BOXING STANCE RIGHT HANDED

Boxing, like every other combat sport, has a stance that fighters must take so that they can execute the various movements that the art has to offer. In a proper boxing stance, it is generally considered a good idea to put your dominant hand, that being the one that you write with, in the rear with your non-dominant hand in the front.

Since most people in the world are right-handed. This will lead to most people taking what is called an orthodox boxing stance, where the right hand and foot are in the rear with the left in the front. If the case is the opposite, with the left hand and foot in the rear, it's called being in a southpaw boxing stance.

While most people follow the rule of putting the dominant hand in the rear it's not something that everyone has to follow. With that being said we’re going to go other the pros and cons of what boxing stance you should take as a right-handed boxer.

What this article covers

Orthodox Boxing Stance
Southpaw Boxing Stance
What Stance Should You Take

ORTHODOX BOXING STANCE

First, we’ll cover the orthodox boxing stance, the stance that most right-handed boxers are going to take. The main reason that boxers tend to take this stance is so that their dominant hand, which is generally the harder-hitting one, is in the rear, which helps maximize the damage it gets because there is more rotation and time to target which allows you to get more power into that punch.

Learn the FUNDAMENTALS OF THE PEEKABOOK system from one of the greatest practitioners ever, Mike Tyson!

This also puts your non-dominant left hand in the lead, that hand also tends to be faster than the dominant one. This makes establishing the jab much easier. The jab is one of the most important punches for any boxer, and it can be particularly effective for an orthodox fighter. A good jab can keep an opponent at bay, set up other punches, and disrupt their rhythm. With a fast jab, you can do all this faster and even use your lead to switch between quick jabs, hooks and uppercuts.

Throwing jabs and feints from your lead hand also helps set up shots from the rear hand. Throwing out feints will confuse your opponent so they won’t know what to defend against. By faking a punch with the lead hand, the opponent may open up a window for the rear hand to land a big shot. Throwing actual jabs will make them defend against a different strike and take away their vision so they can’t see the right hand coming.

From an orthodox boxing stance, you will also be able to use your right hand as a powerful counter thanks to the rotation it will have. Orthodox boxers can use their rear hand to throw powerful counters when their opponent overcommits on a punch. The straight right hand can be particularly effective as a counterpunch. This can also be done with a short powerful uppercut when your opponent comes in close or with a rear hook in the same situation.

Finally, since you are in orthodox that means your left hand is closer to your target, and since the left hand is what you will use to attack the liver, a critical spot on the human body it hit, it is a good option for orthodox fighters to attack it often as it can end a fight in one shot.

One drawback to taking an orthodox stance is that fighters are used to training and fighting against orthodox fighters which means that they will be very used to using those tactics.

SOUTHPAW BOXING STANCE

If you are a right-handed boxer, taking a southpaw stance with your right hand in the lead is still an option that you can go for if you so choose. There are a decent number of benefits to fighting with your dominant hand in the lead.

The first is that you will have more powerful jabs. Because the lead hand is used to jab, having a dominant hand in the lead can result in a stronger, more accurate jab, which can be a powerful weapon in boxing. These stiff hard jabs will likely throw an opponent off since they are more used to taking quick lighter ones.

For some boxers, putting the dominant hand in the lead can improve their overall balance and footwork, which can make it easier to move around the ring and avoid punches. This does heavily depend on the fighter and how they distribute their weight and balance in their stance overall.

If you are righthanded and taking a southpaw stance you will also have your rear hand left to go faster as it is your non-dominant hand. This can be a huge benefit, especially for combination punching but note that your left hand straight from southpaw won’t be as powerful as your straight from orthodox because it's not your dominant hand.

Being a right-handed boxer in a Muay Thai boxing stance also allows the fighter to take advantage of what is generally known as the southpaw advantage. This is the fact that most fighters are used to training with and fighting against orthodox fighters, whether or not they themselves are orthodox or southpaw.

This means that if you are a southpaw you will have an experience advantage against orthodox fighters, something that can actually be very hard for them to deal with.

STANCE SWITCHING

If you find yourself trying out both stances and realize that you like them both. You can try what is general called switch stance boxing, which means that you are a fighter who throughout the course of a bout will switch between southpaw and orthodox. It doesn’t matter how frequently you do this or even if you still have one stance you prefer fighting in, if you switch your stance at least a few times a match, you will be considered a switch stance fighter or boxer.

There are a few different ways that you can switch your stance mid-boxing match or sparring. The first is that you simply either step back or forward into a stance. To do this if you are going forward to switch, pivot on your lead leg and swing your rear leg around to end up in the opposite stance. In a similar way, if you want to switch back you pivot off of your rear leg to move your lead one backward. Keep in mind whether you're going forward or backwards you should frame with your lead hand to keep yourself safe from your opponent's counters and maintain range.

You can also shuffle your feet very quickly in place. This will make you switch stances very quickly and can even be done while throwing punches like how Duane “Bang” Ludwig shows in his tutorial the “Switch Series.” Doing this is very fast but if done frequently can really gas out the switcher.

Finally, you can also switch mid combination advancing forward by shifting with your footwork in what is generally called shifting strikes. These are really good for driving your opponent back but keep in mind that they do leave you very open to sharp counterstrikes.

There are a lot of benefits to switching stances. The first is that it can be very confusing for an opponent, as they may not be used to fighting against a boxer who switches between orthodox and southpaw stances. This can give the boxer an advantage, as the opponent may struggle to adapt to the changing footwork and angles.

That being said switching stances can also make a boxer less predictable, as their opponent may not know which stance they will use for each attack. This can make it harder for the opponent to anticipate and defend against the boxer's attacks.

Switching stances can also create openings for the boxer to land punches. For example, if a southpaw boxer switches to an orthodox stance, they may be able to land a powerful right cross that their opponent is not expecting.

By switching stances, a boxer can also access a wider range of punches and combinations, as different stances can offer different angles and opportunities for attack. This can make the boxer more versatile and unpredictable, as they can mix up their attacks more effectively.

Learn the FUNDAMENTALS OF THE PEEKABOOK system from one of the greatest practitioners ever, Mike Tyson!

Boxing position for right-handed fighters

Overall, switching stances can be a useful tool for boxers, but it requires skill and practice to use effectively. Boxers should be careful not to overuse it, as it can also leave them vulnerable if they are not comfortable and skilled in both stances.

A big downside to switching stances can be that it is very tiring and also if you train switching stances, you could end up losing out on time drilling from one stance, so you could have gaps in your game on both sides.

WHAT STANCE SHOULD YOU TAKE

Now that you have some information, what stance should you actually end up taking? It really depends on your personal preferences and fighting style.

If you care about conventional boxing wisdom, you’ll probably want to go with an orthodox stance as that is what most boxing coaches will want you to go with. If you want to take advantage of the southpaw advantage then naturally then you should take the southpaw stance which will give you power jabs.

Ultimately, the most effective stance is the one that allows the boxer to move and strike with the most speed, power, and accuracy. Boxers often experiment with different stances and footwork to find what works best for them.

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