Rookie question - please don't trash me for this...

[unluckyluciano]

I was also taught to hit higher than my head. I think people have a natural tendency to go straight out and that causes you to hit the opponent at chest level rather then the face.

[TGD]

If you watch any of Ricky Burns' training sessions he does this. As others have said, it's good practice, brings your hands back into a good defensive position.

[Ray*]

That's exactly how you throw a jab, higher than you own height so that you don't get caught with a counter, a lazy jab (lower) can get you KTFO.

[edgarg]

Neither.

He was being taught properly and that's why he was jabbing higher than his own head. You should always jab higher like that because it forces you to tuck your chin naturally into your own shoulder.

Watch videos of Victor Ortiz hit pads or shadow, he really exaggerates it. It just creates good habits. When you get in your stance, you should be lower than your shots to naturally tuck your chin into your shoulder and have a defensive stance when landing punches.

I wonder how your theories work against a smaller or same height opponent.......

He may have been practicing for a taller opponent, and if it was so noticeable, he likely was just not "practicing" for the sake of practice. At the same time, the TS comment that he was "pushing" rather than "snapping" shows that he had the wrong idea and had not been taught or monitored correctly.

The left shoulder will automatically rise if the jab is thrown properly (assuming the guy has muscles) and the correct 3/4 sideway stance allows a proper tucked-in chin. It does not depend on the height of the opponent or target (as long as he isn't a midget). What's the purpose of aiming at the crosspiece of the headgear anyway?. I'm not well-up on stuff with headgear, because when I boxed, there was no headgear used either in sparring or competitive bouts.

****If he is boxing out of a crouch, and his opponent isn't, that may be a reason to punch higher, because assuming equal heights, the chin/face isn't much higher than the shoulder/stretched out arm. Anotehr point i forgot, is that when you deliver a jab correctly your feet are fairly wide apart, thus automatically lowering your shoulder height.****

I recall in our gym we had a sort of relic thrown around on the glove and mitt table, looked like the old-fashioned thin leather helmet, but was falling to pieces, must have been already 50 years old. Nobody ever used it.

[Hyper Knuckles]

I've actually heard jabbing upwards is bad form.. I used to throw jabs high by default and was scrutinized for it. I guess go with what your trainer tells you. Everyone else is wrong. lol jk

[-Kev-]

he said boxer, not judge

Can't green you but that was funny.

[-Kev-]

I wonder how your theories work against a smaller or same height opponent.......

Maybe bend your knees?

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

I wonder how your theories work against a smaller or same height opponent.......

He may have been practicing for a taller opponent, and if it was so noticeable, he likely was just not "practicing" for the sake of practice. At the same time, the TS comment that he was "pushing" rather than "snapping" shows that he had the wrong idea and had not been taught or monitored correctly.

The left shoulder will automatically rise if the jab is thrown properly (assuming the guy has muscles) and the correct 3/4 sideway stance allows a proper tucked-in chin. It does not depend on the height of the opponent or target (as long as he isn't a midget). What's the purpose of aiming at the crosspiece of the headgear anyway?. I'm not well-up on stuff with headgear, because when I boxed, there was no headgear used either in sparring or competitive bouts.

****If he is boxing out of a crouch, and his opponent isn't, that may be a reason to punch higher, because assuming equal heights, the chin/face isn't much higher than the shoulder/stretched out arm. Anotehr point i forgot, is that when you deliver a jab correctly your feet are fairly wide apart, thus automatically lowering your shoulder height.****

I recall in our gym we had a sort of relic thrown around on the glove and mitt table, looked like the old-fashioned thin leather helmet, but was falling to pieces, must have been already 50 years old. Nobody ever used it.

You are looking way too deep into this. The reason you go over things in the gym in this way, is because you are trying to teach good habits. You don't turn the front foot when throwing a hook all the time in sparring, yet you teach that on the bag or on the mitts so you develop good habits.

It's the same in jabbing high, you do that so you have a proper level and you tuck that chin in. You will not always tuck that chin in if you throw a proper jab, many kids I have worked with throw and straight, snapping jab but do it low and therefore are missing technique.

He could be working on fighting a taller opponent but I see that high jab technique all the time and it's more to do with just teaching good habits.

[Light_Speed]

Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning. It's more tiring to jab high, so when you spar/fight and have to jab straight, your jab will be flying and you'll be able to throw many of them without tiring.