is it worth learning to switch stances

[flikerstance]

i started boxing when i was 12 and at 16 i started training in jiu jitsu obviously in wrestling you are taught to shoot on your strong side to penetrate stronger and underhook control but i knew i would be a mma fighter so i decided to wrestler orthodox i feel i would have even stronger shots if i was southpaw but as a striker iv been fighting orthodox for 13 years and i dont know if its worth me working on switching stances to learn on my strong side im 25 i have a good 15 years left do you think its worth trying to fight both southpaw and orthodox for takedowns?

 

[Daniel Fox]

It's very hard! I would recommend you have techniques that attack both sides of the body, but to try and become equally proficient on both sides is almost impossible, unless you are a member of a very small percentage of the population.

 

[flikerstance]

i only do one side for everything even armbars lol ad side escapes i use to say why only be 50% when can do one 100 but i think it could open more doors creatively especially when guys try to figure me out fighting but it will probably take 3 years till i can get smooth its just a big commitment and not sure if its worth i tmoving to my right when southpaw is sooo awkward i feel so open when i jab lol i like to go southpaw mid combo to get off on a few punches then switch back after well see how it goes

 

[Daniel Fox]

Honestly it isn't even a physical function, it is more of a left brain, right brain thing. The Left brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa, each person is dominant on one side of the brain. Learning to be ambidextrous in wrestling, or boxing is pretty much the same as learning to write with your non dominant hand. It is very very hard, you are better off spending your time getting proficient on your dominant side of the body, with secondary attacks to the opposite side of your opponent.

 

[berimBOWLoh]

for whatever reason i find it easy to learn things with my "weak" side and transfer it later to my strong. im right handed but i box left, i lead with my left foot forward in wrestling/bjj but im very comfortable going orthodox as well.

i find many, many ppl are weaker playing guard with my left leg forward. esp if they like DLR/RDLR stuff.

 

[flikerstance]

for whatever reason i find it easy to learn things with my "weak" side and transfer it later to my strong. im right handed but i box left, i lead with my left foot forward in wrestling/bjj but im very comfortable going orthodox as well.

i find many, many ppl are weaker playing guard with my left leg forward. esp if they like DLR/RDLR stuff.

i guard pass with my right led forward though southpaw to keep shin pressure

 

[Uchi Mata]

i started boxing when i was 12 and at 16 i started training in jiu jitsu obviously in wrestling you are taught to shoot on your strong side to penetrate stronger and underhook control but i knew i would be a mma fighter so i decided to wrestler orthodox i feel i would have even stronger shots if i was southpaw but as a striker iv been fighting orthodox for 13 years and i dont know if its worth me working on switching stances to learn on my strong side im 25 i have a good 15 years left do you think its worth trying to fight both southpaw and orthodox for takedowns?

I think it's a good thing to add if you're already a very good fighter. Even if it's not a stance you stay in long, having the ability to shift into southpaw and both strike and shoot from there before going back to orthodox is pretty damn handy, just because it gives you more angles to attack from.

 

[flikerstance]

exactly but it feels so awkward tbh lol i guess ill have to just shadow box with it alot to learn how to get comfortable i feel so open when jabbing southpaw

 

[loyalyolayal]

i started boxing when i was 12 and at 16 i started training in jiu jitsu obviously in wrestling you are taught to shoot on your strong side to penetrate stronger and underhook control but i knew i would be a mma fighter so i decided to wrestler orthodox i feel i would have even stronger shots if i was southpaw but as a striker iv been fighting orthodox for 13 years and i dont know if its worth me working on switching stances to learn on my strong side im 25 i have a good 15 years left do you think its worth trying to fight both southpaw and orthodox for takedowns?

This is basically me. Rogan during a Hughes fight mentioned that Hughes would switch to southpaw when he's going for a TD. He kinda telegraphs his intention. I tried boxing southpaw for a couple of months just to complement my shot. I still revert back to my old stance.

 

[loyalyolayal]

exactly but it feels so awkward tbh lol i guess ill have to just shadow box with it alot to learn how to get comfortable i feel so open when jabbing southpaw

I love jabbing in the southpaw. Throwing a hook is a different matter. Usually I would lean back & throw it like a counter.

