the big guys friends from jumping him from behind).

Lesson learned.
So here was a huge lesson learned--not by the big guy, he didn't learn a thing, I saw him get in another fight a couple of weeks later, broken nose and all. But I learned how effective the jab could be. It became a foundation of my arsenal from that day on.

I also learned a bit about "fighting backwards." The bigger guy was, by any account, the more aggressive of the two combatants, always moving forward, always attacking. The other man backed away, sidestepped, and moved aside, even as he was landing ever-more-punishing blows.  In spite of the aggression of the bigger man, there was absolutely no doubt as to who won that fight. I laugh at amateur fight-watchers when they say "but he was more aggressive, he should have won." Aggression without effectiveness means nothing. "Fighting backwards" is a combat skill that is difficult to master, but perhaps one of the most effective.

In future posts I will be talking more about the jab--how you use footwork
to make it more effective, how you use it to set up other strikes, how to adapt it to self defense.


The jab is a near-perfect weapon. Every martial artist should work to perfect it.

"Shaolin" - the movie

Saw a great move over the weekend--"Shaolin". It had all of the elements that I love in an epic Chinese film: beautiful cinematography, incredible fight scenes and stunts, intrigue, high drama and even a bit of humor...and Jackie Chan.

Jackie Chan produced the film and played a part in it also, but it was only a supporting part which was just fine. He is turning into a pretty terrific character actor but can still pull off the action scenes even at age 57 (which I greatly admire, being nearly 59 myself and working hard to keep my skills as long as I can, struggling against the erosion of age and the ever-encroaching tide of time).

The movie hit notes that resonated with whole range of emotions, touching on themes of betrayal, redemption, honor, discipline, courage, dedication.

And the martial arts...inspiring! Made me want to go down to my workout room in the basement and run through my forms right then and there, and I haven't even practiced them for years! But I stayed up too late to watch the movie and all I could manage was to get up, make a drink, and plop back down on the couch. The burn is in my system though and I'll use it to fire up my next several workouts.

If you like a good Chinese martial arts epic, don't miss this one. I rate it five out of five super duper high kicks.

You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYV9thH5RhE

UFC 143: Nick Diaz is a punk-ass bitch

That's right, he's a punk-ass bitch, not quite sharp enough to understand that just walking forward, talking sh*t does NOT mean you won the fight.

Crybaby
And Diaz is a whiney-ass bitch too. Can't take a loss like a man. I hope he does retire from MMA and we don't have to ever look at this thug face again.

Condit won. Period.
If you have any doubt, watch the fight again and count up the number of effective strikes. It's not even close as shown here: http://mobile.mmamania.com/2012/2/5/2772471/ufc-143-results-nick-diaz-vs-carlos-condit-fight-metric-report-shows

Masterful game plan
Condit had a great strategy and stuck to it. It worked and worked well. No point in standing toe-to-to with arguably the best boxer in MMA. The stick-and-move strategy was very effective and a perfect fighting plan against an aggressive opponent. This is not a Tough Guy contest but the art and science of fighting. Sorry, Nick, but "walking him down" doesn't really qualify as a valid fighting strategy. Condit beat Diaz by outsmarting him and outplaying him. 'Nuff said.

The other fights:

Werdum vs. Nelson
Roy Nelson is one of the toughest sumbitches on the planet and that's all there is to it. But he can't keep taking beatings like this. Werdum used some excellent Muay Thai strking to just plain outfight him. Nelson's only game plan appeared to be stalking forward and trying to land a big right hand. Nothing else. Nelson needs to change things up in a big way or his career is as good as over. Werdum versus Dos Santos looks like a pretty good match to me.

Koscheck vs. Pierce
These guys looke pretty much alike fighting style-wise. A close fight that could have gone either way. Koschek won on the basis of a couple of takedowns. Could have gone either way. Koschek is an ass though and between him and Diaz, the event could have been titled "UFC 143: Night of the Dickheads."

