Both my lads are lefthanded, they’ve just started at a karate/kick boxing place, they are being taught the traditional right handed stance, left foot/hand forward, I questioned this and they said “yeah that’s how we do it.” One of the owner’s sons is a leftie and it hasn’t held him back.

Quick bit of googling suggests LH (presumably in LH stance) have a slight advantage against RH, but Bruce Lee suggested using your dominant hand up front was better anyway.

Is this fairly common? Thoughts?

Bend like the reed in the wind

My lad favours his left, although he writes with his right. He’s a green belt now and has just started kicking and punching with his left. He has a massive advantage over those who are predominantly right. Stick with it.

It is like a finger, pointing to the moon………..

Ain’t nothing wrong with a southpaw

D0NK

Is this fairly common? Thoughts?

When I started kickboxing I was taught an orthodox stance. Then in my late teens / early 20s I studied Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee’s version of Wing Chun) I was taught to stand power hand forward, the concept being to develop a knockout jab.

After a few years of that I started training MMA with standup based on Muay Thai, which was orthodox again. Most recently training the standup aspects BJJ, I am back to a southpaw type stance. It takes a period of adjustment but you can learn both, and learn to switch, and many high level practitioners do exactly that*. Having the versatility to switch stances can be a big advantage.

Saying all that, grappling is infinitely more difficult to learn so if you are worried about their development as martial artists overall, get them started now.

*not saying I am a high level practitioner.

Stick with it.

[quote]if you are worried about their development as martial artists overall, get them started now[/quote]I was mainly asking is it normal for instructors to teach lefties in traditional right hand stance? Do you guys think I should be asking* the instructor to train them LH stance?
I know nothing about MA/fighting hence the thread.

*dunno how fruitful this would be in any case

<edit>TBH chances are high they’ll just be going along and doing as they’re taught – certainly for a while. I was just wondering how common it was to be taught counter to traditional stance.

The answer is it depends. There are three schools of thought on the issue and the answer you get will depend on which school of thought the person subscribes to. I am right handed and have trained mostly in a southpaw stance. I honestly don’t know if this has been a help or a hindrance.

I am right handed and have trained mostly in a southpaw stance.

why’s that then? Concious decision to wrong foot righties or was your instructor left handed?

We trained both sides equally open hand, but only RH for sword work as there are no left handed samurai.

I took up fencing whilst at University and was initially taught as a right hander (I’m mostly ambidextrous so had no real preference) but it soon became clear that being left handed gave a combat advantage*, particularly against less experienced fencers. As you progress through the ranks and become more competent this advantage quickly fades, but works for me!

*This is probably of no relevance to karate.

D0NK

I am right handed and have trained mostly in a southpaw stance.

why’s that then? Concious decision to wrong foot righties or was your instructor left handed? [/quote]

Definitely not a conscious decision. I just found that if I had to spar I preferred having a (comparatively) strong accurate jab to maintain distance but more importantly it’s a natural stance to set up takedowns, be it a low single or a double leg/high crotch etc.

Probably a happy accident of having trained two arts that have what western boxing considers to be a southpaw stance (jkd and bjj).

Note to self – don’t mess with JimJam.

eyestwice

Note to self – don’t mess with JimJam.

Pfffft. Between a torn groin and fingers that won’t close into fists the only danger I pose is that of mild offence on forums caused by the lack of smiley usage.

I took up fencing whilst at University and was initially taught as a right hander (I’m mostly ambidextrous so had no real preference) but it soon became clear that being left handed gave a combat advantage

I always used to find watching a left vs left match entertaining as suddenly they understood how the rest of us felt

What’s the real difference between each side? I can’t write very well with my left hand, but writing is extreme dexterity; when doing other manual work on cars, bikes, whatever, I don’t find much difference. If anything my left is slightly stronger.

I used to play brass instruments where you finger with your right hand. I switched to French horn where you use your right, and I didn’t really notice any difference.

I have found in all martial arts I have tried the best way to combat a leftie is switch to leftie stance. As they rarely train against other lefties. But on the whole its good to be comfortable in both!

Just had a lesson. My left punches and kicks are comically shit.