Video Clip Series: Countering a Boxer’s Left Jabs

Sifu Wong Kiew Kit’s Home Page
Shaolin Wahnam Video Series

Basic Shaolin Kungfu against Boxing, Kick-Boxing, Muay Tahi and Wrestling -- Part 6
Review of the Regional Shaolin Kungfu Course in Barcelona 2007

COUNTERS AGAINST A BOXER’S LEFT JABS

Cover a Boxer’s left jab with your left Single Tiger and strike him with your right Black Tiger

We can cover a Boxer’s right jabs with our left hand using “Kitten Washes Face” or “Wave Dragon Back to Cave”. In reality, a Boxer usually uses left jabs instead of right jabs. His typical tactic is to use left jabs to pave the way for a powerful right punch.

We start with the Boxer’s right jabs instead of his left mainly for the purpose of systematic progression. In our basic Combat Sequence 1, which constitutes our basic sequence from which our counters against a Boxer develop, we use our left Single Tiger against an opponent’s right attacks.

A logical progression from this basic counter is to use our left Single Tiger against a Boxer’s right jabs. The next progression is to change our left Single Tiger to our left Wave Dragon or left Kitten to flow according to the momentum of a Boxer’s right jabs.

When we are quite proficient in these responses to a Boxer’s right jabs, we can progress to handling his left jabs, which he uses more often than his right ones. This video series shows various methods we can employ to counter a Boxer’s left jabs.

Please note that you can download the video clips onto your own computer and view them at your leisure. Place your computer pointer at the picture or one of the links, and right click. Choose “Save Target As”. Select the directory or sub-directory where you wish to keep the video clip. Click “Save”.

Covering an Opponent’s Left Jabs
You can cover a Boxer with your left hand using the pattern “Wave Dragon back to Cave” when he makes a right jab. What would you do if he makes a left jab? You can use your left hand to cover his left jab using the pattern “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave”. You must cover his hand, not just brush it away, otherwise he can still strike you. Having covered him and making sure he can’t counter-strike, you strike him with your right “Black Tiger Steals Heart”.
The size of the video clip is 1.65 mb.
Click here to download

Opening or Closing, and Striking
If an opponent attacks with his right hand, you can ward off his right hand with your left hand. If he attacks with his left hand, you can slap it away also with your left hand. Here you “open” the opponent. Or you may “close” him. If he attacks with his left hand, you close him with your left hand. If he attacks with his right hand, you also close him with your left hand (not shown in the video). Hence, you use your left hand to open or close your opponent, and use your right hand to strike him.
The size of the video clip is 1.25 mb.
Click here to download

The Emperor and the Minister
Grandmaster Wong shows how to close an opponent. But if appropriate, you open him instead, as in two occasions in the video clip. Here, the left hand, which is used to open or close the opponent, is known in kungfu terms as the “minister-hand”. The right hand, which is used to strike the opponent, is known as the “emperor-hand”. The “minister” paves the way for the “emperor” to strike.
The size of the video clip is 0.98 mb.
Click here to download

Paving the Way to Strike
Grandmaster Wong demonstrates the mechanics of applying the minister-hand to pave the way, and the emperor-hand to strike in conjunction with correct footwork. The patterns are “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave” and “Kitten Washes Face” (or “Wave Dragon Back to Cave” when covering) for paving the way, and “Black Tiger Steals Heart” for striking. The footwork involves the False-Leg Stance and the Bow-Arrow Stance.
The size of the video clip is 1.26 mb.
Click here to download

Using Body-Movement instead of Footwork
This is a progression from the tactic shown in the previous video clip. Instead of moving backward into a False-Leg Stance and forward into a Bow-Arrow Stance, you just shift your body backward and forward without moving your feet. The closing or opening of the opponent with your left hand, or minister-hand, and striking with your right hand, or emperor-hand, is the same.
The size of the video clip is 1.59 mb.
Click here to download