[graham1]

To add to all of the above entries, the 'southpaw' phenomenon started in the early nineteenth century in some of the US states that later became part of the Confederacy. The term itself was originally an insult made by northern trainers & promoters.

Southern trainers had noticed that fighters using a right lead caused great problems to northern fighters who were used to the left lead, so they deliberately trained fighters to use right leads, to great initial success. Eventually strategies were worked out by the northerners to help deal with this.

[graham1]

Originally Posted by Kyorgi

.........Right hand forward is orthodox.
Left hand forward is southpaw..........

Sorry. It's the other way around.

[Tapout95]

I've come across alot of ordinary, right handed people who, when in a fighting stance, stand in a southpaw stance. I'll try to show them the orthodox stance and they shrug me off. I was just surprised by how many did do that and how they could feel that as being even comfortable. I can't even imagine fighting unorthodox and i'm even ambidextrious. Hell, I had one person standing right arm forward, left foot forward tell me I had no "fucking" idea what I was talking about. It was just bizarre to see. I always thought it was common knowledge.

[graham1]

tapout95

The man with the contrary stancing, was he a Kyokushin stylist? If so, that style does have such a stance.