Basic Strategies for Facing Southpaws in MMA and Boxing 

There's a new advanced dirty boxing course in seminar format up at hard2hurt.teachable.com

As a southpaw I've always felt the advantage comes from having to learn to adapt to a primary right handed world early. Great content as always 👍

I say the same thing all the time. I’m a natural orthodox that spent five years training Southpaw due to a shoulder injury. Now I train both and switch fluidly between both, even during combos. I get why pros don’t want to train that way because you don’t have five years when you go pro to try and perfect it. When you’re trying to go pro at 19 or 20 you need to be as good as possible at one thing, I think. However if you can do both it’s amazing and this 40 yr old amateur enthusiast turns heads all the time when switching naturally.

Ok! as a Southpaw, I was #1 ranked Amateur heavyweight kickboxer in USKBA, back before Jon Jones was fighting there (he was not heavyweight, and YES he was better than me)..... The breakdown of the “advantage” was spot on! But there are some adjustments you should consider to the other stuff: the lead hook is AWESOME as a “check” and if you don’t START a combo with it. I have chopped a few down with 1-2, 2, 3 the 3 meaning lead hook. VERY good. And a southpaw lead kick is great without that telegraph skip step that you do. Just rip that lead kick right from your stance IF your foot is to his outside. I have some fight footage with these things somewhere if you could view it useful

Oddly, the majority of my best training partners (the ones who actually fight) have always been southpaw so I actually think I'm better at fighting southpaws than I am orthodox.

I've been sparring against only southpaws for about a year. coincidentally I'm the only orthodox fighter in the gym to my knowledge so I rarely spar with other orthodox fighters. and yes, everything you said is true. also when you have your lead leg on the outside you can D'amato shift and land some good hits. also don't forget throwing the cross to the solar plexus while you're stepping your leg to the outside and taking your head off the center. winded a few guys with that technique especially if I do it when they are stepping in with a jab.

I'm a southpaw and made it to the end of the video. Thanks for all of the tips 😉 Lead hook is all right, but I mostly use it almost as a push to control the position of the opponet to land my straight rear. If you have a bad lead hook, just use your lead hand to push down the opponents lead hand from guard position and in the same motion turn it into a lead elbow, works like a charm. BTW that thing you did at the end when you controlled the arm of the opponet is a great opening to lock his arm between your neck and shoulder, grab his neck and go in for a knee.

Another good video. Southpaw, here. I agree with everything you said. Some additional thoughts: As someone older, another advantage a Southpaw has is we are often forced to learn Orthodox, first. We end up developing our Orthodox skills and learning those patterns. Then are suddenly allowed to work Southpaw. Supporting what you said: A southpaw usually has more training time in the open position. If one grows up Left handed, most of life forces us to develop fair dexterity with our right hand that most right handed people do not get as children. Re: open stance and working to the outside... well, that's a whole class for your paying customers. I will say: Being in my 40s, I snicker when I watch a pair of open stance fighters spending 30 seconds or more both trying to get that outside point. A suggestion, if I may: when holding the tight guard, drop the body/legs and not the arms to defend the body shot. I don't think that inside hooking motion is a kung fu thing, even if that's where I first learned it. It is found in some older boxing manuals. I think Dempsey may have mentioned it at some point, but I won't swear to that. I always enjoy the videos, even if I disagree. Thank you, sir!

I really believe that everyone should use both stances and be even power with both sides so u got more options. But i like squared up dirty clinch.

After watching a lot of your videos, I’ve realised what you are saying is that it all comes back to kung fu eventually… Anyway I need to be off researching how to use wing chun to pass guard ✌️

Boom you just taught me how to keep a slight upper hand on an orthodox fighter thank you 🙏🏽

In my high school boxing club, there’s a guy who’s not only big, but a southpaw, and uses the Philly Shell. Haven’t sparred him yet, but I’m sure it’ll be difficult to hit him

Icy has good standup , what’s cool is that as a older gentleman he’s still improving as a martial artist💪🏽🥸👍🏽

Hey icy mike. Thank you for the idea of the double 2. I tried it today in sparring against several non south paw training partners and it kept working. Definitely gonna be using it more often.

southpaw here. made it to end of video, and yes i was taking notes the whole time about using these against ortho.

When i practice individual techniques as well as some combos, i do reps on both sides. However, i do understand that tactics and strategy will differ between the two. In sparring, as a southpaw, i'm constantly thinking about the front hand and outside foot position. When i go ortho, i love to use that front leg superfoot trickery. "Universal chamber" as it was called in one of wonderboy's videos lol

I love being a natural south. I love switch hitting and setting things up in the shift even more.

