One of the most important punches/strikes you have in your toolkit is the Jab, or your lead hand strike, which you may of course use as an open-handed strike, rather than a punch. The reason it is so important to be able to land this strike is that in all likelihood it will be the first strike you throw in a face-to-face confrontation, due to it – in most cases – being the nearest “weapon” you have to the “closest” target e.g., the face/eyes or throat etc. Obviously, there may be times where this isn’t the case, however if I’ve identified a person’s harmful intent towards me, I’ll have brought my hands up into some form of position where they can be used defensively and offensively (for pre-emptive striking). The first strike/punch that you throw, is in many cases the only conscious decision you will make when striking and once done you will largely be fighting on automatic pilot, relying on your training to kick in – if you have to “think” about each punch/strike you make, the natural speed of a real-life confrontation will quickly leave you behind. In this article I want to look at some of the ways you can increase your chances of getting your lead hand strike/punch/Jab to land, which will then allow you to follow up with other punches and strikes to overwhelm your aggressor.

Feinting is one way you can “distract” an aggressor, to increase the chances of your strike/punch landing. Unfortunately, many people throw feints as part of a pre-set combination, and the feint actually works as an “alert” that a punch is on its way, rather than as a distraction e.g., people will throw a non-committal half jab out, as a feint, followed by the “real” jab, that comes after it on the same level, etc. If the feint is merely an imitation of the actual punch coming in, you may cause an aggressor to react to it, but they will be reacting/responding in a manner that may be useful for dealing with the actual/real strike. A feint has two parts to it: you have to sell it to your aggressor, and you have to have confirmation that your aggressor has bought it. If you don’t wait to see if your assailant has bought your feint, you could be setting out on a course of action that is doomed to fail e.g., if you throw out a half-jab, and the person you are dealing with recognizes the range you are at, they may move back, so that you have to over-extend to get your “real” punch to land; you are now playing their game, rather than your own. The easiest way to tell if someone has bought your feint, is to have a response that you are expecting them to make, such as if you feint a low punch, you see your assailant’s hands drop to block it (which would also make the face an easier target to hit), or if you quickly raise your front foot – as if to kick – you see your aggressor look down etc. A very skilled fighter may know how to recognize a feint and how to appear as if they’ve bought it, but over-thinking in this way is likely to mean that you will never throw a punch, and so as with everything you have to accept that your “plans” should be fluid, rather than set. Obviously, feints can be used within a combination, but the purpose of this article is to look at how to improve the chances of your first punch/strike landing.

Head movement can also be used as a distraction. If your face is “framed” in your guard, an assailant doesn’t have to think about where to punch or strike, however if your face is moving behind your arms/hands, you are presenting them with a problem that they need to solve, which will slow them down. By creating this problem, your assailant’s focus will be taken away from their own defense, as they become preoccupied with their offensive problem. Any head movement should be small, but at the same time it should be significant enough to draw attention to it. Head movement preceding a strike/punch should be short e.g., a couple of movements, and then the punch etc. An easy way to start getting into the habit of incorporating head movement, is to first move the head/face to the side (not turning it) you are going to punch with – so if you’re in an orthodox stance, and you are going to throw your left Jab, this would be to your left – and then bring it back to the opposite side, and as you bring your face/head back to center, to throw the left Jab out. The trick is to get your assailant to focus on the moving target of your head, and whilst they are following its movement (back to center), to make the strike/punch.

Human beings can’t multi-task, so to draw attention to something else, whether it is head movement or a feint is a good way to set up a strike/punch, in the opening stages of – and during – a physical conflict/confrontation. The first punch you throw, whether it’s pre-emptive, or when you’ve created enough space/time to make your attack, is an extremely important one. If it doesn’t land or exert enough pain and disruption to your assailant, then it is unlikely that any subsequent strike/punch you throw after it is going to be effective. Not only does this set you back, but it also sends a message to the person you are dealing with that you are of little danger to them, increasing their confidence and decisiveness – which may be the difference between their success and failure.