My first fight!

**erezb** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 6:35am

Yichaloi, i did mean that you need to perfect your jab, and use it, it is a great tool.
I'll give you a tip on how to really get your left hand and jab in particular better.
Start adding 2 rounds of just left hand boxing (sparring) to your warm ups. If your partner is not a challenge than he can go either both hands or even full all out while you are confined to using only your left hand.
After that, ill probably work on just boxing. A good way to learn how to fight close (beside toe to toe sparring which you should add too) is this:
One of you is number 1, and he can hit with a single punch either a left or a right hook, number two blocks or duck or whatever he wants but, the second he blocked he answers with a couple of hooks himself. If you tend to jump back you will find it too hard to come back with your own two hooks...you will start to bob, and block whilst getting closer and into a punch. If you guys want to spice it up, add the body as an option. Also you can switch it so number 1 throws two hooks and number 2 answers with 1.
I have a ton of those..if you liked it ill give you more.
For a kickboxing match, there is a nice drill to teach you to go inside a round house kick and counter punch. Number 1 throws a high round house and number 2 gets inside with his guard up (the side of the kick) and throws a hard punch to the neck or diaphragm (usually experienced fighters will protect their face with one hand so initially going to the body is great) This is basically a counter to a kick with a punch (over hand are also good). If you drill this both ways it will also teach you how to be on the receiving end and to return quickly from a kick to a good stance...

**erezb** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 6:50am

i forgot to add, that after the counter punch to a round house you continue with a few quick punches while driving forward and getting out clean.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 11:56am

Originally Posted by erezb

Yichaloi, i did mean that you need to perfect your jab, and use it, it is a great tool.
I'll give you a tip on how to really get your left hand and jab in particular better.
Start adding 2 rounds of just left hand boxing (sparring) to your warm ups. If your partner is not a challenge than he can go either both hands or even full all out while you are confined to using only your left hand.
After that, ill probably work on just boxing. A good way to learn how to fight close (beside toe to toe sparring which you should add too) is this:
One of you is number 1, and he can hit with a single punch either a left or a right hook, number two blocks or duck or whatever he wants but, the second he blocked he answers with a couple of hooks himself. If you tend to jump back you will find it too hard to come back with your own two hooks...you will start to bob, and block whilst getting closer and into a punch. If you guys want to spice it up, add the body as an option. Also you can switch it so number 1 throws two hooks and number 2 answers with 1.
I have a ton of those..if you liked it ill give you more.
For a kickboxing match, there is a nice drill to teach you to go inside a round house kick and counter punch. Number 1 throws a high round house and number 2 gets inside with his guard up (the side of the kick) and throws a hard punch to the neck or diaphragm (usually experienced fighters will protect their face with one hand so initially going to the body is great) This is basically a counter to a kick with a punch (over hand are also good). If you drill this both ways it will also teach you how to be on the receiving end and to return quickly from a kick to a good stance...

Dude, you really need to learn how to breakdown your instruction better.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 12:16pm

He's ESL

**Yimchaloi** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 12:23pm

Originally Posted by Matt Phillips

He's ESL

I understood him just fine. He uses English better than most native English-speakers online. X-D

**Yimchaloi** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 12:24pm

Originally Posted by erezb

Yichaloi, i did mean that you need to perfect your jab, and use it, it is a great tool.
I'll give you a tip on how to really get your left hand and jab in particular better.
Start adding 2 rounds of just left hand boxing (sparring) to your warm ups. If your partner is not a challenge than he can go either both hands or even full all out while you are confined to using only your left hand.
After that, ill probably work on just boxing. A good way to learn how to fight close (beside toe to toe sparring which you should add too) is this:
One of you is number 1, and he can hit with a single punch either a left or a right hook, number two blocks or duck or whatever he wants but, the second he blocked he answers with a couple of hooks himself. If you tend to jump back you will find it too hard to come back with your own two hooks...you will start to bob, and block whilst getting closer and into a punch. If you guys want to spice it up, add the body as an option. Also you can switch it so number 1 throws two hooks and number 2 answers with 1.
I have a ton of those..if you liked it ill give you more.
For a kickboxing match, there is a nice drill to teach you to go inside a round house kick and counter punch. Number 1 throws a high round house and number 2 gets inside with his guard up (the side of the kick) and throws a hard punch to the neck or diaphragm (usually experienced fighters will protect their face with one hand so initially going to the body is great) This is basically a counter to a kick with a punch (over hand are also good). If you drill this both ways it will also teach you how to be on the receiving end and to return quickly from a kick to a good stance...