Very nice video, this is exactly how I won, the stiff jabs to open for the lead hook which was by far my most effective strike then came the right hand into a switch kick - great video. Foot fight was difficult until later rounds but aiming for the liver was my game plan and pretty much this video is how I eventually won. Thanks IcyMike

sword nerd here, some fencing and HEMA instructors will tell you not to switch hands with a blade, but I love doing it. I call it "pulling a Jamie Lannister".

Best video. I like it how the videos have a style of their own.

I like this so I have liked this!! Respect!

Im a south paw and my first pro kickboxing fight is this upcomming saturday...ITS REASSURING TO HEAR THAT ALL MY TECHNIQUES I BEEN WORKING ON SHOULD DO ME GOOD!!...my whole game is based around everything you said in this video because most of my opponents are orthodox!..Thanks for the reasurance! Awesome content as always.

As a southpaw I have a great "lead hook" counter to orthodox peoples cross. I throw it like a long hook/bulljab hybrid as I shift my back foot off to the left

I'm southpaw and I actually do have a good lead right hand, which is the issue, I've found it rarely comes up and that was partly because my early coaches never took into account that its different combos/strategy for a southpaw, and being a novice i didn't know better, so I've been fixing poor points in my game since. I fight out of orthodox as well but not as good, but the lead hook doesn't feel as natural out of that stance unfortunately though I jab better out of it unsurprisingly. But all the techniques you've showed in this are ones I've been using, and as said, I kind of had to sus it out myself without clear direction. Its part of the reason I'm such a fan of this channel, you're one of the few to acknowledge that its not just copy paste but flipped for southpaw as well as taking into account all the other factors that dispel a lot of myths or go to cliché answers which don't actually answer peoples questions.

I started out in a small Muay Thai gym with no southpaws, so I struggled a lot sparring with left handed fighters when I moved to a larger MMA gym. Almost every black eye I ever sustained from sparring was courtesy of a southpaw, haha. With that said, I made the appropriate adjustments eventually, but I would have benefited from watching this video a long time ago.

Great vid Mike! I’m a JKD fighter, and as you likely know we tend to sit southpaw by design because of Bruce’s preference for putting one’s dominant side forward. Being right handed and fighting southpaw adds a different shade to this as well, and that’s how I’ve spent about seven-odd years training. One of the benefits is a firecracker jab which most people don’t expect to be as stiff as it is, while my left and less dominant side has developed the strength traditionally associated with the rear. So in a way it winds up balancing out, but I still switch leads in sparring to intentionally hone both. (p.s. I subbed after your crossover with Jesse Enkamp and I’m looking to pick up one of them there flashlights 🔦)

I love your videos, but this one in particular was very informative and helpful top tier good stuff. Keep them coming!

Holy shit. It's like you just do to a southpaw exactly the mirror image of what they (sometimes we) do to orthodox stancers.

Boxing wise - Andre Ward vs Chad Dawson is a masterclass in how to deal with a southpaw. Does all the things here as well as landing the southpaw killer (lead hook). Kept Dawson adjusting from bladed to square and back, and changed the weapons used to exploit both.

Southpaw here, though some Kuk Sool made me switch up my stances at a young age. I’m not fond of the framing of hooks, even though there are some ways to do them better. Looking forward to your video on countering the hook!

Sooo, I'm exactly what you constantly advise against. I'm a right handed southpaw who switches stances a lot. I haven't been in many fights (street or comp) but I spar a lot and it's what works best for me. I tend to stay southpaw most of the time and step forward or back into orthodox occasionally to pressure (forward) or trap (back) while loading up the right. The "southpaws got no 3" mentality is a great advantage as a right handed southpaw. (Even though I know I'm doing it all wrong)

My regular southpaw sparring partner is a little shorter and I find it works beautifully to follow a feint jab with swinging in an overhand lead left hook. V.hard to land it heavy but it's a perfect set up for the straight right

My lead hook is in fact ... Squarely average lol. I hadn't thought about the liver being forward before though. But now that I've seen this, you're right. I do tend to cover my body more than most people. Great content like always.