Jorgensen vs. Barao
Good fight! Just what I thought it would be. Jorgensen coming forward and Barao getting the better of it with superior kicking ability and speed. Beautiful kicks by Barao. I love that the kicking game in MMA has evolved to what his is now. The very best fighters nowadays are throwing head kicks and spinning kicks. This adds artfulness to the MMA fight game and shows what some of us more traditional guys have always said: head kicks and spinning kicks are some of the most effective strikes. I love it!

Herman vs. Starks
Herman looked great. Nice trip takedown a rear naked choke. Keep an eye on him.

Prelim hightlights:

Steven Thompson
This talented young man comes from a traditional karate background and his fighting style completely displayed that. Reminded me of my old karate tournament competition days. Really, his style looks just like that. And it worked. Highlight reel roundhouse kick to the head knockout. Awesome.

Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway
Holloway is the youngest active fighter in the UFC and looks to have a great future. That being said, once it got to the ground Porier looked spectacular, transitioning easily from armbar to mounted triangle/armbar. Very cool

Caceres vs. Figueroa
Caceres (Bruce Leroy) landed two very effective kicks...to Figueroa's groin. Sloppy and inaccurate, Caceres has some skills that may end up being exciting one day, but that day is a ways off. He had plenty of opportunities to finish Figueroa on the ground and couldn't pull that off either. As far as Figueroa's skill, there is no way to judge for sure since he was fighting most of the fight with his groin kicked up into his lower intestine. Speaking from personal experience, it's hard to give your best performance after getting your boys hammered into oblivion.

Good fight night
All-in-all, a pretty damn good night of fights. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The UfC does it again!

UFC 143 Tonight

Just a quick thought on the upcoming fights:

He Ain't No Bruce Lee
It looks like a great card. I'm pretty excited about some of the matches--and the return of Bruce Leroy on the prelims!

Kidding. I was never very impressed with Bruce Leroy and thought it was was a desecration of the famed yellow and black track suit when he wore it on The Ultimate Fighter. If you  are going to pattern yourself after one of the greatest legends of martial arts, you damn well better back it up! Bruce Leroy (Alex Caceres) hasn't.

Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Will he be a new improved Ro,y even slimmer, with more endurance than his last fight? Or just a guy who can take a lot of punishment and hang in there? Really, I think this is a make or break fight for Roy. If he wants to stay relevant in the heavyweight division, he needs to make a statement here against Werdum, who is a pretty terrific fighter. Don't get me wrong, I like Roy, he's a real character, tough as nails and a pretty good fighter in his own right, butI think for him to be a real contender he needs to lose the belly and show some real conditioning.

Josh Koschek vs. Mike Pierce
Don't know much about Mike Pierce but, hey, he's fighting Josh Koschek, so kick some ass Mike Pierce!

Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen
This could be an awesome fight! Barao is a very talented young fighter and Jorgensen is just relentless. Potential fight of the night.

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
This really could be fight of the night, maybe fight of the year. I can't stand Diaz, to me he's just a disrespectful thug who can barely string an entire sentence together. Maybe a role model for gang-bangers but not for a potential martial artist. However, he is a great fighter, and, while I have no respect for him as a human being, I do respect his fighting ability.

I've always liked Condit and now that he's a family man, I like his backstory also. He's a man, not a punk.

I expect a great fight, and, if there is any justice, the good guy will win. Condit all the way!

Those are the fights I'm most interested in. Should be a pretty good night. I'm all atwitter. (I just wanted to say "atwitter")

The Spinning Hook Kick

Dramatic UFC Knockout
A few weeks ago at UFC 142 the first spinning hook kick knockout in UFC history was landed by Edson Barboza against Terry Etim. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfa5hoacoPs

It wasn't the first spinning hook kick thrown in the UFC, I've seen a few and a couple have been semi-effective, but mostly they don't work and look like crap.

Complicated Technique
Not that the hook kick itself is ineffective. If it's thrown properly, it's one of the most powerful kicks a martial artist can have in his (or her) arsenal. The torque of winding up your body and then rapidly unwinding, swinging your leg and foot at full speed, like a rope with a rock tied to the end of it, leads to a devastating impact...but only if you can put it on target.

But there's the rub--since it's one of the most complicated kicks in martial arts, it takes a long time to perfect and I believe most practitioners in the UFC nowadays, unless they have a background in a kicking art, just don't take the time to make it a decent weapon.

