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Mostly it's the other techniques available but there are good jabbers such as Petrosyan and Kyshenko, even Buakaw got a lot of utility out of his jab.
Why isn't the jab utilized as much in Kickboxing?
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Not so. Ask any boxing instructor about his prospects and he will tell you that his best students all had in one thing in common: a good jab....And that's right from when they started out.
How is it hard? Minimal effort is required if you got the reach.
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Quite so, actually. You are just reading "as well" in a way that is different than my intention. Set up, application, etc. I was not referring to technique and power. I was referring to all the stuff that goes into the technique and power counting.
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Is it really so surprising?
Because when people can kick, they'll spend less focus on punching, and some of the things you would use a jab for in boxing, overlap with other tools you would use in the same role in kickboxing (such as the longest range 'pokes' you can use).
Because when people can kick, they'll spend less focus on punching, and some of the things you would use a jab for in boxing, overlap with other tools you would use in the same role in kickboxing (such as the longest range 'pokes' you can use).
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I've often seen Kickboxers use low kicks as a more common tool than the jab.
With that said, Kickboxers do use the jab, it's actually a punch you can use to set up your kicks. But it's not considered the most important technique because you can do so much more.
Big probem though is, when you jab you're at a range disadvantage to a kick and you also leave an entire side of your body open and also put weight on your front leg, which can get chopped out from under you.
The jab is more important in Boxing than Kickboxing, because you only have a "handful", no pun intended, of weapons and don't have to worry about as many weapons that a Kickboxer has at their disposal.
Boxers need to use the jab more because it's one of the few weapons afforded to them.
With that said, Kickboxers do use the jab, it's actually a punch you can use to set up your kicks. But it's not considered the most important technique because you can do so much more.
Big probem though is, when you jab you're at a range disadvantage to a kick and you also leave an entire side of your body open and also put weight on your front leg, which can get chopped out from under you.
The jab is more important in Boxing than Kickboxing, because you only have a "handful", no pun intended, of weapons and don't have to worry about as many weapons that a Kickboxer has at their disposal.
Boxers need to use the jab more because it's one of the few weapons afforded to them.
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Jabs are useful to get a reaction / pull up their hands so you can land a stronger punch.
Also it can stop people from moving / stop them in place so you can land a leg kick.
Besides that, I use a power / step jab to " close the gap " and enter punching range. If you are confident they won't lowkick counter you ( tired, distracted, on the ropes ), or you enter at an angle, or you are firing as they are off balance ( doing a switch kick ) it works best.
A lot of traditional muay thai practitioners seems to have a tempo or cadence and jabs are good for interrupting it. Saenchai ( always relevant ) uses it a lot for that reason.
Also it can stop people from moving / stop them in place so you can land a leg kick.
Besides that, I use a power / step jab to " close the gap " and enter punching range. If you are confident they won't lowkick counter you ( tired, distracted, on the ropes ), or you enter at an angle, or you are firing as they are off balance ( doing a switch kick ) it works best.
A lot of traditional muay thai practitioners seems to have a tempo or cadence and jabs are good for interrupting it. Saenchai ( always relevant ) uses it a lot for that reason.
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Kickboxers especially Dutch Kickboxers will not be at a range disadvantage for their kicks if in a 'punch range'. if anything it would favor them, compared to say the shorts of Muay Thai. Not every kick in martial arts is a MT round house kick.
Even a head kick from an elbow distance is easily achievable. With that being said, I do agree that the jab is a great tool to utilize to set up your kicks (I use it myself). I wouldn't say that jabbing is ONLY effective for set ups though as the jab can be utilized effectively with proper technique and timing. When you see the average person punch, they're very telegraphic, they pull back their jabs.
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If we want to talk about the typical Dutch Kickboxers, who use punch punch low kick combinations, they have a tendancy to just fight in the pocket and not use the jab(which is a long range punch) or a very large variety of kicks at all.
They rarely use the jab, just like they rarely use the mid body kick.
RvR or Kiria(he does ocassionaly whip out a flying kick though, but it never lands) are perfect examples of this.
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You went from 'jabs put you at a range disadvantage to kick and leave your entire side body to dutch kickboxers who use punch punch low kick combos ........... 'not use the jab or a large varierty'.... well the punch punch i assume is a jab cross leg kick.... ? that's a jab?
I won't disagree but man there's more than your generic 1, 2 low kick combo lol. look man my view will not be as right as say someone that trains in Netherlands but my background is in shinkyokushin karate which is what i train and compete it in as well as boxing so you could say stylistically it does lean more towards that style.
A jab is basically a punch with your lead leg bro.... it doesn't necesarilly have to be used as a means of a "Long range punch". It can also be used to create or gather distance and space, used as feints to read how your opponent reacts, closing that distance, utilising it to create openings and for combos etc.
A lot of these deadly kicks you guys are talking about can be interrupted with a stiff jab to the face. Unless you are outside of punching range, a jab is far quicker than any kick you could throw, be it the MT round house, TKD round house, low kick, crescent kick, axe kick.
If you never work your jab obviously reaching out and touching the persons face isn't going to accomplish much while they swing their shin into you face/body, but a decent jab is a much quicker much more direct attack than any kick.
If you never work your jab obviously reaching out and touching the persons face isn't going to accomplish much while they swing their shin into you face/body, but a decent jab is a much quicker much more direct attack than any kick.
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It depends. If you're using an outside jab and staying there you will get chopped up by legkicks, but if you use an aggressive one you can really fluster kickers. Pressuring with the jab while moving forward does a lot of things. It closes the distance, it pushes your opponent back, it disrupt their rhythm. All things that makes it a lot harder to lowkick someone. If you can't check or evade, moving into the kick and letting it slide up is better than moving away from it.
Many kickers have a poor inside game, I've found, (unless they can clinch effectively) and don't like being pressured and punched in the face. The jab can work extremely well if you have the pressuring boxing style to back it up.
Yup. Even the kickboxer who beat me up got nailed with jabs and had a pretty virginal defence
Yes it is. If you watch old K1 fights they have these waiting games despite being in range to jab. Nobody wants to commit. A jab is fairly non commital so why not throw it.
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An explanation is not an excuse; it's not to say you can't more optimally use the jab in kickboxing contexts, but that such are, in any case, factors behind the end-of-the-day trend of it being less common/why people have an easier time (comparatively) getting away with not spending as much of their training focus on the matter.
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I refuse to belive natural-born athletes at striking, like elite Kickboxers, would have any difficulties refining their jab with just a few months in camp. The only reason I question their strategies is because I see perfect openings for them. By contrast, in side on-stances adopted by American style Kickboxing, the jab is less potent simply because the opponent is not in reach, but that is not the case in K1.
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Yeah. Why wouldn't a world class kickboxer be able focus on the jab? You can win rounds with the jab!
