Jab Night

Club session — the punch that runs the whole sport

Boxing
Mixed club class
60 min
Built for 1 coach : 12 boxers (scales 8–16)
1 coach
Effort 3/5
Boxing gym floor
jab
pads
footwork
fundamentals
club night

The MatPlans curriculum teamBJJ black belts & coaches · 12+ yrs on the mat

Kit: 6 pairs of focus pads, gloves and wraps for all, timer or round bell. No sparring tonight.

Warm-up10 min

Feet Before Fists

Setup: Boxers in three lines of four across the floor, everyone in stance, wraps on. Gloves stay off until pad work.

How it works: Two rounds of footwork lengths: step-drag forward, step-drag back, lateral steps each way — always from stance, always chin down. Then two three-minute shadow rounds with thirty seconds rest: round one hands empty and slow, round two adding a light jab on every third step. Walk the lines correcting stances; tonight every fault you fix here disappears from the pad work later.

What to say

“Feet shoulder-width, back heel alive — you punch from the floor up.”
“Step and drag; never let the feet cross or click together.”
“Shadow slow enough to feel the balance on every step.”

Easier

Lengths at walking pace; one shadow round.

Harder

Second shadow round in front of the mirror, self-checking the guard after every jab.

Drill12 min

Technique of the Day — The Jab

Setup: Semi-circle around you. Demo the jab three ways: in the air at speed, slow with the steps counted, and once badly on purpose — show them the lazy jab so they recognise it in themselves.

How it works: Break the jab down, then build it back up in the air on your count: ten slow, ten at half speed, ten sharp. Add the step-jab: jab lands as the lead foot lands, not after. Then the double jab: first one measures, second one means it. Finish with one minute of each boxer jabbing in the air at their own rhythm while you circle and correct.

The technique, step by step

From stance: chin down, lead shoulder loose, rear hand glued to the cheek.
Push off the back foot as the lead hand leaves the guard — no wind-up, no drop.
Extend straight down the centre line, rotating the fist palm-down at the last moment.
Land with the shoulder rolled up to cover the chin.
Snap the hand straight back along the same line to the guard.
Step-jab: lead foot and jab land together; drag the back foot to rebuild stance.

Key details

Straight out, straight back — the jab travels the same corridor twice.
The rear hand NEVER moves while the jab works; it's the doorman, not the guest.
Speed comes from relaxation; a tight arm is a slow arm.

Common mistakes

Dropping the hand on the way back — the loop home is where counters land.
Leaning the head forward over the jab — the punch reaches, the chin doesn't.

What to say

“The jab is a question you ask all night — snap it out, snap it home.”
“Turn the fist over at the end like turning a key.”
“The hand comes back to your cheekbone before anything else happens.”

Easier

Stationary jab only; no step until the arm path is clean.

Harder

Jab on the move: circling left behind it, one jab per step for a full minute.

Drill10 min

Mirror Rounds

Setup: Pairs facing each other at range, no gloves needed, NO contact — the partner's guard is the target line, punches stop a hand's length short.

How it works: Three rounds of two minutes, thirty seconds rest. Round one: A jabs at range, B step-drags to keep the exact distance — no defending, just footwork reading. Round two: swap. Round three: both may jab and both may slip or catch on the glove line, still no contact. It looks like sparring, teaches the eyes like sparring, and bruises nobody.

Rounds: 3 × 2 min · 30s rest · strictly no contact

What to say

“Keep the range where their jab would just miss — that's the distance boxing lives at.”
“Watch the chest, not the eyes — chests don't feint.”
“Slips are small: move the head off the line a fist-width, no bowing.”

Easier

Half speed throughout; catches only, no slips.

Harder

Round three adds the double jab; partner must slip the second one.

The rest of this lesson is free — along with 3 more this week.

House lesson.

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