{{short description|Way of positioning the feet and hands in combat sports}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Better sources needed|date=February 2026}} thumb|Kurt Prenzel, boxer of the 1920s, displaying orthodox stance with left hand and left foot to the fore In combat sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts ("MMA"), an '''orthodox stance''' is one in which the fighter places their left foot in front, thus placing their left side closer to the opponent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lissenden |first=Hilary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5XeBQAAQBAJ |title=The Complete Guide to Boxing Fitness: A non-contact boxing training manual |date=2015-01-08 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4729-0281-8 |pages=33–52 |language=en}}</ref> Because it places the right side (the stronger side for most people) in the rear, the orthodox stance can allow for more rotation and distance to accelerate right-sided strikes, in turn generating more power.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-12-23 |title=Deciding Between Orthodox or Southpaw |url=https://expertboxing.com/deciding-between-orthodox-or-southpaw |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=How to Box {{!}} ExpertBoxing |language=en-US}}</ref> This makes it the most common stance in boxing,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=boxingtimmy |date=2023-10-20 |title=Boxing Stances: Explained - Boxing Daily |url=https://www.boxingdaily.com/boxing-news/boxing-stances/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> as well as MMA,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Spartacus |date=2023-01-20 |title=Maximize Your MMA Skills with the Right Fighting Stance |url=https://blog.spartacus-mma.com/mma-fighting-stance/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Spartacus MMA |language=en-US}}</ref> and primarily used by right-handed fighters.
== Usage == Orthodox stance is the most common stance in boxing<ref name=":0" /> and MMA<ref name=":1" /> for its superior power generation by right-handed fighters. However, the stance also finds usage from some left-handed fighters, too, owing to some of the advantages it has in general, as well as for the left-handed in particular.
=== General advantages === The orthodox stance has two major advantages for all practitioners: its ubiquity and its placement of the lead hand and foot closer to the right side of the opponent. Since it is the most common stance, high quality training in the stance is more widely available. Furthermore, most of the opponents any fighter trains with will use orthodox, building greater familiarity with the stance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Andrew |date=2022-06-28 |title=What Is the Difference Between Orthodox And Southpaw? |url=https://theboxxmethod.com/what-is-the-difference-between-orthodox-and-southpaw/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=The Boxx Method |language=en-US}}</ref>
Additionally, because the left side is forward, the left hand and foot are quite close to the opponent's right side.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-21 |title=Which Is the Best Fighting Stance: Southpaw or Orthodox? |url=https://legendsonlyleague.com/southpaw-vs-orthodox/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |language=en-US}}</ref> This is particularly useful as the liver is a highly vulnerable target; various fighters such as Stipe Miocic have KO'd other fighters through liver shots.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-11 |title=UFC 252: Inside the moment Stipe Miocic discovered how to beat Daniel Cormier |url=https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29615577/ufc-252-moment-stipe-miocic-discovered-how-beat-daniel-cormier |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>
=== Advantages for right-handers === Placing the right hand in the rear allows for the most powerful punches from right-handed fighters. Since the more powerful right side is in the rear, there is more time and rotation of the body between launching the punch and impact, allowing for more power generation.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2009-12-23 |title=Deciding Between Orthodox or Southpaw |url=https://expertboxing.com/deciding-between-orthodox-or-southpaw |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=How to Box {{!}} ExpertBoxing |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Advantages for left-handers === For left-handed fighters, the orthodox stance provides the benefit of placing the more powerful hand in the front. This provides more power to the quicker punches of the lead hand, such as the jab and lead hook.<ref name=":2" />
== MMA considerations == The same power advantages of punches described above also apply to kicks for the respective dominant sides. Further, for right-side dominant fighters, having the stronger foot in the rear allows for more stability when defending takedown attempts.<ref name=":1" />
== Statistical advantage == Statistically, orthodox fighters are not more likely than other fighters to win, but regardless of their stance, fighters are more likely to beat orthodox opponents.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sorokowski |first1=Piotr |last2=Sabiniewicz |first2=Agnieszka |last3=Wacewicz |first3=Sławomir |date=2014-12-20 |title=The influence of the boxing stance on performance in professional boxers |url=https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/ar/article/view/11285 |journal=Anthropological Review |language=en |volume=77 |issue=3 |pages=347–353 |doi=10.2478/anre-2014-0025 |issn=2083-4594 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
== Examples == ===Right-handed orthodox fighters=== Since the orthodox stance is so common, especially as pertains to right-handed individuals, there is a quite extensive list of prominent right-handed orthodox fighters. Some of the most famous include Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
=== Left-handed orthodox fighters=== While this stance is predominantly associated with right-handed fighters, there is a notable contingent of left-handed orthodox fighters, including such prominent figures as Oscar De La Hoya, Sonny Liston, Miguel Angel Cotto, Gerry Cooney, Sean Strickland, Michael Bisping, Renan Barao, and Marco Antonio Barrera.
== Alternative stances == thumb|American boxer Al McCoy standing in the southpaw stance The opposite stance to orthodox is southpaw. It is a mirror image of the orthodox stance. A southpaw fighter stands with their right foot forward, with their left side further from the opponent. Some famous boxers who use the southpaw stance are Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Victor Ortiz, Sultan Ibragimov, Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe, Manny Pacquiao, and Lucian Bute. Famous MMA southpaws include Nick and Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva.
Many fighters such as Francisco Palacios, Andre Ward, Jon Jones, and Terence Crawford normally fight as orthodox, but occasionally switch to a southpaw stance. Hagler was the opposite, normally fighting southpaw but sometimes switching to orthodox.
While southpaw is generally associated with left-handed fighters, there are some right-handed individuals who favor the stance over orthodox, such as Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk, Shakur Stevenson, and Nate Diaz.
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web |date=23 December 2009 |title=Deciding between orthodox or southpaw |url=http://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-basics/how-to-box/deciding-between-orthodox-or-southpaw |access-date=19 December 2012 |website=expertboxing.com}} * {{cite web |title=Southpaws |url=http://coxscorner.tripod.com/southpaws.html |access-date=19 December 2012 |website=coxcorner.com}} * {{cite web |title=Boxing basics |url=http://www.learnhowtobox.com/boxing-basics/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209191340/http://www.learnhowtobox.com/boxing-basics/ |archive-date=9 February 2013 |access-date=11 January 2013 |website=learnhowtobox.com}} * {{cite web |date=26 January 2010 |title=Stands and on guard |url=http://www.myboxingcoach.com/stance-and-on-guard/ |access-date=20 December 2012 |website=myboxingcoach.com}} * {{cite web |title=What is southpaw in boxing |url=http://www.innovateus.net/innopedia/what-southpaw-boxing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811194620/http://www.innovateus.net/innopedia/what-southpaw-boxing |archive-date=11 August 2015 |access-date=20 December 2012 |website=innovateus.net}}
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Category:Boxing terminology Category:Kickboxing terminology