Body Jab

A jab thrown to the opponent's stomach or lower ribs rather than the head. Used to break rhythm, drop the opponent's guard for a head shot, and rack up scoring punches in close. The body jab requires a slight knee bend — not a hunch — so that the punch travels horizontally to the target. Best paired with a head-jab feint: jab high, then a half-second later, jab low. The double-attack is one of the foundations of Sugar Ray Leonard's offence.

Key points

• ▸Bend the knees, not the back, to drop level.
• ▸Punch travels horizontally — not down.
• ▸Rear hand stays at the temple for the counter cross.
• ▸Use as a rhythm-breaker, not a finisher.
• ▸Set up the head shot — the head-body switch is far more effective than either alone.

Common mistakes

• ✗Hunching forward instead of bending the knees — opens the chin to the cross.
• ✗Throwing the body jab and stepping in — caught by a knee-or-elbow uppercut.
• ✗Dropping the rear hand to telegraph the level change.
• ✗Body-jabbing too high (the chest is not a scoring target).

Drills

1. Heavy-bag: 3 rounds, alternating body and head jab every 3 seconds.
2. Mitts: catcher calls "1B" (body jab) and "1H" (head jab) randomly.
3. Shadow: every level change must include a knee bend, not a hunch.

Related techniques