"Should I learn how to fight out of both fight stances: orthodox and southpaw? Or should I stick to one stance, my dominant fight stance?"

Primarily you're going to be fighting out of one fight stance, your dominant fight stance: either orthodox or southpaw.

But you do need to be able to also switch to your opposite fight stance when needed.

Especially when you need to target one vital organ in the body that works best from one side.

I will breakdown how to become the best in your dominant fight stance while also maximizing damage from opposite stance.

Video Breakdown

Difference Between Orthodox vs Southpaw

Orthodox is your left hand forward and your right hand back.

Southpaw is your right hand forward and your left hand back.

The way you decide which fight stance you should be fighting up as your dominant fight stance is:

• If you are right hand dominant then your fight stance is orthodox
• If you  are left hand dominant then your fight stance southpaw

There are some exceptions to this rule but majority of fighters follow the above approach. I recommend you do the same.

I am right hand dominant so my fight stance is orthodox.

So in this post I will primarily focus on being the best orthodox stance fighter and how to maximize your southpaw.

What Should You Drill

• 70-80% of your time should be spent drilling out of your dominant fight stance.
• 20-30% of your time should be spent drilling out of your opposite fight stance.

You want to be the best from your dominant fight stance. This is why you need a lot of time drilling from it.

The goal for 20-30% switch to the opposite fight stance should be proficiency and being comfortable throwing your fundamentals. And if your opposite fight stance is southpaw, mastering how to target the liver but more on this later.

Individual Strikes

Your dominant fight stance is where you'll be drilling most of your strikes and combinations.

Focus on the high percentage punches, kicks, elbows and knees.

For punches and kicks these are.

Punches (the fundamentals and the essentials):

• Jab (Body, Head)
• Cross (Body, Head)
• Lead Hook (Body, Head)
• Rear Uppercut
• Rear Hook (Body, Head)
• Lead Uppercut
• Overhand

Kicks (from Orthodox)

• Lead Front Kick (Push and Power)
• Rear Front Kick (Power)
• Lead Roundhouse (Leg, Body, Head or Low, Mid, High)
• Rear Roundhouse (Leg, Head or Low, High)
• Lead Side Kick
• Lead Roundhouse Switch Kick to the Body

These are the ones you should focus on drilling the most.

Doesn't mean you don't drill anything else or anything flashy. But that should be in small doses and not on regular basis.

When it comes to the opposite fight stance (southpaw) you need to narrow things down considerably. You need to pick only selected few to punches, kicks, knees and elbows.

For punches, stick with the fundamentals such as a jab, cross, lead hook and rear uppercut. There might be some other ones you may want to include but that will depend on you.

I also don't like to throw any jabs or crosses to the body out of my southpaw.

I found that out from constant drilling and sparring. No matter how much I've drilled, I can't get them down. So I moved on. I'd rather focus on other strikes from southpaw that I am actually good with.

Remember: you have limited time to drill out of your opposite stance. Pick just a few highest percentage strikes and ones that cause the most amount of damage.

My recommendations are,

Punches (Southpaw):

• Jab (Head)
• Cross (Head)
• Lead Hook (Head)
• Rear Uppercut
• Rear Hook (Body/Liver)

Kicks (Southpaw):

• Rear Roundhouse Mid (Body/Liver)
• Rear Roundhouse High (Head)
• Lead Roundhouse (Head)
• Rear Knee to the Body (Liver)

As you drill your opposite fight stance remember this. You will not be as sharp, as fast, as powerful from it as you are out of dominant fight stance. This is why you need to focus only on selected few strikes and target to cause maximum damage from your opposite stance. Less is more.

Last, your footwork should also be drilled out of opposite fight stance.

Combinations

There are about 25+ punch combinations you need to drill out of your dominant fight stance (Orthodox). These don't even include adding kicks. I won't cover them in this post but if you want to get started with the first 8 combinations, get "Strikign Fundamentals Vol.1: Fundamental Four" program.

However, I will cover are the recommended combinations to drill from your opposite fight stance (southpaw).

Recommended Combinations From Southpaw:

• Jabs and Double Jabs
• Jab > Cross
• Cross > Lead Hook (Head)
• Lead Hook >Rear Uppercut
• Rear Uppercut > Lead Hook
• Jab > Cross > Rear Roundhouse to the Head
• Cross > Rear Roundhouse to the Head

You should also incorporate footwork along with some of these combinations.

There might be some other combinations you prefer to add in to your drilling. Experiment and find that out.

Targeting the Liver from Southpaw

If you're going to spend short amount of time drilling out of southpaw then you need to target one body part I've talked a lot about - the liver.

One punch, kick or knee to the liver will bring down bigger, better fighters and it happens all the time.

Where is the liver?

• Their right hand side of the body

Southpaw positions your rear (left) punch, kick, knee to land with more power and force than what can be done with the lead from orthodox. You should still throw and target the liver from orthodox but more damage will be done from southpaw.

Individual Strikes to the Liver from Southpaw:

• Rear Hook to the Liver
• Rear Roundhouse to the Liver

Combinations to the Liver from Southpaw:

• Jab > Rear Hook to the Body
• Jab > Rear Roundhouse (Body/Liver or Head)
• Jab > Cross > Rear Roundhouse (Body/Liver or Head)
• Cross > Rear Roundhouse (Body/Liver or Head)

You now have a purpose for switching to southpaw - target that liver.

Liver Hunter Program

Let's go deeper on how to target the liver out of both fight stances: orthodox and southpaw. Get "The Liver Hunter" training program and learn how to use all your weapons: punches, kicks and knees. Bring down a bigger, better, stronger guy down with a single strike to the liver.