I was having some balance issues and a tendency to learn forward still in a normal orthodox fighting stance. This week, my coach had me put my back foot sideways now and put my legs in an L-Stance now. I have to say, it feels awkward but at the same time, it feels much better for me mechanically. I'm wondering what other people's opinions are on the L-Stance. I feel a lot sturdier and now I'm throwing punches with more of a center than before. The only downside is I feel slower in it because of the awkward positioning of the legs when it comes to footwork.
Your right foot is perpendicular to your opponent? Footwork is awkward. Harder to turn on a right hand. More likely to get your feet too far apart. At some point you will get sore in your lower back on your right side from trying to turn your weight with that foot turned that way. You'll see a lot of Mexican fighters fight that way. The more you point the toe of your rear foot at your opponent, the better off you are.
This is Marco Antonio Barrera's first US fight when he was 18. He sometimes uses the stance you refer to; sometimes he does not. For what it is worth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU08Rq3unF8
i try to emulate this guy and he uses the old school l stance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h2J8FywlSU
That is a good guy to emulate. I don't think there is much video of him, unfortunately. I've been around this for nearly 40 years and, throughout that whole time, guys that really know boxing talk very highly of Freddie Little.
Sounds close to a typical stance to me. Having the right foot perpendicular makes for more leverage coming off the back foot.
It makes it easier to push off the right foot, to push the right hand, but much harder to shoot the right hand with 'snap'. If that makes sense? On the other hand, it is easier to get your weight onto the back foot to really dig the left hook, especially to the body.
I'm a short, stocky guy with short reach so the coach has instructed me to focus on hitting any part of the body that is exposed since the head is more difficult due to the difference in height/reach. I guess this adjustment would help since I'm having to dig in low as it is.
"Old Bones" Joe Brown used a similar stance -- the feet are kind of on a line, so the back foot is almost directly behind the front foot (at roughly shoulder distance) and the back foot is "open" or pointed out, rather than toward the opponent. Plenty of him on youtube although you obviously cannot always see his feet. It works for offense and defense if you master your balance properly with it. Bottom line: if this works to correct a problem you've been having, it's a good idea. More than one way to skin a cat. If there was only one way to do it that worked, everyone would do it that way.