 

[flikerstance]

yeah throwing hooks southpaws even more awkward i feel i dont allow myself to fully commit to a straight left southpaw also out of fear of getting countered over extending i guess ill have to drill the fuck out of it

 

[jack36767]

I'm right handed and chose to switch to wrestling left leg lead my sophomore year, it's a reps issue.. why would you try to change the way you've been striking for over 10 years, in what way does that make sense or maximize your time?

There are plenty of examples of left leg lead wrestling in coven tip wrestling and mma, you can lean change ups or shifts to the other side for striking and wrestling. But for someone who is so "elite" I don't understand how putting in the reps till it's comfortable is an issue

 

[Kenny from MD]

It's not worth it IMO. Pick one stance and develop it to suit your needs, and address any problems that occur as they come up and you encounter them (mirrored stances, etc). I have the same issue as you. I box orthodox and am used to standing left foot forward, and as a result I learned to wrestle that way as well, which is opposite most people's stance. But for some reason, in judo, and without realizing it, I lead with my right leg. Now that I am working more judo, and paying more attention to what I am doing, I am making a conscious effort to learn left handed. A friend of mine that was just under Olympic level has advised me that as a bonus- the stance alone will give a lot of people fits.

 

[Coconutwater]

i started boxing when i was 12 and at 16 i started training in jiu jitsu obviously in wrestling you are taught to shoot on your strong side to penetrate stronger and underhook control but i knew i would be a mma fighter so i decided to wrestler orthodox i feel i would have even stronger shots if i was southpaw but as a striker iv been fighting orthodox for 13 years and i dont know if its worth me working on switching stances to learn on my strong side im 25 i have a good 15 years left do you think its worth trying to fight both southpaw and orthodox for takedowns?

Homie, I got the same exact problem, I wish I could switch, it's too late for me.

 

[jack36767]

If my unathletic ass can change from leading and shooting with my right leg to my left y'all can too. You can even do the Dillashaw money shot to finish the double the way you learned it at first. I guarantee that changing your stance will fuck up your striking way more than it benefits your wrestling. It won't feel weird if you put in a couple of thousand reps

 

[Uchi Mata]

If my unathletic ass can change from leading and shooting with my right leg to my left y'all can too. You can even do the Dillashaw money shot to finish the double the way you learned it at first. I guarantee that changing your stance will fuck up your striking way more than it benefits your wrestling. It won't feel weird if you put in a couple of thousand reps

I actually didn't find it that weird to switch, mostly because the setups for shots in MMA are so different than the setups for shots in wrestling (and the way you finish shots too) that it's not like you're doing stuff totally naturally on one side and screwing it up on the other. You'll basically have to learn a somewhat new way of getting in on the hips whether you lead with your right or left foot.

 

[jack36767]

I actually didn't find it that weird to switch, mostly because the setups for shots in MMA are so different than the setups for shots in wrestling (and the way you finish shots too) that it's not like you're doing stuff totally naturally on one side and screwing it up on the other. You'll basically have to learn a somewhat new way of getting in on the hips whether you lead with your right or left foot.

I don't disagree but my main issue is people not wanting to do the reps

 

[aries]

I can switch to southpaw for striking and it works quite well. I only do it for limited periods and often only just a quick shift, throw a combo from my new angle and then shift back to orthodox. But for grappling, I've always just shot from orthodox, I feel really cack handed shooting from southpaw. Just not enough practice time i guess.

 

[Lamfadha]

I find it is worth it but I started in Karate where they switch lead feet all the time up and down a hall. I switch from Orthodox to Southpaw in striking with minimal degradation of technique on my weak side.

Of course I started striking 13 years ago but hey I find it works so I do the same learning takedowns and ground fighting and work both sides. Like people say it is just a huge time commitment.

 

[flikerstance]

the takedowns on right stance wont take too long to get but my god iv boxed since i was 12 over half my life and the last 2 weeks iv been trying to work left handed and talk about awkward foot work is so weird