Southpaw - An In-Depth Look

The southpaw term is used for many reasons but for our purposes it is to connotate the position in fighting where the fighter has their right foot forward versus the traditional pose of the left foot forward. Of more interest to us is the advantages and disadvantages of one fighter having their left foot forward and the other having their right foot forward, and the reciprocal.

There is a long history of ancient cultures including the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese that prejudice left-handed use. It is seen as sinister, wicked, evil, etc. and many of the words for such are derived from the word left in these languages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handedness). In Chinese culture the major philosophies and religions believe in the universe spinning from left to right and things must always start on the left and move toward the right to remain in harmony. This expresses itself is in many of the Kung Fu forms that we see and is heavily documented in Tai Chi.

It is interesting as to why people usually place the left foot forward. It may very well be the majority of right hand dominant people versus left-hand dominant people. It may be a subconscious desire to protect the right kidney since it hangs slightly lower than the left, partially exposed without full protection of the rib cage. Placing the right side in the rear offers more protection to the flank. Keeping the powerful right in reserve if they are a righty. Who knows. It is not in the scope of this article to determine the root of these beliefs but rather what effect the Southpaw stance has on fighting.

What we do know is that people use this stance when they fight and knowing the advantages and disadvantages to its use can be quite beneficial. Here are some of the pros and cons to having your left foot forward while your opponent has their right and vice versus.

Pros:

1. Easier to attack the flank.
2. Cuts off the opponents second hand from attacking when on the outside.
3. Sets up for trips, sweeps, take-downs.
4. If dominant hand is forward - offers a stronger jab.
5. If on the inside it squares up your opponent offering clear shots to solid targets. Exposes the groin to attacks with kicks, grabs, strikes, knees.

Cons:

1. When on the inside you are in reach of both hands and susceptible to attacks not normally possible when directly in front of your opponent.
2. Opponent can attack your flank hitting vital or destructive targets.
3. Groin is exposed to kicks.
4. Legs are side by side if opponent is on your inside making you more vulnerable to double leg takedowns.
5. Fighting southpaw allows your opponent to sweep your foot when you shuffle in and if you circle to their inside you are walking right into their cross.
6. This position also affects your range, placing the jab closer to your opponent and keeping the cross so far away that it is often out of range and awkward to throw unless the other person makes a mistake.

Know your weaknesses and capitalize on your gains.
What to do on the outside:

1. If you are on the outside you want to remain there if possible, providing you have the correct angle. In this position you should be lighting up your opponent with hooks to the head, ribs, and kidney while attacking the inside line with your other hand using effective combinations.
2. Ideal position for setting up a few throws like side leg scoop and thigh lift throw.
3. In fight training it is common to fight one sided. In other words people choose a side to train and often ignore the other side or give it less attention. In these formats a Righty will spend most of their time fighting Righty's while a Lefty or Southpaw will spend most of their time fighting Righty's. This gives the Lefty an advantage as they spend a vast majority of time in this position and develop superior tactics and strategies.

What to do on the inside:

1. Strike up the middle high and low while being aware of any position changes made by your opponent that may put you at risk.
2. Kick or Punch to the groin.
3. Perform Double Leg Takedown.

Examples:Here are a couple applications from our Kung Fu styles that use this position:

• Mantis BoxingCrazy Ghost Fist - The first move in Beng Bu. This move is a perfect example of proper use of the southpaw. Opponent punches and you move to the outside while blocking the arm and striking the ribs.
• Tai ChiDeflect Parry Punch - exists throughout the long form. In this move you ward-off your opponents arm, use cross circle step to their outside and shift forward to Southpaw bow stance while pinning the arm with your outside hand and striking with the inside.

Southpaw can be a great advantage or a great liability in fighting depending on your skill level with using it. As a rule when I teach beginners I leave it out. If you don't understand the dangers then the advantages are not worth the risk. When you understand match stance (left to left or right to right) then you should begin to play with the Southpaw position.

Speed Kills

In martial arts there is a significant importance placed on speed. Why shouldn't there be, this trait is often times what gives one fighter an advantage over another fighter. The problem is that speed in training actually has more negative effects than positive.

All too often speed is the culprit that inhibits learning and growth in training how to fight. This is easily explained by the emotional state of the student who is stressed out, in unfamiliar territory, confused, and/or trying to multi-task. Once a student can slow down they will see that there is much to learn when you play things out slowly.

Do not mistake this as advocating an abolition of speed as speed is a necessary component when introduced at the right time in the training process. Speed is used heavily to test skills to determine if one has attained them but has to go away if failure is the result or if new material is introduced.

A great example arose in class this past weekend - a moment came up in Footwork training where two students were going too fast for their skill level. One had never done the drills at all before last week and was as green as a zucchini. At the speed they were going they were wandering all over the ring with no concept of where they were and why they were moving, just moving for the sake of moving. They were failing to use all of their new footwork skills we trained earlier in the class.

As a student when you are learning footwork think of it this way - if I say freeze, can you explain to me the reason you stepped there? The advantages and disadvantages of that position? What the last 3 moves were that landed you there? And what your opponent has to do from here to counter you? If not then you are going too fast for your skill level and need to slow down. Slowing down the footwork allows you to see your mistakes and either do it over again or move on, knowing the next time not to repeat your previous mistake.

This principle applies to almost all other aspects of fight training and is not restricted to just footwork. When going fast you have no ability to analyze and are throwing your training to the Fates. As a rule of thumb - Fast as you can, slow as you must!

Speed increases with skill not the other way around.