I looked at the archives and was surprised there wasn't any threads on this.
Could y'all give up your tips on fighting a southpaw ? How to defend, how attack, how to move, etc.
THANKS!
i'm no expert, but this is what i was told ....
keep your left lead foot outside his right lead foot, that way, his power left hand will have to travel much farther to hit you, and his lead right hand will be punching more outward.
your lead left jab is in a more advantageous possition than his, while your right hand is in a good possitiion to hit him, compared to his. you can also lead with your right hand.
of course, he'll probably try to put his right foot outside your left foot to get the advantage. :)
I always thought it would be a good idea to switch to southpaw yourself. Lefties hate fighting other lefties more than righties do. Assuming you are comfortable switching leads, I think that would work pretty well.
IMO, switching leads against a southpaw isn't the best idea, especially if you're not comfortable in a that stance. I am a southpaw and it doesn't bother me at all if an orthodox fighter switches. I still circle the same way and can throw a stiffer jab without having to worry about their cross anymore.
Keeping the lead leg on the outside is ideal when fighting a southpaw or when I'm fighting an orthodox boxer. It's not always easy to do though. The main tactic I use against right-handers is keeping their shoulders between mine. I hold my lead hand higher and out a little farther to intercept and parry their jab. This allows me to counter with my own jab and set-up the left cross. I also throw straight left leads to the body then follow with the right hook to the head a lot.
sure, if you aren't comfortable, it would be a terrible idea. I was saying to try it if you were good with either leg in front.
Here are some points I have found or been told.
Don't lead, make the Sth paw come to you.
Circle to the left away from their left hook.
Use the right hand to the face or body, straight or hooked.
Try to step on their lead foot and then throw a shot.
Hope this helps.
Kym
Doesn't this open you up terribly ?
"I also throw straight left leads to the body then follow with the right hook to the head a lot."
Hmm.. kinda dirty. Might be good for MMA :)
"Try to step on their lead foot and then throw a shot."
Any time you throw combinations you're going to be open for some type of counter. I've had some success in sparring throwing straight left leads to the body because I change levels keep good cover and bury my fist into their solar plexus or chest. It is usually enough to stun or knock them off balance. I'm not perfect though and sometimes get countered with a right cross or left hook. That's where defense comes into play. Cover & roll, bob & weave or pivot away as you throw the hook.
Keep in mind I'm speaking from the southpaw point of view. Everything would be reversed for a right-hander. The principle stays the same though.
I'm a southpaw too, and I find my most useful punch
to be my right hook. Most of what I do is done to
set this up. Things that seem to work for me against
orthodox guys are:
stepping on the lead foot - I'm short and slow.
Getting inside - I find the whole southpaw/orthodox
thing get less and less important as you get closer.
Of course I'm shorter than most people I spar with so
maybe it's just me. If your lead leg is outside the
lead hook to head works well. If your lead leg is
inside, shovel hooks and uppercuts to the body. When
their hands come down, step your leg outside and
throw the lead hook to the head. Doubling up the lead
hook (body, head) works well here too.
On the rare occasions when there's not a drastic reach
difference I find slipping their jab, stepping in and
throwing a quick lead hook to counter works well.
Don't switch stances, unless you are very comfortable with a south paw stance or are a great switch hitter.
Leading foot on the outside is good
Circling away from the powerhand is good (although, you are actually taking doing the same for your own powerhand
Throw lots of jabs, over your opponents jabbing hand
lead hand hook is a nice close in attack
don't be a sitting target, keep moving.
the main issue is that you have not trained against as many cack handed fighters as you have orthodox fighters, so try to find south paw sparring partners. Worth noting that southpaws have the same problem with southpaws as they are so used to orthodox fighters
Good point, there's really not that much to remember.
The main rules like circling away from the power hand
still hold true, it's just that they're kind of reversed.