Any righties prefer fighting southpaw?

**Sang** · Posted On: 7/10/2008 5:09am

I've considered fighting orthodox even though i am a southpaw. Every class I've been to is taught by an orthodox fighter and they often include things which plain don't work for a southpaw. I also seem to be right footed, kick harder and faster with my right and it doesn't get much use out front except as target practice.

**theotherserge** · Posted On: 7/10/2008 11:10am

This is a lefty problem, you guys are wired all goofy. I know this for a truth as my Mom+Dad+Brothers are all lefties. Now my son is turning out to be one too.

**ysc87** · Posted On: 7/10/2008 11:51am

I used to fight southpaw (yes, I'm a righty) when I did both kickboxing and TKD many years back, because it used to confuse people. Now, I fight southpaw because it makes armdrags and uchi-matas easier for me.

**Southpaw** · Posted On: 7/10/2008 1:28pm

Any righties prefer fighting southpaw?

Trust me, none of you would prefer fighting me.

JP · Posted On: 7/10/2008 5:13pm

Originally Posted by Southpaw

Trust me, none of you would prefer fighting me.

That depends on our options.

Oh, I'm a righty. I fought southpaw. I like it better. But then everybody in my old gym was trained strong side forward.

**bad credit** · Posted On: 7/10/2008 7:34pm

I'm a righty who fought southpaw for the longest time. It was because Fencing was my first art. Then, when I did TKD, I read everything by BL and fighting right side forward worked the best for me in sparring. So much so that when I did BBT, they asked if I was a lefty. Later, when I actually studied JKD, they too asked if I was a lefty. That shocked me. But, then JKD school I went too was way more into MMA.

FMA and sinawali taught me to be able to switch back and forth. Watching Bas Rutten instructionals and sparring grapplers and fighting in amateur MMA made me like the straight on stance rather than side on because it's easier to sprawl against takedowns that way. Leads are slightly less important in that stance, IMO.

When sparring I tend to be southpaw, having an opposite stance to your opponent lets you sneak stuff in. You tend to be open, too, though. It's more offensive than defensive. To be fair, in all my real fights, I come out left lead first to be defensive.

**maofas** · Posted On: 7/12/2008 8:54pm

Firstly, the correct term isn't southpaw or lefty, it's "genetically superior".

Secondly, everyone talks about the pluses (not saying they're not true mind you), but there are drawbacks to fighting southpaw vs. orthodox too. One big one is that committing on a rear hand punch leaves you open to their power side.

You can hide behind your shoulder, but in this situation it's a lot more pleasant to be orth vs. orth, hide behind your shoulder from their jab and have your other hand free to block their power hand.

**Nemesai** · Posted On: 7/13/2008 8:02pm

As a lefthanded southpaw. I'm pretty pissed that my liver is upfront. It's hard as hell for me to get my left hand to a right hander's liver, but they can land cleanly on mine with straight rights, and with left hooks, both impacting in away that can effectively drop you like a sack of potatotes. The only time I've been down was by a right hand to the liver, and I've never felt anything so painful in the ring before or after.

Your body just goes into safe-mode for about 15 seconds as if saying to you, "THIS IS NOT WHERE I SHOULD BE" and you end up on the ground hardly able to push air in or out, but just more of a rggrrrggrrrggrrrggrrrrggrr sound. Btw, if you're saying "I've felt some body shots that hurt, so I've probably taken that and shrugged it" then you've never taken a proper bomb on the liver, 9 out of 10 guys wont beat a 10 count to get back up.

I've thought about trying to switch to righty all together for this reason, but I'm already set in this way unfortunately. My feet get all screwed up if I try it underpressure.

It's made me think about my strategy a lot though. Their heart is up front, not sure what effect landing hard shots on that has, but I'm going to find out. Can shoot counter straight lefts under their jab on that spot, as well as their armpit. I hook the armpit/tricep a lot when they jab. And a right uppercut sort of angled can clip the chin real good if you come under their jab with it.

The only real advantage a southpaw has over a righty is that they likely havent fought a lot of southpaws, whereas we've fought a lot of righties. I've jumped on a few guys and drilled straight left after straight left until the fight was over because they just couldnt quite sort it out. Ofcourse some figure it out and we eat shots straight down the pipe on the nose/mouth/forehead.

**Sang** · Posted On: 7/14/2008 5:17am

Practice throwing the straight left to the liver, was one of my staple shots when i did boxing
> Feint jab, straight to liver, right hook, straight or left hook to head.

Although i do get what you mean, it REALLY sucks when someone slips your jab and pounds a left hook to your liver then head. From a kickboxing/MT perspective being a southpaw rocks. Their liver is sitting there, usually open to your biggest kick or knee while yours is protected from kicks by an elbow. and they usually need to switch kick to hit that side.

**Sang** · Posted On: 7/14/2008 9:47am

BTW, i am going to write up a 10 page article on Southpaw tactics if anyone is interested (with references of course). Almost every trainer is orthodox and doesn't know the intricacies of fighting reversed, so we are kind of forced to relearn everything ourselves. Will need a week to finish off my uni exams first though, have to get my priorities right.