Left foot forwards, right handed grip

**BKR** · Posted On: 11/29/2012 4:25pm

Originally Posted by timothius

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Thanks for the advice. Been working on my stance and it has definitely helped. Will keep working on the basics before trying different stances.

Had the most awsome weekend training with some Welsh National players. Was incredibly humbling, yet really great for learning. They gave me some hints on what I can do to impove my posture. (Head up, standard grip right foot forward. Keep elbows in on the ground)

That's great advice. One of my training chants is "head up, elbows down" for standing judo.

**Res Judicata** · Posted On: 11/30/2012 5:38pm

I think this is one of those "you have to know the rules before you can break them" issues. Really good guys can play with mixed stances or dynamically switch their stances. A couple of excellent players at my club (20+ years of Judo each) do it routinely. I ... don't do that.

**judoratt** · Posted On: 12/01/2012 12:18am

Alot of good advice here UK and Ben Know their judo. I would like to throw a curve. In gymnastics they have you step in to a cartwheel and that regularly determines what side you do your gymnastics from. I's possible that you could ba a natural lefty because of your foot work. Guess this dosen't help much as you think you have solved your problem.

**BKR** · Posted On: 12/03/2012 7:52pm

Originally Posted by judoratt

Alot of good advice here UK and Ben Know their judo. I would like to throw a curve. In gymnastics they have you step in to a cartwheel and that regularly determines what side you do your gymnastics from. I's possible that you could ba a natural lefty because of your foot work. Guess this dosen't help much as you think you have solved your problem.

I always encourage students to try left and right and see which one feels best for them. That seems to evolve over time for some people. I have two kids who were trained as righties (not by me), but showed a definite talent for being lefties. I encouraged them to try it and they both changed to left. One kid was doing well righty, but he changed to leftie and somehow could do Tai otoshi and of all things Uchi Mata almost right away.

Having lefties in a class benefits everyone...makes it easier to train kenka yotsu situations for sure.