Is there much benefit to it, having been boxing 4years i tried the other day to shadow box n hit the bag southpaw and it just felt absolutely horrible the reason for which i decided to do this was to try and bring more variety to my skillset however i am now having second thoughts what are your views on this?
Yeah, it's useful. Most of the top guys I know typically box one way but can switch hit to some degree. It helps because you can give new angles and a different look at an opponent and make them adjust to the new stance and sometimes style you'll be out of.
Thanks for the reply do you box both ways because the movement in respects to footwork and slipping and rolling just feels all wrong its not so much the punches itslef is this normal
It is a useful skill to have. For a decent example you can watch Hagler-Duran, Hagler switches frequently and uses the maneuver effectively in the fight.
Eh, my footwork can still get thrown off in southpaw. It's a coordination thing, you have to practice it a lot. That's what boxing is, repetition and muscle memory. Your muscles are trained and familiar with how to move in your normal stance, when you reverse it it'll take some time for the coordination there to kick in.
Two advantaeges of orthodox boxers training as southpaws or vice versa: 1) You add to your repertoire and the southpaw stance can significantly confuse some opponents. In fact, just switching up can keep them a step behind. 2) By training the other side, you can stimulate an already stagnent regular side by the cross-interaction. For instance, practicing a hook out of the other stance can improve the motor skills of the side you are already used to. This because the body has its own built in "off" switches to keep the body in balance. It won't let one side get all out of balance with the other side. So, when one side has gotten way better adapted than the other side, it stops improving until the other side catches up, like in weight training. By traiing the other side, you let the original side turn its switch back on to keep adapting.
Very informative post. Point 2 is something I've been thinking about lately, thanks for your explanation. I'll definitely try a few rounds in southpaw stance this week. Point 1 doesn't do much for me because I think often the switcher is more confused than his opponent. To me it reeks of desperation
Yup. I know a guy who is extremely good at this and when he does it (especially since he's naturally left handed but boxes orthodox) it really throws his opponents off, because there's a very powerful left hand flying at them from a whole new angle.
i am by no means a top class boxer, i am an average counter-slugger, but i have to stand southpaw. not always, but if i am looking to pile up points i do. my jab is faster and cripser, it land crystal clear. then if i look for the KO i turn orthodox. just preference.
It's useful but at the same time, you don't want to be ok at both sides and not excellent at either Best to train one side until it's a very good level and then add the second side as a change up
If you can box both southpaw and orthodox effectively, then absolutely it is a tremendous plus for a boxer. The more weapons and skills a fighter has in his arsenal, the better off he will be. One example of how this can be effective is if you are fighting a guy who was planning on fighting an orthodox fighter and didnt prepare for or have experience boxing a southpaw and you went southpaw on him, this could definately ruin his night. So yes, if you can go both ways effectively then it is great.