The Beauty of the Art of Kicking 
Flexibility (in your torso as well as legs) is key to spinning kicks, as well as leg strength, core strength and, of course proper technique. It takes time and effort. I came from a Tae Kwon Do background so kicking was our thing and I loved the beauty of the art of kicking. I still do.

The argument against spinning kicks is that they weren't effective, just a flashy move meant more for showing off than actual fighting. I knew better, having fought in full contact Tae Kwon Do tournaments where guys were trying to take my head off with a spinning kick. And I've whacked more than a few fighters with a well-timed spin kick that took them off their feet.

UFC 142, for me, was a vindication of the effectiveness of well-timed, well-executed spinning kick in a real fighting situation.

To all those who thought differently: told ya so.

I'll be 59 years old in a few weeks but I still love and practice the art of kicking. The video below is a movie I made a couple days ago of me practicing one of my favorite kicks. Yep, that's right, the spinning hook kick!

UFC on Fox

UFC on FOX: Evans vs. Davis

Haven't updated the blog for awhile but I'm getting back on it.

Watched the UFC on FOX last night. Wasn't impressed much. Here's how it all looked to me:

Damian Maia vs. Chris Weidman
A sloppy borefest. I don't know much about Weidman and I understand that he took the fight on 11 days notice and I've always liked Maia, but this looked like amateur tough guy boxing night. They're both grapplers that ended up doing standup striking and I get that, but, really, I was almost embarrassed for the UFC with this fight. This was the first fight on a card televised on a national network and it was, for the most part, an ugly boxing match with a few sloppy kicks. After a minute into the second round I just wanted it to end. Maia was originally scheduled to fight Bisping and he's lucky he didn't, he probably would have had his butt handed to him.

Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping
I don't care for Michael Bisping. I think he's a jerk and I'm always rooting for whoever he's fighting to give him the same treatment that Dan Henderson did and shut him up decisively.

However, I do respect his fighting ability. He's a warrior and one of the best strikers out there and his fights are always entertaining. Due to an injury to Mark Munoz, he had to prepare for a different fighter: Chael Sonnen, arguably the best wrestler in the UFC.

This was a pretty good fight. Bisping accounted himeslf well and it was very close up until the third round which was decisively Sonnen's. That being said, the first two rounds could have gone either way. Chael didn't look nearly as good as he did against Brian Stann or Anderson Silva. Did he cut too much weight?

Chael's post-fight Joe Rogan interview was a hoot though when he turned the questions back to Joe: "Are you not mesmerized? Do you not have chills going up your spine? For the first time on FOX for you to be here in Chael's Octagon, on Chael's channel, holding Chael's microphone, interviewing Chael?"

You just gotta love it.

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis
Again, another not very exciting fight. Phil Davis was out of his league and I wonder at the decission to pit him against Rashad on such a national stage. Not great matchmaking, if you ask me. If people turned in to watch UFC fights for the first time , I'm not sure they were overly impressed. Davis was outclassed in every area. And his kicking ability, which he was somewhat touted for, just wasn't very good. He really needs to check out my videos!

I'm definitely not a Rashad fan but I found myself rooting for him here for some reason.Maybe he's gotten a tad humbler over the years. He sure didn't seem to be fighting all out though. He had plenty of opportunities to really take it to Davis and he just...didn't. I think he was just playing this one safe and was really more concerned with only doing enough to get the win so he could concentrate on the upcoming Jon Jones fight.

Blogging more regularly
Sorry it's been so locg between blogs. I have had a lot going on. My work has been sucking up energy that I'd rather spend on writing, but what can you do? I still have a lot to offer to the martial arts and I want to show what a dedicated martial artist can do at ages well over fifty. I'll be 59 in a few weeks and I still train regularly and effectively. I'll be discussing that quite a bit over the next few blogs as well asgiving tips tips and loading videos and a buncha stuff. My plan is to publish at least one blog a week. I have some big ideas for this blog. It will eventually contain my history and the fullness of my art. Big plans. Stick around and check it out.