Now that you have developed the ability to synchronize your hand strike with your heel step you need to develop the slide step. While this seems to be all lead leg action, the rear leg requirement is far higher. When stepping like this we are thrusting forward with the “light” lead foot skimming just above the floor thanks to the rear leg and hip holding the lead leg up. This is not the heavy heel step of the power jab. After ten minutes of practice you will understand.

The slide step is usually a shorter less committed step that is quicker and smoother. It is ideal for the second jab in a jab combination thrown while closing the distance. It imparts less force than the heel step but is quicker, and can be amped up.

After coming up a fist short of the target with your first jab, do not take another step, which would involve lifting toes, then heel, then setting heel then toes down.

Instead, lift the heel enough that the sole under your toes, or the balls of your feet if you are barefoot, barely scrape the floor.

Quickly shoot out your foot. As the foot extends from your body the heel will begin to fall, drag and eventually brake, causing friction that will lessen the force of the step. You may put a brake on the heel drop by flexing your rear quadriceps [the muscle above the knee]. Lengthened enough, this turns into a non-ballistic lunge, and is good for jabbing the body.

As soon as the heel catches, which will happen over a shorter distance on uneven surfaces and in heeled shoes, the jab must land or sputter out.

This is an adaptation to fighting on manmade surfaces.

The stutter step is thrown when you have landed against the target with a jab and you want to hit it again from the same distance.

The heel is lifted up and back [again requiring rear leg quadriceps strength] dragging the ball of the foot and toes back a quarter to three-quarters the length of the foot, and then thrust downward, driving the toes forward, into a quick slide to a heel stop.

When the heel slides into position the punch must be landing or the energy is wasted on the floor.

A stutter step may be amped up to a stationary power amplification method by just lifting the heel up and slapping it down in time to each punch, sliding the lead foot a mere toe length, back and forth, covering zero distance. This can even be done while being pressed and giving ground.

These are three more methods for putting body weight into a punch and controlling the distance. We are diverted now from simply closing distance and branching into methods of managing distance.

Applying this in combat depends on the opponent. If he is weaker add the rock slide into the jab and floor him, driving him back with the calf muscle. If he is bigger and stronger than just use the slide step to score, and don’t put your heel down on the stutter step, but push off of him, sliding away on the balls of your feet. This is essentially a boxer’s sprawl, and can be done with a jab or checking hand, with the checking hand usually working off the shoulder, especially so If he is a hook throwing muscle man.