you are right trying to put your lead foot outside opponents lead foot is very important when facing opponent in opposite stands. but i already knew that. I'm glad you pointed out that you should continue to deliver punches even if all you hit is his guard because you knock him off his game and he isn't doing much while you are stepping to the outside. although i thought that you should be using your jab this way not your cross. you might be right about using or at least adding the cross in there. (you would obviously be using cross as well but I didn't know you are suppose to use it twice like that rather than do it just with a jab) but i would need to figure out how it works for me since i have never tried it. I think using your lead kick or switching stance as you are outside to deliver the kick is a good idea. (although switching stance takes time and lead kick that is very fast is weak)and I'm going to have to work on my right leg. but as far as kick to the inside of the leg i don't get it. If the opponent is blocking what is stopping me from faking this kick and instead of doing it as he lifts his knee to check it to take his right leg right out from him with a kick to the calf with my rear leg (in my case left because I'm a southpaw) Now you are right if an orthodox fighter has faced many opponents then even if I'm a southpaw I don't stand a chance because i don't have much experience either way. which would be true in my case. But you are also right about the fact that if both fighters are experienced the southpaw will have more fights against orthodox opponents than orthodox will have against the southpaw. and there is one thing you forgot about. a southpaw will have a rear shot to the liver and that is important. and that should have been mentioned and it should be shown not only how to fight vs southpaw but also as a southpaw. (why should the whole world be against me in medieval times they believed that left handers were in league with the devil isn't that enough). Now for the most part you are right we are mirrors of each other. but the shot to the liver should be addressed and not just how to defend against it but how to use it and how to beat this defense. and why is your assistant not showing anything since he is a southpaw.and the showing things from southpaw perspective as well would make for better video than just from orthodox perspective.

As a south paw i can definitely say it is a advantage. as a added bonus because almost everthing teached is right handed , i can shift my stance to ether lead left or right hand or foot, huge huge advantage. even on ground work. the side i mount is reversed, and if a person hasnt trained agaist that it really messes with them.

Thumbs up was earned

Interesting video. Thanks! Yes, it is a Kung Fu technique. In WC, the technique is a deflection and can be used to transition from outside to inside. It is terminated when the attacker's hand is on the inside. The move is small and sticks to the inside of the opponent's arm. The opponent's hand is not flung away and the attacker's hand does not follow the opponent's arm if it moves to the outside of the opponent's torso. If the opponent's hand and arm moves to the outside, then there is nothing preventing the attacker from hitting. The attacker's hand maintains forward energy, aimed at the opponent's center line. Keeping it small and sticking may be difficult to do with gloves. There is a motto in WC, paraphrasing, "If you feel emptiness, then strike forward."

i can tell mike was a MC, its all about the Boom Bap haha

If you've got a TKD / Karate type background side kicks work better against southpaws than against orthodox fighters. Like you said near the end he's going liver first into the fight, if you have a decent side kick you can jam that left heel into the liver way easier than against an orthodox opponent.

Lefty checking in. We have a few advantages. However it isn’t easy living in a right handed world. LoL

FINALLY a video for those of us in our right (hemisphere) minds. I have a terrible lead hook that my coach says is getting slightly less terrible. Yo. Fellow short old guy who did the cop thing. Video idea: Your opinion on DT, or the Gracie DT program.

Train with both, if the left foot is forward then generally expect loaded strikes from the right. If the right forward then its the left. Rapidly switching stances usually messes with the opponents head.

Confirmed, @hard2hurt is a wing chun aficionado with that hyung sao set up

Pro tip: The groin is in the same place, always easy to hit. And don’t forget to restomp the groin.

As a southpaw who grew up a Joe Frazier fan, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to have a good lead hook, so I worked it religiously at the expense of having a pretty terrible straight left. It works better if you can double up to the body to bring the hands down, or are shorter and can use a drop step to alternate hooks at angles to the body from either hand. The big step to the outside also sets up the left hand well for an uppercut. I basically turned myself into a right handed southpaw despite being a natural left hander.

Shots fired. Ive always thought I have a pretty good lead hook.

One tactic that's money for me is cycling through a few moves to catch them out. It usually starts either lead leg kick or straight/faint to lead leg kick to outside position and either blast straight or lead hook to the liver. Then if they start reacting to all that, straight to rear body or head kick.

YESSSSSS ...now I know I their secrets! I no longer have to low key fear them

My old boxing coach used to tell me to never switch stances. But after training with different coaches I’ve learned that for boxing that’s ok I guess. But for any other mma you really do benefit from learning to fight both ways. (Both stances). Thanks for all the info Mike! Looking forward to more Collaborations with Wonderboy and SWEET T!!!

Recently there've been a couple new guys to our gym and most of them are southpaws. As a southpaw myself, sparring rotation was like early Christmas! Suddenly I didn't have to fight for the outside position or handfight for the jab the whole time and could just use "normal" approaches like outside leg kicks, basic one-twos, a switch kick to the body, etc. It was really relaxing tbh 😅

One thing that gets overlooked is that the Southpaw is throwing their power kick into your LIVER and you are not throwing your power kick into theirs. That is a real advantage for them. Look how many liver shots have resulted in KOs in the UFC and then how many shots to the opposite side of the body have done the same (it's basically zero for the non-liver side).

