orthodox or southpaw?

[themonk]

hi all this is my first post

as far as problems go it's a pretty good one, but I need advice all the same. I've been boxing for about 3 months now, and always done so in southpaw, but my trainer recently asked me to hit the bags in an orthodox stance, because I "looked uncomfortable in southpaw". I got more power on my jabs but the stance felt abit unnatural.

what should I do? carry on in southpaw stance and learn abit more power, or learn to feel more natural over time in orthodox but have more natural punching power, or learn both?

thanks

[Trainer Monkey]

Both,but concentrate on your natural stance

[Sugar_Shaw]

I switch so I've never had this problem. I recommend you practive your natural one more.

[greynotsoold]

Dismiss my natural bias against all things left-handed...The only thing I have ever been able to do with my left hand is punch.
I would suggest that you learn to box right-handed. Your front hand- in this case your left- does 80% of the offensive work. and having a strong natural left hand can only be an advantage. In the old days, when guys knew how to fight, most guys relied on their left hook. The right hand is so much harder to land, when fighting guys that can fight, and you still need the hook to finish the job.
The biggest thing, in my mind, is what it does to your boxing education. It skews the game and you will find that there are so very very very few trainers out there that can actually and effectively train a southpaw. Its not the same thing and i don't care what may be said- years ago there were guys that could really educate a leftie but that no longer exists, at least in my view.

[Trainer Monkey]

Dismiss my natural bias against all things left-handed...The only thing I have ever been able to do with my left hand is punch.
I would suggest that you learn to box right-handed. Your front hand- in this case your left- does 80% of the offensive work. and having a strong natural left hand can only be an advantage. In the old days, when guys knew how to fight, most guys relied on their left hook. The right hand is so much harder to land, when fighting guys that can fight, and you still need the hook to finish the job.
The biggest thing, in my mind, is what it does to your boxing education. It skews the game and you will find that there are so very very very few trainers out there that can actually and effectively train a southpaw. Its not the same thing and i don't care what may be said- years ago there were guys that could really educate a leftie but that no longer exists, at least in my view.

The fundemantal piece of advice I start every southpaw out with grey
"Your wide open"
"So are they"
We just build from there

[ThomasTabin]

fighters were harder to hit with rights back then because nobody but nobody stood anywhere close to square. I think these days its harder to land a left hook and easier to land rights based on the way everyone is squared up now.

[greynotsoold]

That is my point exactly, Thomas. I'm sure you remember the saying, something to the effect that a stepping, jabbing southpaw is tough to beat. For some reason, the guy that always sticks in my head when I think of southpaws is Jiro Watanabe- when he was on he'd keep circling right and pumping that rapier jab and throwing a very sharp left. That was what made a southpaw difficult, in those days. They circled and made you turn unnaturally, and that jab and straight left...
The other guy I think about is Andy Ganigan, because I saw him fight so many times. He was much much craftier than given credit for- he had a way of not being quite as close as he seemed, leaning back from the right and countering with his left. He had another move where he would slide forward and to his right- always as a counter-and throw a very short right hook. Scored many knockdowns and knockouts with that move- if you find any "highlight" footage of his career you'll see it several times.
The point I'm trying to make is that a southpaw takes special teaching and special strategic education. You need to counterpunch to be most effective, even if you are coming forward. You need to understand angles better than the average. And you need a sharp straight left hand or you will be victimized.

[Trainer Monkey]

That is my point exactly, Thomas. I'm sure you remember the saying, something to the effect that a stepping, jabbing southpaw is tough to beat. For some reason, the guy that always sticks in my head when I think of southpaws is Jiro Watanabe- when he was on he'd keep circling right and pumping that rapier jab and throwing a very sharp left. That was what made a southpaw difficult, in those days. They circled and made you turn unnaturally, and that jab and straight left...
The other guy I think about is Andy Ganigan, because I saw him fight so many times. He was much much craftier than given credit for- he had a way of not being quite as close as he seemed, leaning back from the right and countering with his left. He had another move where he would slide forward and to his right- always as a counter-and throw a very short right hook. Scored many knockdowns and knockouts with that move- if you find any "highlight" footage of his career you'll see it several times.
The point I'm trying to make is that a southpaw takes special teaching and special strategic education. You need to counterpunch to be most effective, even if you are coming forward. You need to understand angles better than the average. And you need a sharp straight left hand or you will be victimized.

Alot of it is footwork,and actually a big left hook is a bit more important,but you do have to snap out the jab with both hands
But then again,anybody throws a pawing jab,no matter what their stance,here,they owe me 20
They do it again Im putting my foot on their back
But back on point,the best way to BEAT a southpaw is to attack their power side at an angle,that big left makes them not want to come to there anymore

But again,that also works for the left hander,so if your fighting one,Id keep your right loaded up for bear

[greynotsoold]

Curious that you said that about the best way to beat a southpaw. The standard book is to get outside their right foot and avoid the left hand. I've long thought that the way to do it is to draw the left hand and counter it. The left hook, if thrown short, is a pretty good punch for this purpose, but I think that the right uppercut is a very very neglected punch in fighting southpaws. It comes down to, I think, the ability a southpaw has with his left hand. A lot of very good southpaws- maybe even most- tend to hook a bit with the left and I can see why, and there is a variety of reasons, but I think (and this is all speculative and varies from boxer to boxer) that a straighter left hand is more efficient...
Counter his left with your left, then the right. That's my thought.

[Trainer Monkey]

Curious that you said that about the best way to beat a southpaw. The standard book is to get outside their right foot and avoid the left hand. I've long thought that the way to do it is to draw the left hand and counter it. The left hook, if thrown short, is a pretty good punch for this purpose, but I think that the right uppercut is a very very neglected punch in fighting southpaws. It comes down to, I think, the ability a southpaw has with his left hand. A lot of very good southpaws- maybe even most- tend to hook a bit with the left and I can see why, and there is a variety of reasons, but I think (and this is all speculative and varies from boxer to boxer) that a straighter left hand is more efficient...
Counter his left with your left, then the right. That's my thought.

Ok,Im going to ask you to visualise here,so bear with me
Step to your right a half of a step
Now throw a jab with your left,straight down the pike
Now step towards their left hand but on the outside while throwing a right hook
You put their right out of range,youve moved their power hand tight,and youve hit an exposed area in their guard all in a two punch two step combo.
Seeing it?
Your creating a swirl affect,but you have to keep initializing for it to work

[greynotsoold]

That is it, my friend. I really believe in taking the right hook (from the southpaw) out of the game, make him throw the left and counter it. Of course, as you said, the mirror image is equally true.
Something that I've read about and been told about (never heard about it my active days- my weapon of choice against southpaws, besides the nosebleed, was the right uppercut. I tried the draw the left and counter trick- hence the nosebleeds- but my slipping skills...that wasn't my game...didn't allow me to use my hook as a counter like I would've liked. Do it all day against a jab-slip outside and hook. I truly believe that, at some levl, and if you let them, lefties can hypnotize you.

[themonk]

fkin hell thanks for the advice, that got abit detailed for my skills atm but i kept up (kind of).
ill just work on both my stances and see where it, and my trainers, take me.