"James, I've been boxing for six years, have a great right hand, okay jab, get hit to much, but am able to punish the opposition at my level. I realize I need to cultivate the jab to move to the next level. How do I retrain myself to jab while actively competing? My coach says jab, reminds me, is trying to get me to double it more, but when things get hot I revert."

-Kevin

Kevin, it sounds like you were taught the right hand before you mastered the jab—poor coaching. It also sounds like you began fighting too early because your coach had confidence in your power. Coaches are under pressure by their peers and the local boxing association to field fighters for the ring to keep the sport alive.

There are a lot of things you could do. Here are three.

1. Devote half of your shadow and bag and sparring rounds to using only the jab and defense—nothing else. If you coach objects—he's a shit coach.

2. Add another variation of the jab to your arsenal. I have over 20 in The Punishing Art book available at the link below.

3. You're a big straight right guy and people know that. Even if they don't know that let them find out right away in the fight. They will then look for you to go to that right hand and possibly fear it, making them ripe for the feint. If you have to slam a right into his guard just so he knows what kind of heat you bring from that hand. That sets up the right hand feint. Fake the right, to the body, dropping the rear knee for a sinking punch and then bring up a spearing jab, driving with that bent rear leg. You want to send a power jab into the chest or chin, or a sneaky jab into the nose. This is harder to pull off with the classic straight right as you are loading the lead leg when you feint with conviction, which makes it harder to drive up with the jab and stresses the lead knee. Develop the sinking right to the body and chin so that you can feint this convincingly.

When I can get to Sean's gym and film a bag session we'll post the punches discussed above on the Lancaster Agonistics You Tube channel.

Good luck, Kevin.