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Im probably going to sign up for muay thai after winter break, and I was wondering if you think I should be southpaw or traditional? I have a heavy bag, and I feel comfortable doing both, but I know that its better to stick with one so you can get used to it. So which one? Do you think i should be southpaw because its more of a challenge for traditional fighters? Do you think its bad to be southpaw? or do you think it doesnt really matter and I should do whatever I want? Im hoping that some of you who are experienced in Muay thai what you think.
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MT doesnt have the same stances as boxing. But in general if you want to be able to KO people, stick with a right-handed stance. There are not many Southpaw KO artists. -
Southpaw
When I changed schools due to a move, I tried to change to a southpaw style. I suffered a very serious right shoulder injury and thought that fighting southpaw would help protect a weakness that won't get any better. After a few weeks I discarded it and went back to a regular stance because southpaw was causing more problems than it was fixing. It just felt too ackward for me and my punching and combos weren't flowing as freely as before. Whichever stance you choose, I would recommend sticking with it and working all your techniques off of it. A particular stance should be comfortable and come as an automatic reaction. Switching back and forth from one stance to another may cause problems with this.Comment
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This statement is based on what?
What?Originally posted by HtTKar
Anyway, natural southpaw and agree that it is good to decide on one stance and stick with it.
TheDeadlySquidComment
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I am a natural southpaw who trained orthodox for years before switching. A natural lefty should train southpaw for sure - you will end up liking it better for a number of reasons, including that righties will have to adjust to deal with 'open stance' while you will be used to it.
However; training southpaw is a hassle sometimes... dead drills don't usually work right, instructors 'tricks' don't work for you, some instructors pressure you to work right-handed because your stance causes more effort for them.
If you really are equally able to do both, I'd suggest that there isn't a clear advantage either way, so just pick one. You are correct about one thing - if you try to switch back and forth, you'll end up sloppy in both stances.Comment
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im just making sure, but southpaw is with your right foot forward, right?Comment
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Southpaw
That's right. Right leg becomes lead leg and left leg is rear leg. Right hand is jab and lead hook, elbow. Left hand is rear for cross, hook, elbow ect. Stance will also affect your clinch to knee strikes, as your position is changed. You should find one stance that's comfortable for you and stick with it.
Mahalo, JeremyComment
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arent southpaws at a disadvantage?Comment
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Not necessarily.
Most people are orthodox, so you have to set up your attacks slightly different.
You will be exposed to right hooks countering off your jabs and over hand lefts, not to mention left rear leg thai kicks that can counter off of your right kick if they make you miss.Comment
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I have never been discouraged from training southpaw. Actually my instructors always tell me that a left-leg kick is "very, very special"Originally posted by gregimotis
I like that my stance throws most inexperienced righties off while sparring.
TheDeadlySquidComment
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I also like what my southpaw stance offers. Less expierenced people sometimes don't even notice the open position. Even more seasoned people don't always adapt to it very well. Good fighters don't tend to get too fazed but even so, they are having to adapt to me right from the bell and I like knowing that.Comment
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It does take some getting used to.Originally posted by gregimotis
I just got sick of eating right hooks you backwards SOBs....
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Observations on Stance Advantages
If your stance is correct, either right or left lead, the line of your lead foot should point outside the heel of your opponent's same-side foot. Meaning if both fighters are in a right lead, your left foot should point outside his right heel. This if you have been trained by Master Chai, who was highly influenced by his early training in Krabi-Krabong with his uncle. This will keep you straight on to him, and allow you to counter over his jab with a cross, over his cross with a hook, if you are both in similar leads. Now comes the trick. If you line 2 people up against each other, one natural right-hander and one natural left-hander, face them approximately arms' lengths apart, and tell them to take a fighting stance, watch what happens. Most times the natural right-hander will step backwards and out a little with his right foot. Most times the natural left-hander will step forward and out a little with his right foot to keep distancing correct. If you look at this you will see the left-hander is naturally positioned to throw the right hook over the jab. So, most trainers advise when fighting a lefty, to use the straight right cross more than the jab. And you will notice the left-hander is always circling to his right trying to get the easy shot over your jab. We aid them by always circling to our right to make it easier to throw our cross. Worldwide, approximately 15% of people are naturally left-handed. What that means is the left-handers get much more practice fighting right-handers than right-handed people get fighting left-handers. For most left-handed people it is equally hard fighting another left-hander. Master Chai has told me numerous times that, for a right-handed fighter, the left (front) leg is best used in the street and the right (rear) leg is best used in the ring. Done correctly, the switch-kick (quick left for a right-hander) is supposed to hit the diaphragm while the rear-leg kick is to kick the short-ribs or side of the thigh where the bone is closest to the surface, making for the easy nerve shot. People who switch-kick to hit the side of their opponent almost always are subject to a cut kick, either before or after their kick, because they are moving their pivot to their opponent's center. A few years back a European martial arts magazine noted that, at that time, so many camps in Thailand were teaching the right-leg lead that 50% of the fighters were left-handed. Apparently, and this is my supposition only, they had concluded there was an advantage in being a lefty in the ring.
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I was going to post a similar thread but figured I'd tag along on this one.
I was born left handed and should be southpaw. Due to a supersticious asian family upbringing, I was forced to become right handed. (that's another story) Because of this I have what I call limited ambidexterity. I can use either hand but I do somethings better with my left than right and vice versa. For example, I write with my right hand, though I shoot basketballs with my left.
I train orthodox but my rear leg kick (rt) sucks and my lead leg kick (lft) is very good. Switching to southpaw, my lead leg (rt) actually becomes good and my rear (lft) even better. My first months of Muay Thai, I would always revert to a southpaw stance because it was so much more natural. Even now I sometimes go southpaw without noticing. I can punch in either stance, however it seems that my overall kicking would have been better if i was southpaw. Deep down I really wish I started southpaw but, I think I should stay orthodox. If I ask anyone here I'm pretty sure the respose I'll get is to stay orthodox since I've been training over a year that way. Am I right?
Side note: I start jiu jitsu with my right leg forward (southpaw)Comment
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That's hard to say. I was made to learn TKD right handed (three years), then moved to Muay Thai and stuck with the orthodox stance for two years before switching to southpaw. It took about a month for me to get comfortable, but a couple years later now, I am really glad I switched. Of course, I'm not limited-ambi, so our situations are a little different.If I ask anyone here I'm pretty sure the respose I'll get is to stay orthodox since I've been training over a year that way. Am I right?
Thanks Chalambok for the info, I hadn't heard that about the preferred left/right kick targets. Interestingly, I tend to kick the bag to the fore rather than the side off the switch kick naturallyComment
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