improving your weaker side

hi

i've just started boxing at my uni these past few weeks. i'm a right handed southpaw, mainly because i know the importance of the jab and lead hook and maybe more importantly the footwork feels more comfortable. The problem is that i have really poor coordination with my left hand and so my "power shot" the left hook is really weak.

Is there any exercises i can do to improve my weaker. I was considering switching to orthodox for a while, would this help or does it go against my natural preferences?

Thanks

Its all in the Eyes. ;D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scrap

Its all in the Eyes. ;D

---

i was pondering on this for a sec.

there is talk about how orthodox fighters should not switch southpaw in the middle of a bout, as your balance falters for that quick second. in the ring, i too noticed that when i would switch stances, my brain was just too perplexed, and it never really felt as if i was balanced. The feeling a newborn baby giraffe feels when its learning to walk and get his legs under him.

Could focusing with the dominant eye somehow settle your balance when you make that quick shift or something? I dont know, im just throwing stuff out.

Hey Anon

I am only aware of one right handed boxer who was tutored as a southpaw, and that was Marvin Hagler. He is the only exception. I would encourage you to turn orthodox and stick with it. It's normal for a right handed individual new to boxing to feel more comfortable in the southpaw stance, but this does not mean it's the right thing to do. Your left hand does much more work what with jabbing and the left hook (the power in the left hook is generated from rotation of the hips rather than any naturally given strength). You will over time throw fewer shots with your right hand but these will tend to be natural power shots.

Go orthodox, it'll be better in the long run.

Good Luck

Fran

If your right handed then your right eye will also be your dominant eye the left eye sort of just supports things, now im not 100% sure but that says to me that you could never be as good as a southpaw as you will be as an orthadox, i think its more a mind muscle control issue throwing with only your left hand will awaken the muscles in your left arm and in time when you have good control over them you will be able to recruit more fibres with the punches which will inturn give you a better feel for what your left hand is doing, if i was you i would try to dedicate a round or 2 of sparring a week using just your left hand, same on the heavy bag and other equipment, using your left hand more will give you better control over your left hand, it can take a while to get the technique down for a good left hook aswell so all of these things are issues but i suspect a lack of control over the muscles in your left arm because i was the same when i first started boxing i felt like i couldnt squish a fly with my left hook never mind knock someone out, everytime u have spare time throw your left hand if your waiting for kettle to boil, running a bath, etc just shadow box with your left hand if you do this whenever you get chance during the day you will speed things up.

Its all about the Dominant eyes recruitment of your Nueromuscular system, through its peritheral vision interesting stuff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anon

hi

i've just started boxing at my uni these past few weeks. i'm a right handed southpaw, mainly because i know the importance of the jab and lead hook and maybe more importantly the footwork feels more comfortable. The problem is that i have really poor coordination with my left hand and so my "power shot" the left hook is really weak.

Is there any exercises i can do to improve my weaker. I was considering switching to orthodox for a while, would this help or does it go against my natural preferences?

Thanks

---

You have just said you are a right handed southpaw.
.

IS that because you feel that to have your right hand out in the lead you can defend and attack with your strongest out front?

At the moment for you it is a bad habit and your trainer (if there is one) is failing you allowing you to continue that way.If you continue that way you will get read by the first reasonable fighter that comes along and they will deal with you like they would a one armed man.You will be out maneuvered and flogged.

Go orthodox ,train in the basics and be patient about it and your weak side will naturally strengthen. Just holding it up i the air out front is going to build on its strength as is its reaction to being out there parring off shots and jabbing.

We do talk about switching in here but that is only on certain moves and special situations for way above average fighters who understand the pros and cons, when the rare opportunity arises for it to be very safe or even better to be beneficial to do so, briefly.

Its a funny subject matter because some unlearned people can only think of switching as simply being in the opposite stance and has it got a benefit.
That answer is 99% of the time NO.

But the real art of switching is in the transition move and its infinite timing so that its safe for you and devastating to the other fighter ,all on his first move so he is committed to the trap.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scrap

Its all about the Dominant eyes recruitment of your Nueromuscular system, through its peritheral vision interesting stuff.

---

So is the opposite eye dominant? The eyes are mainly physically hooked up to the opposite brain side . We physically see upside down but then the brain flips it around for us. Right eye / left brain hemisphere, and left hemisphere mainly controls the right had side of us physically etc?

So "generally", is the left eye dominant on a right handed person? or reverse?

For the righthanded its right eye, thats where most of the Periphrel eyesight is. Your left eye is more shortsighted. Opposite the other way, theres a little thing you can try. Put your Finger 6" in front of your nose, line it up with something10ft away. Then close one eye and see how much the object moves the eye that doesnt move to much is the dominant one. The one that does is the shortsighted one. Also eyes are the slowest body signal because of this plus eyes dont go direct to the Brain, what you see is the past :cool: plus the eyes only have a 1/6 of a second memory,it doesnt give much hope ;D.

thanks for the responses, they're very helpful. It sounds like its best to go orthodox, i only do padwork and footwork really at the moment. I don't have a proper trainer and i've only been these past few week its very basic stuff. i'm just gonna try and get the basics down, get myself into good shape and work on my left hand, then i might try and move on to a gym and get some better training.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scrap

For the righthanded its right eye, thats where most of the Periphrel eyesight is. Your left eye is more shortsighted. Opposite the other way, theres a little thing you can try. Put your Finger 6" in front of your nose, line it up with something10ft away. Then close one eye and see how much the object moves the eye that doesnt move to much is the dominant one. The one that does is the shortsighted one. Also eyes are the slowest body signal because of this plus eyes dont go direct to the Brain, what you see is the past :cool: plus the eyes only have a 1/6 of a second memory,it doesnt give much hope ;D.

---

That works a treat.Yeah well mines right eye dominant Im a right hander.

:cool: Thats a cool exercise in relation to where you place your finger comfortably in the center of your vision.

I just reversed it and sat and held my finger dead center of my eyes looked at it both eyes open then looked into the distance beyond it with both eyes still open and my finger appeared to move over to the left.

Alas there's no tricking my weak eye.:(

when i close my left eye my finger seems to move to the left does that mean im right eye dominant? i agree its fascinating stuff ive always been amazed by the human body.

Eyes long term cause most injurys to the Body, because they cause imbalance of action and movement. Probably in a lot of circumstances through walking Gait certainly through running gait. I find it interesting that on a running track, it doesnt do left eyed people much good running Bends ;D trying to stabalise there gait with the weak side, Tracks are not made for left sided people, only rightsided which there are 9 times more off. Ill be putting something on here in the next couple of weeks which seems to have solved the problem, You can actually run with your eyes shutt, and work on feel and touch while running, giving better hip stability.

Ive been doing the plyometric push ups moving hands on and off the board after every inch with my right eye closed, i saw it on one of the threads a while back, would the principle work the legs the same way with a board and a squatting type movement?

Its a different principle.

Reaction times also differ depending on which eye you are using (or which eye is dominant).