One-two (jab, cross)

One-two (jab, cross): step by step

1. From your guard, extend the left jab straight out and aim at the center of the opponent's face.
2. As you start to pull the left back, turn your right heel out and rotate your hips.
3. Riding that hip rotation, throw the right cross along the same line the left jab traveled.
4. When you finish, bring both hands back in front of your chin and return to your guard.

One-two (jab, cross): key points

• The left jab's job is to build the path to the opponent. Throw the right cross as if tracing that path, and it gets there by the shortest route and stays on target.
• Don't push the right cross out with your arm. Send it forward with your back foot and the rotation of your hips.

One-two (jab, cross): common mistakes

• Looping the right cross in from the outside. The path gets bigger, so the opponent sees it coming and blocks it more easily.
• Stepping in big from the very start. You end up punching without knowing your own range, which leads to misses and leaves you open as you finish.
• Leaving your hands down after the right. That makes it easy to get hit by the opponent's left hook coming back.

One-two (jab, cross): how to practice

• In shadowboxing, start slow in front of a mirror and check that your left jab and right cross travel along the same line.
• On the heavy bag, stand where you can reach without stepping and land the left and right on the same spot. If you can't reach, move in just half a step and let your body learn that difference.

Related techniques

• One-two on the spot (finding your range)
  On the spot12
• One-two with a double-step entry
  Double step12
• One-two-hook (jab, cross, left hook)
  123
• Make both the jab and the cross a threat
  Both a threat
• Know your range
  Your range
• Bring your hands back under your chin
  Back to guard