Krav Maga - Straight Punch - Lead Hand Jab (Power Tips)

"How do I get more power?" is a common question we get after a student learns the Straight Punch with the Lead Hand (Jab). This video demonstrates and explains two tips to get more power in the punch.
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Important Note: These videos are specific to the techniques and curriculum taught to the students at our facility. Students from other Krav Maga schools and organizations are more than welcome to watch and use these videos and we hope they find them useful! However, variations may be taught that are different from the techniques taught at other Krav Maga locations. This doesn't mean one variation is wrong or the other is right. They are just variations...plain and simple. The most important question for any technique or defense should be this: Does it work for the individual who is performing it? As long as it does, then the technique or variation has merit, regardless of where it comes from! That's the number one principle that we emphasize at our school.
Transcript:
"Hi, this is Randall with KravMagaTraining.com, and this video I'm going to show you how to create power when you throw the straight punch with your lead hand or what's commonly known as a jab in a lot of different styles such as boxing.
This question comes up a lot with my students. And the problem is 'Well, I can't get any power in my straight punch with my lead hand or my jab hand!' And what I'm going to do is I'm going to offer you guys a few pieces of advice to help you generate power with that.
Okay, first of all, actually the reason why Krav Maga, or at least the system we're affiliated with, the reason why they don't call it a jab because they want to have maximum power in your straight punch. Regardless whether it's with the lead side hand or the cross side hand. Most people when they hear the term jab think about just flicking it out there, snapping the jab out. Which is nothing wrong with that. I personally use a snapping style jab all the time when I spar to set up my other strikes. I also love that type of motion when I'm throwing more of an eye strike because that technique is all about speed and accuracy, not power. However, you do need to learn how to throw a lot of power in your lead side straight punch. Especially when someone is being very aggressive and coming towards you. Especially when you use it as a counterstrike or a counterpunch. Because if you don't have a nice stiff, strong jab, your opponent, if they don't respect your power, they're just going to march right through you and walk you down. So you need this type of punch to keep them off you so they respect you.
Now there's two little, little things that I've found to make a big difference on generating power. It all has to do with starting position. First of all, when you start the straight punch make sure you're in your proper Krav Maga style fighting stance, which is shoulders are even with each other in your fighting stance. Like this or like this. You're not bladed like this, like you would be, in say, a boxing stance or a lot of other styles. This is nice because it's a little bit easier defensively. You can flick it out a lot more. But if you square your shoulders up, what it does is preloads that shoulder so you can twist your body. You can twist your shoulder. You can twist your hip a lot more. And if you can twist your body that's how you get more power. So before you throw the straight punch, not bladed like this because you've already pre-turned your body. Now you can't turn it anymore. Start with your shoulders even and then you can find that you can generate almost as much power as your cross hand if you start with your shoulders even or squared up..."
Krav Maga Worldwide Official Training Center - Self Defense * Fighting * Fitness - Pompano Beach, FL (South Florida).