Next video in the ‘Muay Thai 101’ series covers the first two punches I teach people when they first join The Thai Boxing Institute:
The ‘Jab’ and the ‘Cross’. Also known as the ‘One’ and ‘Two’.
The simplest but most used punches in all striking sports.
From these two punches, we can create a series of different combinations.
What is a combination? A combination simply denotes that we throwing more than one strike at a time.
This video covers but one, simple, yet effective combination; Your first combo:
The “Jab+Cross” or the “One+Two”.
Your lead hand is called your jab, also called ‘One’ and your rear side is called your cross, also called “Two”.
Jab is ‘one’, cross is ‘Two’. Two different ways of calling the same thing.
Each strike has a step. Each combination has a step, Often times, that step is taken by the lead leg.
There is more to just merely taking a single. One, in fact, can take multiple steps while executing punches in a combination, but that is a more intermediate topic.
For now, let us concern ourselves with learning how to take a step with each single punch or combination.
In boxing, when we execute the punch, the hand and the foot move in sync, or at the same time.
If the lead moves for a jab, the lead foot moves with it.
If you are throwing a rear punch, it is still going to be the lead foot moving simultaneously with the rear hand.
First combo? Jab cross, or one-two. One step with the lead leg, two punches.
Things to consider:
What we are doing is simply drawing a straight line with our arms, and tracing it back.
I like to think I’m holding a marker in my hand and doing just that, drawing a straight line and tracing it back.
Don’t ‘loop’ the punches and end up drawing ‘elliptical’ circles.
All punches are thrown from your fight stance, hands up, chin down.
In this fight stance, you are relaxed.
You take one small breath, inhale from you nose.
It is when you execute the technique that there is tension created by making a fist and exhaling your breath.
If you are a throwing a combination, it is still one small breath through your nose, but one small exhalation for every strike, and then exhale the rest of your breath out.
Final things to consider:
You will first learn to punch at the target employing proper technique where eventually you will learn to ‘follow through’ or punch through the target.
Never try to punch hard without knowing what you are doing.
As always, make sure you keep your opposite hand up and chin when executing these techniques.
‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast’.
Practice, patience and persistence will get you there, Enjoy the journey!