A thousand thanks for the wonderful advice and drill tips! I'm gonna put it to use ASAP!

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 12:34pm

Originally Posted by Matt Phillips

He's ESL

What does that have to do with breaking down his instruction better?

Here's your drill:

1. one person does this and other person does this.
2. Change drill to this.

or

Here's what you do:

blah blah blah

(insert paragraph)

blah blah blah.

Neophytes.

*(edit)

BTW I think it's a good drill. I do this with my fighters to get their jabs going too.

I was giving constructive criticism to help him in the future. Feel free to go sit and spin.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 2:04pm

Originally Posted by Omega Supreme

What does that have to do with breaking down his instruction better?

Here's your drill:

1. one person does this and other person does this.
2. Change drill to this.

or

Here's what you do:

blah blah blah

(insert paragraph)

blah blah blah.

Neophytes.

*(edit)

BTW I think it's a good drill. I do this with my fighters to get their jabs going too.

I was giving constructive criticism to help him in the future. Feel free to go sit and spin.

I'm saying he might have broken it down better in Jewbrew.

**patfromlogan** · Posted On: 1/06/2013 2:20pm

Good fight and congrats on getting in the ring. You showed plenty of fighting spirit. Competition teaches quickly, eh? Erezb might have some good advice, but it's hard for me to read it.

Paragraphs are our friends.

There's some good videos on youtube (this isn't like my style, but I like it:

- Larry Holmes's jab is famous, too - you might check out some youtube stuff)

A good jab drill is (after getting form down - get a good coach or ask a decent boxer or two) to use a mirror doing sets punching at your own face, working on speed, while keeping good form. Common problems are hitting too much with little finger side rather than straight and also avoiding hooking. In and out piston - I was taught to alternate left right 20 total a couple times a day and I was told when it gets hard to see your hands, you are getting fast.

We trained jab/step as a basic line drill in our Utah Kyokushin dojo, didn't in Hawaii - what I mean is, find a school that does teach combo drills effectively.

**erezb** · Posted On: 1/08/2013 5:32am

As i see it, to perfect your jab, you need to change something inherent in your brain.
Your left hand should start playing a bigger part than your right (or dominant hand vs recessive).
The jab has many rolls to play and not just a sharp crisp attack, it could be a great defensive tool, a distracting tool etc. In order for you to really start using it properly, just drilling offensive jabs won't do the trick (on it's own), the point of the left hand (recessive) sparring is more than that. You don't just jab, you use your left hand as a shield, as a distraction, and as a great offensive tool.

What the left hand sparring drill also does, is to give you a setting where you feel "safe" to experiment with different ranges, different distance closing techniques, staying for longer periods in a close toe to toe range etc.

By knowing that only one hand is dangerous you start training your brain as well, not only because you can stay calmer during sparring, but also because this unique situation enables you and demands you to THINK. Your opponent is harder to hit as well so you need to be creative if you want to score points. You will soon transfer from trading jabs to actually boxing (a lot of lateral movement, circling each other, faints, clinches, shoulder tackles to put him off balance etc.)

What i wanted to add here, and i think is important if you want to optimize this drill, is that though your right hand isn't used for offense it is extremely active in defense, in clinching and tying him up. This is a great and safe way to also train how to close the distance, how to clinch, how to tie someone up and than while untying how to hit him.
While you train all of those concepts your left hand becomes a serious tool, and you will start using the jab like a pro in no time.