It Just Takes a Step of Faith

Just for my fighter buds who may read this, I’ve decided to explain briefly – MY personal method for stopping a constant left jab.  This takes a bit of preparation and some skill, as counter-striking, unlike other styles takes footwork, pinpoint timing, measuring of tempo, beat, cadence, a scary blocking technique, a rock solid left jab and finally – NO FEAR!

So, I find myself in the dojo, maybe on a mat or in the ring, sparring with another kickboxer or MMA fighter.  These guys can box pretty well and the jab is the attacking weapon that usually begins the intermediate zone where punching works well.  Many years ago, I naturally developed into a counter striker due to the back lot rules of Karate Tournaments that I used to frequent 20 yrs ago.  They would line up all of the guys in a row and if you were my height 6′ they’d toss you in against the heavyweights because you looked too big for fitting their lightweight division – plus it made for rounder numbers!  I found myself at 6′ 178 lbs. fighting guys who went 220 to 250 pounds.  Sound crazy?  It was, I was injured many times by my sheer determination to compete, rather than get a refund and go home.  You learn quickly not to run up into these big guys, but just pepper them like a swarm of bees upon any mistake they make. 

I used to take my fingers and rapidly thrust them straight into my eyeballs for several minutes without blinking or closing my eyes, until I could feel my fingertips actually touching my lashes, until there was no way I would close them in the face of an incoming punching combination, for years (not everyday – but every week).  You have to see at all times in exchanges of blows – it’s the ones you don’t see that put you on your back.

Already armed with decent boxing skills, I began my counter to his left jab.  Yes the left jab – as fighters are predominately right handed and will normally use the traditional – left side forward, on-guard position, which has the left hand leading whatever they do, which is usually a left jab or left backfist.

I’m in a right side forward stance too – mirroring the opponent.  He keeps flicking hard jabs but is not connecting yet.  I begin to give ground, as this draws him in deeper.  I note the body language and tempo or cadence of the exchanges and begin to formulate my move.  Then, at the precise moment that he slides in and starts to throw that left jab, I pick it off with my back hand (just a whisker away from connecting) and not disrupting it with my lead hand.  At that exact moment, I have also planted my feet (he closes the gap with his own footwork) and throw a crunching left jab back (eyes wide open!) and now, mis-directed, he lunges right into it – unable to stop anything in enough time from being clocked with my jab, now made exponentially stronger by my setting down into the punch and brushing his jab away with my right (back hand).  The combination of his lunging in and meeting no resistance and my stepping in with a very stiff left jab, eyes open and headed for his nose or point of chin – is like mixing gasoline with fire – a big explosion inside, as his brain is jarred and unexpectedly at that.  It will put a larger man down on a knee, or kind of on queer street, long enough to follow up with some real hard knocks.  Occasionally it even produces knock-downs on some pretty big guys (by comparison).

So there you are, once you’ve stepped into the jab, eyes open, with a proper rear hand block and launch your own jab as he falls into it – you’ll love me for teaching this, just in case you didn’t know how to do it yet.  All it takes is removing natural fear of getting hammered and a little faith in your technique – it works – it REALLY works!