When to Use
Use to change the opponent's eye level, set up head shots by getting them to lower their guard, or when they're guarding their head too tightly. Excellent in the first round to establish body attack.
Execution Steps
- Bend your knees deeply to drop your entire level 6-8 inches — keep your spine vertical and your back straight. Never bend at the waist, which pitches your head forward into the danger zone.
- Extend the lead hand straight to the opponent's solar plexus or floating ribs, using the same arm mechanics as a standard jab — the only difference is your lowered center of gravity.
- Keep your rear hand firmly pressed to your cheekbone throughout the throw to protect your chin — your lowered position makes you especially vulnerable to hooks and overhands from above.
- Push off the lead foot to return to upright stance immediately after the punch lands — staying low too long signals your intention and invites the opponent to time an uppercut or hook as you rise.
Coaching Cues
"Bend the knees — not the waist."
"Eyes stay up."
"Go low then come back high."
Pro Tips
- The body jab's primary value is as a setup — throw it low to pull the opponent's guard downward, then immediately come back with a jab to the head through the gap you created.
- In Soviet boxing methodology, the body jab is thrown while bouncing forward on the pendulum step, using forward momentum to add force to the punch without telegraphing the level change.
- Exhale sharply through clenched teeth on impact to brace your own core — the lowered body position compresses your torso, and an unbraced core at this angle is vulnerable to counters.
- Use the body jab in the first round to establish that you attack both levels — this plants a seed of doubt that makes every subsequent head feint more effective.
Conditioning Drills
- Wall Sits: 3 sets of 60-90 seconds — builds the quad endurance to sustain the low crouch position needed for repeated body jabs without fatiguing in late rounds.
- Shadowboxing (body only): 3 rounds of 3 minutes targeting only the body — trains the muscle memory for smooth level changes and reinforces the habit of returning to upright stance after every body shot.
- Resistance Band Jabs from Squat: 3 sets of 30 jabs from a squat position with a band looped around your back — builds shoulder endurance specifically in the lowered position where the front deltoid works against gravity at an unfamiliar angle.
Gym Workout: Level Change & Body Attack
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Q1 of 3
Which coaching cue belongs to the Body Jab?