Orthodox/Southpaw

LZD

Brown Belt
@Brown
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
2,613
Reaction score
408
I have a question about my tendency to alternate between Orthodox and Southpaw, and whether or not its a problem.

First of all, my training background:

I have trained in martial arts my whole life. I trained mostly in traditional martial arts as a kid (judo, taekwondo, wing chun). I did Both wing chun and Kickboxing for about 5 years as a teenager (from age 13-18)

Now I train in MMA. I do classes in Muay Thai, boxing, and 'MMA' (combining striking with wrestling and BJJ all in the one class)

In kickboxing sparring, I almost always stand orthodox, using my left leg for lead kicks, and my more powerful leg behind me.
However in pure boxing sparring I can't seem to help but alternate between Orthodox and Southpaw a lot....

Obviously this may have some advantages, mixing things up for my opponent, but it could potentially make me more predictable. I throw my left hook ok and with a lot of power compared to my other punches in combinations (e.g. jab cross hook), but rarely throw it, and can't do so with any power as a leading hook.


Is there a big flaw in alternating stances that I am not aware of? Is it ok to change stances all the time? Or are there strong reasons for sticking to an orthadox stance and just working on perfecting that?


Thanks for any replies
 
I actually alternate stances in my stand-up/Muay Thai.
 
Last edited:
I switch between orthodox and southpaw in my stand up/Muay Thai. I am naturally orthodox but have decent power southpaw with my back hand. My kicks are almost equal. I was also a switch hitter in baseball so it's kind of natural for me.

I find that opponents hate a guy who switches. As long side is not a complete joke, it's hard to get you bearings. It's most useful to get great angles for attack, which is everything in MT. I would recommend trying to develop both sides in Muay Thai if it's not too much..
 
You should do what feels right. If you think you'd be able to react better to a situation by switching, you should. It's not that hard to fight the same way you do in the other stance.
 
I would say it's worse to alternate stances in boxing then it is to alternate stances in Muay Thai/Kick Boxing. I would advise against that and stick to the more comftable/better stance. But if you switching stances in MMA it isn't such a negative thing especially if your looking to shoot.
 
As long as your technique is good from both sides, you should be fine. People get in trouble trying to switch stances when their unnatural stance sucks. At least I do.
 
I would rather be really good at one side instead of just okay from both. Just keep working on that lead hook.
 
I would say it's worse to alternate stances in boxing then it is to alternate stances in Muay Thai/Kick Boxing. I would advise against that and stick to the more comftable/better stance. But if you switching stances in MMA it isn't such a negative thing especially if your looking to shoot.

i dunno. From my own experience (not applicable to all) i find Southpaw while boxing is easier than in MT.

that said .....a lot of people who try the switch style shouldnt. It takes a lot of mental presence to know what to do when switching. Ive seen guys who switch to southpaw n then back continue moving in the wrong direction , or get confused as to where there power side is , or do the wrong combos (yes southys have different combos n styles). The switchers fade the wrong way , close the wrong way, clinch the wrong way.
for some it comes easy n natural n for some its like running uphill......on ice.

You'll see a lot of Thais doing it and you'll see a lot that dont.
I was told ....try it , if it works then do it if it doesnt then dont force it.
Sparring often n regular will tell you all u need to know.all u gotta do is listen !

:D
 
Some people like to mix it up when sparring as they
think it confuses people. The instant someone switches
to south paw I let fly with a 2,3 combo and see where
they go from there.
 
I almost never see anyone switch stances when they're winning.
 
The big flaw in changing stances is that most people haven't trained enough to be really good in one stance, and thus adding in two, plus coordinating the switching in an effective manner, means even less development for both.

If you are willing to put in the time and be fully fluid in both, I think its an outstanding option but its much more commitment than just getting good in one stance.

I've trained the past two years in both stances (as part of injury recovery initially), and find that being fluid in both opens up a lot of opportunities. If you are committed to doing it well, I think its a great option. I spent about one year mostly focused on footwork though to put it in perspective. That said, I did have the advantage of being a left handed person who trained for years as orthodox, so adding in southpaw was not as unintuitive as it might be for most.

I should add that my trainer has really focused on fighting/training using both stances (currently teaches all fighters he is cornering that way) and gone well beyond just changing stances and developed a number of combo's such that you are switching as you throw, and the stance change is simply part of the combo....its not just 'change stance this round' type of stuff. Lets you close distance much more effectively and open up a lot of new angles.

I'm sure there's a lot of opinions on this, but hope that helps to hear one from someone who is currently training in both.
 
Back
Top