I recently joined a boxing gym and since I am the only one left handed it makes everything very complicated. Especially the more complicated drills. Even the boxing trainers themselves are orthodox. When the drill is started I am still thinking and reversing everything in my head. Very tired and confusing all the time. Even the trainer doesn't always what to do to make the drill work. Simple drills are easy to work around but the complicated ones is almost impossible to do. And then even worse, the exercise is almost done and I am still working it out. This all gives my anxiety when the training session is started. So then I switch to orthodox to make it easier for my training partner and for the group. This is holding my progression back. Any tips to overcome this?
If you are in a southpaw stance and can get in front of the coach and the coach is in an orthodox stance while demonstrating the technique it can be an advantage to be left handed. If the coach is in front of you, it will be like a mirror image. Follow the coach like you are watching yourself in a mirror. Do what the coach does, as an example, if he is using a left hook, imitate his left with your right...Hope this helps.
I can tell you one thing: the orthodox drills are often adapted against another orthodox. Being left-handed, you need specific ones for the stance and here's the big problem - many trainers don't even realize that others do, but are lazy to work over. It's otherwise not wrong to practice those drills, they're valid anyway, but the reason for them not always working for you as they do in the orthodox stance is exactly the one I am telling you. So either tell your trainer to put some effort into you and if he does - do as you must being southpaw (i.e. don't bother to care how your partner reacts to that - you are what you are and it's not a crime or something wrong), or change the gym with a more adequate one.
