Choosing between the orthodox and southpaw stances used in striking-based martial arts like Muay Thai, Dutch Kickboxing, and Boxing is a lot more complicated than the standard orthodox for right-handed fighters and southpaw for left-handed one’s conversation.
While your dominant hand impacts how well you fight out of either stance when you’re new to fighting, going against the grain and using the opposite stance can be more effective if it fits your fighting style, tactics, and strengths.
This article will take a deep look at both stances to help understand which might be better suited for you, regardless of whether you’re a righty or lefty.
The Basics: What Are The Orthodox And Southpaw Stances?
The stance you choose as a fighter determines which side of your body you have positioned in front, which impacts the offensive options opponents have. Before going any further, let’s define what both stances are:
- Orthodox Stance: The orthodox stance is the default for right-handed people in striking-based combat sports. It involves putting your weaker (left) side in front while your dominant arm and leg are behind, allowing you to generate maximum power with them.
- Southpaw: The southpaw stance is the standard for left-handed fighters in combat sports, as it puts your right arm and leg in front, allowing you to generate maximum power with your left side. Since about 90% of people worldwide are right-handed, most fighters have less experience going against southpaws, giving fighters who use the stance an edge in combat.
Consider Your Dominant Hand But Don’t Be Ruled By It
Most fighters are initially told to pick a stance based on their dominant hand, which is why most right-handed fighters use the orthodox stance while most lefties use the southpaw stance. In rare cases, fighters who train themselves unknowingly use the wrong stance.
Here’s the secret to the stances used in Boxing: you don’t have to follow the crowd. You can argue that the best fighters who have ever lived refused to limit themselves by following the crowd. Many high-level fighters are comfortable fighting with either stance since each offers strategic benefits. In opposition, some top-level fighters like Manny Pacquiao have reached the highest levels of their sports using only their natural fighting stance.
Being able to fight out of either fighting stand gives you a considerable edge during matches since it makes it harder for opponents to find their rhythm by consistently giving them different looks. Your stance can give you a strategic advantage depending on your goal.
For example, WBO light middleweight champion Terence Crawford is a righty who fights primarily in the southpaw stance despite being equally comfortable in both stances. Using a southpaw stance makes his jab extremely powerful since it’s thrown with his power hand.
The power in Crawford’s jab was evident for all to see when he became the first man to send Errol Spence to the canvas during their hyped showdown after landing one in the second round. Spence’s face was a mess by the time the fight was over, primarily because of the 87 jabs landed on him.
The Advantages Of Using Your Natural Stance
Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon is a highly skilled orthodox fighter who expertly leverages his natural stance to dominate in the ring.
You’re in good company if putting your power arm and leg back feels natural since most fighters in combat sports like mixed martial arts, Boxing, and Muay Thai fight out of their correct stances. Some of the advantages of using your natural stance include:
- Typically Feels More Comfortable: Using your natural stance means putting the side of your body you’re most comfortable using in the back, allowing you to generate maximum power. People who train in their natural stance often find it easier to pick up new techniques.
- Gives You More Powerful Weapons: Using your natural stance means your most dangerous weapons, like your cross, rear hook, and roundhouse kick, are thrown with the strong side of your body, increasing the precision you have with these tools and the power they land with.
- Solid Foundation: Using your natural stance makes it easier to master the fundamentals of any striking-based martial art. Many trainers recommend sticking to your natural side until you master the basics before experimenting with keeping your dominant hand in front.
The Disadvantages Of Using The Right Stance
While using your natural stance is typically the best approach for beginners, it also has some downsides. These include:
- Predictable: This only applies to right-handed fighters since most people are righties. This means most fighters have lots of experience going against orthodox fighters, making anticipating and evading their strikes easier. Southpaws don’t have this problem since they represent a small fraction of the population.
- Limited Jab: The jab is the most thrown strike in most combat sports, and using a natural stance means all your jabbing is done with your weak hand. Some fighters prefer to keep their dominant hand in front so their jab can be used to land power shots. This can be particularly effective against aggressive opponents looking to overwhelm you with their forward movement.
Keeping Your Strong Side In Front
Keeping your power hand in front by using the opposite of your natural stance gives you some advantages during fights, including:
- Powerful Lead Strikes: Putting your strong hand in front lets you land jabs that feel like crosses to your opponent. Your lead hook also becomes a more devastating weapon when your power hand is in front.
- Confuses Opponents: A natural orthodox fighter using a southpaw stance can make it more challenging for opponents to anticipate their strikes, as most fighters are more experienced in dealing with the orthodox stance. Some fighters, like ONE Championship flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, often switch stances during fights to keep opponents guessing.
Using the wrong stance comes with its share of drawbacks:
- It Can Limit Inexperienced Fighters: Putting your strong hand in front can be quite limiting if you haven’t already developed your weak side. For example, inexperienced fighters who keep their strong arm in front often neglect weapons like their roundhouse or rear hook since they don’t feel comfortable throwing these techniques with their weak side.
- Tougher To Master: Mastering how to fight using the opposite of your natural stance takes more time, because of the uncommon nature of this.
Learn to Use Both Stances
Many combat sports instructors recommend learning to fight in your natural stance before experimenting with the opposite stance. Mastering how to use either stance will give you an advantage inside the ring by making it harder for opponents to anticipate your strikes and allowing you to constantly change the looks you give them.
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