What is your critea for a 'good' jab? Why are these things effective and important? Also please use a fighter to illustrate your examples
The same things that make for good punches of other sorts: - Timing - Power - Speed - Placement - Variety - Unpredictability - Frequency
the way it is used to control a fight.... to make people weary of trying to go in .... to use it as a setup for a straight right hand or left. to carve up someones face with that leather that snap that can create a flash knockdown.
1 - Accuracy You can't waste jabs. If you're jab is being countered, how you going to lead off? It's the hardest punch to miss with, especially if you hold your left like Barney Ross, so if you can't deploy it accurately, at the very least you need to be very very economic and you probably need to turn counter puncher yourself. Example, Barney Ross v McLarning III [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zytOp1o3xMg[/ame] 2 - Variety It sort of ties in with the above, but if you're leading with the same jab over and again, you're going to get found out. You got to mix the jab up and feint with it, too, throw other shots upon setting it up, body-head, hook of the jab, hook whilst jabbing etc. Example - Buchanan v Lee [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU5fEgPP6Cw[/ame] Ken has a "standard" jab, but note how he feints to the body, leads with it to the body, couters with it off the back foot, throws it as the second punch in a combo, hooks from a jabbing position, steps in with the jab, all in the first round. Talk about a rythym breaker. And these two things are the most important things. There are loads and loads of other things to consider, pace, power, range finding (Barney-Ross v McLarning is actually a good example of this, too), economy, timing, even targetting, but they are all secondary IMO. If you have variety and accuracy, genuinely master both, you have your world-class jab.
But how are these utilised to make it work? What makes these things? McGrain broke it down what I was looking for, anyone else want to add their spin, or add another category?
To set-up other shots, to blind your man, to round off combinations. The jab has multiple applications. Some flick, some thud, others snap; so to do the delivery of them widely vary. Erik Morales used to talk of using his jab as a weapon, to hurt people with, not simply used as a radar. Barney Ross explained this style as "burning the punch in." What makes a jab good depends on how one uses it to their advantage; taller fighters should snake with it like Foster or Lewis, shorter men should double it up to get closer and back opponents up. More often than not fighters who rarely jab fight scrappy. It is quite amazing how its uses go from one thing to the next. Early jabs are essentially fishing rods and then when they've found their fish they exchange it for a spear.
A good jab establishes range from your opponent. Why do so many fighters come out just jabbing in the first round? They are trying to establish the distance where they can touch their opponent and not be hit in return by either keeping them off balance (a taller opponent), or at distance (a shorter opponent). Then once the range is established, more punches can be put behind it. The jab should come straight out from your fighting position with your elbow in and come right back to the same spot, no hooking or telegraphing, that just increases the distance it has to travel to your opponent.
the jab is also good for scoring high in punches thrown... sometimes throwing the jab can make you look more busy ...sometimes they are deflected but judges think they land ....
I wont go for the obvious . Jose Napoles Luis Rodriguez You should jab as though you are punching through your opponent,imo. Timing, accuracy .It should be punishing enough to break up an attack ,and be the core of your own,the first building block in your house.
I don't think there's anything wrong with throwing deliberately lazy, innacurate or out of range jabs to set traps if you have the skillset to do so.though of course you need to be sharp and wary when doing so, not underestimating the opponent's speed or countering prowess. Napoles, Monzon, Conteh, Canto, Archie Moore...were all great at deceiving fighters with the "out of range" jab, and luring them onto other leads or further jabs.
Most have been mentioned but I'd add RANGE and ability to cover distance (ie stepping in) - Hearns has a great jab but even if he has the best chin of all time he isnt outjabbing Vitali Klitschko
Olivares, too. A younger Olivares doing it here, lazy jab/feint/trap. Quality stuff. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avAPDQW36tE&feature=related[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAIzlwg84y8&feature=related[/ame]