Any righties prefer fighting southpaw?

**Raging Monkey** · Posted On: 6/26/2008 10:36am

I am a rightie, but I usually like to stand southpaw.

I say usually because if all I am doing is boxing then I stand orthodox. Why? Because while my left hand is much quicker and has a much better jab no matter how much I work my right to the contrary, the exact opposite is true with my legs. My left leg is twice as strong, agile and fast as my right when throwing kicks. So when kicking is allowed I switch back to southpaw because I would much rather have fast and devastating kicks.

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 6/26/2008 5:09pm

having your rear hand forward is impractical, and it soon gets weaned out of boxers as they get more skilled in their normal stance.. if you have a good coach

**moonwatcher** · Posted On: 6/26/2008 9:34pm

unless you're naturally southpaw

**Beaney** · Posted On: 6/26/2008 9:46pm

This is yet another 'I do it this way' post, but what the hell.
I'm right handed and left legged and I fight orthodox. Due to the imbalance in power between ones hands and legs i find it more important to have my arms in the right position than my legs. This is based on 2 ideas; firstly my left leg is much faster/stronger so I can still cause a reasonable amount of grief to a person off my front leg. The second is that no matter how good my hands are my legs will always be more powerful, even with my stronger leg leading, so I might as well keep my hands in their optimum position and then if I really need to land a big kick I can work a switch into a combo.
Just my 2 cents.

**hungryjoe** · Posted On: 6/26/2008 9:54pm

I'm a right fighter striking.

Left figther in judo. Perhaps because I find left foot forward more favorable to my movement off line. (perhaps a carry over also from aikido - opening myself up here folks).

On topic - there is very little I do better striking in a left position other than perhaps my hook kick and front leg kicks.

**Meex** · Posted On: 6/26/2008 10:55pm

I have been comfortable in either.
My jab is a lot more powerful in southpaw, and just as quick.
However, the cross suffered no matter how much I trained it.

My early ma sensei trained me to use either hand equally well.
My early boxing coach told me to stop that crap.

After a lifetime of being able to use either hand, and/or foot, I
definitely say that the natural lead is stronger & more accurate.

Still, it does benefit me to be able to hit with either hand in either
lead, equally well. And, it definitely helps in the street when you
don't know where the next attack is coming from.

`~/

.

**theword** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 1:16am

Originally Posted by MMAMickey

having your rear hand forward is impractical, and it soon gets weaned out of boxers as they get more skilled in their normal stance.. if you have a good coach

Hmmm...Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and many more would disagree.

**Neildo** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 3:37am

I'm ambidextrous, but i write with my right hand. I like southpaw, but can do either.

**new2bjj** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 12:13pm

In my experience, a lot of point krotty guys and JKD wannabe's fight strong hand forward, to do the Bill Wallace kicks, etc, at least in the East Bay.

Saying Roy Jones or Ali "does it" (switching sides, etc) is really silly, in that most people are not freaks of nature athletically and simply can't pull it off, nor should they try. Also, Roy Jones never gave a rematch to anyone who gave him the least bit of trouble, and did showboat a fair share of cans. The same goes for trying to imitate Anderson Silva.