Hehe it is good. I used to get out, rotate and hit people on the left side of their heads follow with a left hook just like in training with a bag, and uppercut when they guard up on their sides. I didn't try this, but may be if a southpaw can't get out, we get in with rotating left hook and jab/double jab/right low kick.

southpaw here: You just made my southpaw better. now, if an opponent that is good at keeping the outer position and comes with a jab body shot, even though the first one is probably landing, when he comes next, i'd use a side front kick to the body or upper front leg to keep distance and reset (sometimes even changing stance) instead of an amazing southpaw lead hook.

CroCop was the master at the body jab setting up hooks and head kicks. I'm a lefty and my lead hook to the head sucks. My 2-7 combo is pretty good though, and is good tool for open stance and getting outside position.

The old timer that taught me, especially after I said I was a Rocky fan. He said they'll run into that right hand all day long

I have a hard time setting up the lead hook as a south paul but I have an alright lead hook when I do get to use it, which BTW is not often. I mostly use a vertical jab to set stuff up.

Come on Mike. My jab lead hook combo is awesome! 🤣

I feel safer in Southpaw. Easier to move around. I noticed after a few competitive boxing classes. I'm "goofy footed" and right handed. I play hockey, snowboard, or hold a baseball bat left-handed, but I swing a golf club, and throw a baseball right-handed. My right hand and foot are dominant. If kickboxing I prefer to be orthodox I did mainly BJJ with a little Kickboxing before that. So I'm pretty green.

I would like to see you try out HEMA and kinda see your opinions of it (Not for “self defense” but for science)

Southpaw gonna work on some of these combinations

Thanks Mike.

I'm a southpaw who can land a decent lead hook. On the bag. Rarely in sparring. That said, tomorrow night's muay thai sparring is going to be very interesting for me after having watched this video- I'll try and see just how op that double-cross into lead switch-kick combo is.

I’m a southpaw and I consider my lead hook my second cross essentially because it lets my right hand be powerful it’s nice to use it after a cross and I wouldn’t wanna get hit with my own punches. I haven’t actually done any fights but I do train and I knock my 250+ pound boxing stand thing (idk what it’s called) a few inches back with every single punch

i think its better to turn southpaw when fighting a southpaw and just get my shit wrecked in a more honest manner

I'm left handed but I fight orthodox because I just learnt that way but I switch and throw that double two sometimes it usually lands Your so right about southpaws not having a good lead hook when I'm in a southpaw stance I can never land the thing But I'm definitely gonna try these out both sides

Southpaw here. Loved the ending. Lol

Straight right, POW! RIGHT IN DA KISSER!

A Southpaw that made it to the end of the Video!

Went back and looked, i can tell

Yes I am but I like your video it's really good. Can ask about Bruce Lee's theory about power side forward because all the good stuff comes from the lead hand the job the hook the upper cut the rear hand is mostly just overhead and crosses and most street fighter fight in a southpaw stance lots of right hands and some left hooks.

southpaw here never had an issue with jabing i would say i always win jab war with orthodoxes even if they win with footwork, otfen times i even circle to the left to their stronger side and i dont care right hand is coming becouse i know it's coming, like "i know what he gone do before he does it" and easly counter with my left to theirs right, But the thing i have problems with moving forward or if someone pushes to much, I mean I'm very comfortable in the center or slightly on the back, I heard from my old trainer thats typical for southpaws but i dunno why

Boom, BOP. Boom, BOP... got it.

It is a Kung Fu technique called a Lao Sao or "Circling Hand" ;)

Filthy southpaw here. I am so accustomed to the open stance that when i spar other other southpaws i switch to orthodox. Also that arm jam-punch thing is the basic low block-punch combo from karate. I never learnt it in kung fu.

Mike Tyson is a lefty, but fights mostly with an orthodox stance which may have given him an asymmetric advantage in boxing. Bruce Lee is right-handed, but fights mostly in a southpaw stance. This does put the liver in jeopardy, but it works well with Jeet Kune Do, which was designed with street fighting in mind.

Southpaw here, a good fight to learn from is Muhammad Ali vs Karl Mildenburger.

