boxing southpaw

[briggfoot]

hi,
ive been boxing for a few months now and being the only southpaw in my class it is quite awkward to work out combinations that work well.
ive had a few hard spars and often cant get things taht work beautifully in practise to work during a spar when your opponent is trying his hardest not to get hit and is not punching slowly when you know the punch is coming.

things like the lean in and uppercut/screw shot to the jaw doesnt work as my opponents shoulder and upper arm is in the way.

do anyof you have combinations that work well as a southpaw?

or do any of you orthadox fighters get caught by southpaws with the same bloody punches all the time?

cant think of any more questions as the moment

all the best
andy

[MrBoxerGrappler]

I myself an ambidextrious in everything I do...(I.E. I don't have a prefered hand) And I choose to fight south paw. Of course my first trainer was a south paw so I was slightly bias. But you bring up a good point...Some of the basic offence you learn in boxing is difficult for a south paw fighting against an orthodox fighter...but you have to look at the reverse as well. When a righty is fighting against a south paw, because of your stance and the way you hold your guard he will have the same difficulty as you do. I don't really belive in training a set group of combinations I think it is important for a fighter to find his own style and his own way to feel comfortable.. But I will tell you from experiance, the hinderance and advantage are even on both sides.

[briggfoot]

wow, a reply already!

good point MrBoxerGrappler,
any combinations a orthadox fighter finds useful will go down the pan against a southpaw so we are both in the same boat. i probably have a slight upper hand as i am used to fighting Orthadox fighers but they may not be so used to fighting a southpaw.

i like your idea about having 2 strong sides. i am thinking about getting my orthadox side up to the same standard as you can flow from stance to stance to confuse your opponent (or if your desperate for ideas!)

i am pleased you said that i can be equal to an orthadox. i picked up a book in my library which basically said that at lower levels, southpaws are merely a pain in the arse and it is highly unlikely for a southpaw fighter to get any good. not very good for motivation.

my boxing coach is against set combinations or styles. he teaches us good technique and has perfect technique himself but chooses to fight in a very unorthadox style most of the time. he encourages us to find what works well for us and then developing it

all the best
andy

[jules]

Southpaws are a nightmare.. Damm you left handed freaks

[grimel]

Burn that book. Freaking idiot wrote it. Well, if you had to deal with my coach you'd have ZERO, NADA, ZIP, ZILCH choice about being RH or LH. EVERYONE starts RH works through the basic punches, bob/weave/slip, footwork, and upto a 3 punch combo. Then EVERYONE goes back to square one LH and repeats the sequence. At that point, if you do it RH, you do it LH. Jerry's theory is you need to be able to roll either way from a clinch/ropes and have a solid foundation from which to punch. Besides, most lefty's aren't used to fighting lefty's. So, if you can go southpaw against a southpaw, and he has scouted you as orthodox. Well, lets just say you get the first 3 rounds. Then when he's got if figured out, switch to RH and take the next 2 rounds.

[briggfoot]

cheers for the replies

i am going to get my right handed side upto scratch. i like the idea of your coach teaching you both ways then letting you chose what feels best.

its good to talk about SP tactics abit as there isnt much on the internet about it.

all the best
andy