Why the low jab hand?

[Makunouchi]

Okay so firstly let me apologize if this post exists in another form somewhere and I've missed it. I was wondering what is the benefit of fighting with your jab hand low (i.e. Philly shell or variations)?
I love all the great boxer punchers and they all seem to fight this way (SRR, The Hitman, The Body Snatcher,etc.) at least some of the time.
I don't get it. My jab doesn't feel faster when I do it. The lead uppercut is better and the body is guarded but this seems like an uneven trade off. I'd like more of an in depth explanation of the merits of this style. I don't necessarily think I'm speedy enough to pull this off, I think I'm a little above average on reflexes and hand speed but no freak show, I'm just curious. Also does being a southpaw (as I am) hurt the reasoning for this defense?
Things I've heard
-Doesn't tire out arms as much (I don't notice)
- Makes jab quicker (not for me)

[jas]

harder for the opponent to see it,
protects body

[New England]

there are a bunch of reasons, but two main ones.

the biggest is to invite right hands. you look open when you aren't if you turn your shoulder and your torso enough. you roll the right hand and come back with your own. your shoulder protects your chin.


it's also much more athletic to keep your center of gravity low. try moving around with your hands at your ears, and then try moving around with them at your sides. it's no surprise that many of the guys who get away with keeping a low lead hand are often athletic fighters.

[Beavis_5000]

What everyone else has said sounds right.

To add I, think the philly allows for more fluidity for throwing punches both countering and offensively (Just my opinion).

On the other hand tho, if your not very experienced defensively (not used to being in rhythm with the other person, blocking or slipping and countering, etc) your gonna get hit a lot in the philly unless you just gtfo every time they throw.

When your inexperienced its best to stay in a more traditional/both hands up stance so you can cover up easier when needed.

[#1Assassin]

RJJ once said the main reason (or one of them) that he did it was because it made it hard for his opponent to keep both his hands in their line of vision. then by mixing up his jabs, lead hooks and lead right hands for variety, add his speed to the equation and his opponents couldnt see his shots coming at all.

[Makunouchi]

After I used it in sparring a little bit instead of just trying to do movements from it in shadow boxing I noticed some of the benefits. My opponent was caught more easily by jabs and counters. The shoulder roll should take some time to perfect but when it worked it was pretty cool and left a huge hole in his defense.
My head movement took less energy. The whole thing seemed to throw him off a lot though since there is no one in our gym who uses it. I think it could be a good tool in the arsenal but it still seems awful risky and I don't think I'm that slick or fast.

[nivek535]

there are a bunch of reasons, but two main ones.

the biggest is to invite right hands. you look open when you aren't if you turn your shoulder and your torso enough. you roll the right hand and come back with your own. your shoulder protects your chin.


it's also much more athletic to keep your center of gravity low. try moving around with your hands at your ears, and then try moving around with them at your sides. it's no surprise that many of the guys who get away with keeping a low lead hand are often athletic fighters.

YES!! this point has been on my mind for forever, but i always had trouble making out what exactly it is. it made me feel more comfortable when slipping shots with the opposite hand "down", or slipping and throwing the opposite hand... it just seems more fluid...
ie. (ortho vs orth) slip outside jab, left hand "down" (shoulder not down), or slip outside jab, shoot jab.

[AddiX]

It's a good way to hide it, and snap it right outside your opponents line of sight.

But i also think most fights who keeps there jab hand low in today's boxing, shouldn't, because they don't have the right experience for it.

There's something very wrong with these fighters like Andre Berto, who get mangled by fright hands and keep there left hand down. It really is a joke just how far from some of boxings most basic philosophies this sport has gone.

It's quite simple, if your can't see the cross coming every time, both hands should be up.

Even Floyd kept both his hands up when he fought Zab.

[LoadedWraps]

Okay so firstly let me apologize if this post exists in another form somewhere and I've missed it. I was wondering what is the benefit of fighting with your jab hand low (i.e. Philly shell or variations)?
I love all the great boxer punchers and they all seem to fight this way (SRR, The Hitman, The Body Snatcher,etc.) at least some of the time.
I don't get it. My jab doesn't feel faster when I do it. The lead uppercut is better and the body is guarded but this seems like an uneven trade off. I'd like more of an in depth explanation of the merits of this style. I don't necessarily think I'm speedy enough to pull this off, I think I'm a little above average on reflexes and hand speed but no freak show, I'm just curious. Also does being a southpaw (as I am) hurt the reasoning for this defense?
Things I've heard
-Doesn't tire out arms as much (I don't notice)
- Makes jab quicker (not for me)

I throw it all the time from the shell but the reasons I do it have nothing to do with the jab itself.

I have better balance and better defense from the shell, and the same offensive output. I mainly switch variations to confuse my opponent, and to throw certain combinations I work on more fluidly from one or the other. The jab is harder to see coming from below, but that doesn't always work for experienced fighters and sometimes you don't know who you are in with so that's a risky thought process imo.

What I like about a low jab hand is that I can disguise a uppercut and hook from the outside better, this isn't so much because of the variation I am in but because I work on it.

When in a peekaboo stance I can throw inside shots more effectively but I sacrifice some mobility and I usually comitt to exchanges once I bring my ands up due to the nature of why I did it in the first place. It's all very situational but giving your opponent different looks is never a bad thing in my opinion, just like in baseball a pitcher with more pitches in his arsenal is harder to adjust to and prepare for than even an ace pitcher but with only two real pitches in his arsenal.

Really when I drop my hand I like to take advantage of my opponents body, a quick short distance to the body to keep him honest, but mixing it up upstairs also does wonders.

[mconstantine]

The question has been answered pretty well. Knowledgable heads in here.