I have had a few consistent southpaw training partners. And yeah, the lead hands usually cancel out in training and sparring, but my shoulder would get tired faster cuz of that. So I'd have to become more diverse in my tactics. Lol. But I also practice doing things in southpaw myself so that I can be more versatile and maybe throw my partner off a little. But I typically do lose the south vs south battle, cuz I'm not naturally one myself. But depending on the other person's level, sometimes depend on how I do, of course. I almost prefer trapping with a southpaw, cuz I like certain movements I do vs an orthodox person.

my wife is southpaw and she comes to the muay thai classes with me and i am her partner like 98 percent of the time. So to make it easier for her I go southpaw, so I've been training both for about a year now. I don't even mentally feel different about it anymore. I just switch based on waht I want to land now.

Do the ole mcgregor, occupy the lead hand so u know they can only throw the rear, since u know its coming slip it and come over the top with yours.

"He's taller and handsome I hate everything about him!" Lol!! I died!! 😂😂😂😂😂

Have´t trained alot with southpaws. But when I do, it is a bit confusing. This vid helps me for the next encounter.

I'm a left Kicker in Taekwondo but most of my teammates were right so Ii develop being in the orthodox stance but i can shift to south paw very Comfortable Y as well... Then when i earn Muaythai i did practice both stance and use it in sparring and drills doing the same punches and kicks elbows and knees. I just practice both stance just incase the st situation will be needing it.

I love being a southpaw

maybe its a habit of knife training but even though my leading hand is right my stance is like a southpaw....and my left hook is bad xd. thats why i change stance to orthodox when my opponent gets in the favouring position on the outside. as i got high reach this is also good for creating distance for my actual lead hook

Another great video. I'm curious of the best way for someone who is armed with a knife to escape a rear hold. I'd assume that using a gun would be difficult since the adversary would be behind the victim and shooting behind oneself could increase chances of missing the attacker and hitting innocent people. You certainly would want to avoid shooting into the attacker's arm and having the bullet go through and hit you as well. I'm thinking a knife would be handy in persuading someone to let go. Though perhaps there are some ways of doing this that are more effective and perhaps minimize the risk of cutting oneself in the process.

I am a southpaw my lead hook/check hook is my best punch. However, my front foot is not on the outside, its on the inside between my opponents feet.

I noticed the Gum chewing from the get go. Lol. I knew mike would say something! No Gum on the mats!! Now clean the mats before we lock up!

Southpaw. My lead hook was never great. I dislocated my shoulder and it started to have instability/subluxation so many motions gave me issues with that and the hook was a big one so I stopped doing it altogether. Now that I've had shoulder surgery I will have to re-learn it and do it perfectly so my shoulder doesn't pop out again. Eventually I will come back here to say my lead hook is great, because I can't not have a great one or otherwise I just shouldn't throw it with any force or at all like before.

always been ambidextrous so i always keep the foot forward that they seem to have weaker strikes on

Beautiful application of hung Gar technique. Your kung fu is strong!! 10.06 practical application of tiger stance to horse stance for distancing and power generation. 10.26 practical application of crane hand to hook and manipulate opponents guard. as computer geeks now own the world I shall take Kung fu Geek as the compliment it was obviously intended to be. : )

I'm a southpaw and my favorite punches is an uppercut and the jab

11:00 I've been tought that exact defense in Muay Thai classes. A bit more compact movement, though. :P Also, a double rear hand, head-head, body-head, along with that body jab/jab gives you a few "basic" combos, that work even on a world stage (Mayweather).

Me, a southpaw watching this: 👁 👄 👁

I'm a right-handed southpaw with a nasty lead hook I know you probably don't believe that is a thing, but let's have a conversation, I'll tell you how I made it work for me... I'm pretty certain I can change your outlook on right handed southpaws

Now can you do some strategies FOR southpaws facing orthodox?

I agree with you on using the jab to the body. but you should be moving to the outside when doing it as well. i know you mentioned that you should go to the outside in this video. But i think that with this particular jab its even more important. because this jab is quite effective even if you are on the inside and it gives you better chance to move to the outside where you have an edge. because reasonably effective or not on the inside it would still be better on the outside. also I don't see a lead hook as all that useless. you might be better off throwing a right straight (or if you are orthodox left straight) but both lead hook and lead straight should be utilized in certain situations. because if you attack from the side he will have to defend it and you can follow up with a cross and it will take him a second to put his hands back to protect his center line. and if he does once again he is exposed for the hook.

Southpaw master race!!! :)

I'm a southpaw, and my lead hook is AMAZING. Everyone says so.

I don't think the leaping gazelle punch link popped up in the video...

I dont really like that right cross to left low kick, if youre fighting someone fast, while u are trying to reset after the kick they can step in w their left and nail you, or time it, then its a real bad exchange, a weak low kick for a strait while ur off balance. It would work good against a slower opponent though and i like it better than breaking my ankle on trying to go for the inside