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The Foot Jab is a fundamental strike when you’re learning Kickboxing. And for most beginners, it’s the very first kick they’re taught. While there’s many common mistakes that beginners make with this kick, here are the top 3 mistakes that I see even the most advanced practitioners make.
Mistake #1: Low knee angle when throwing the Foot Jab .
For the Foot Jab, it’s critical that you lift your knee as high as possible to chamber your leg so that you have maximum force when you kick. The angle of your knee needs to come up high towards your hands so that the trajectory of your kick is correct and it has the highest degree of power.
Mistake #2: Dropping Your Hands.
When students first learn Kickboxing, it’s very common for people to drop their hands. It’s totally understandable – it’s how we walk and it’s how we stand – with our hands naturally hanging by our sides. However, when we’re fighting, we want to have our hands up to protect ourselves and to be in position to punch properly.
As well, when people are Kickboxing, they’ll drop their hands in an attempt to kick with more power. While this may be true, I believe that it is more beneficial to keep your hands up at all times to protect yourself from potential counter punches.
Mistake #3: Lifting Up Your Hands
Pumping your hands up to the sky right before you kick may feel natural to do and you may even kick with more power. But, it totally gives your opponent a big fat signal that you’re about to throw the kick. Ultimately, you want to do nothing with your hands. Let me repeat that – YOU WANT TO DO NOTHING WITH YOUR HANDS. Try throwing the Foot Jab without moving your hands at all. Although it may seem more difficult, doing it this way will make your Foot Jab seem invisible to your opponent.
