Your Lead

[MJS]

When you fight, spar, etc., what lead do you prefer..right or left? Do you prefer one over the other? If so, why? Do you train both equally? Why/why not?

For myself, I primarily work out of a left lead. I like to work both sides, as I feel that it gives you more options and doesn't limit you.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

I work primarily with a right lead(and I'm a righty), mainly because that is what I got conditioned too from years of fencing.

Jeff

 

[14 Kempo]

I like to work both sides, however, I am primarily right-handed and left-footed, and being mainly a hands fighter, I fight left foot forward.

 

[kempo-vjj]

I like to lead with the left. I am a little ambidexterous I guess. I was trained a lefty for baseball by my dad, everything is right handed. But I feel pretty comfortable with both sides. At my new school we do a lot of single stick, so I am in a southpaw most of the time, and converting to a empty hand portion it just blends. At times we will do boxing, and I go right into southpaw and the rest of the class is right handed so I am facing the opposite direction.

 

[Tames D]

I'm more comfortable with a left lead but I work from both sides as much as possible.

 

[IWishToLearn]

I fight right lead. Except when I don't.

 

[stone_dragone]

Since my right side is my strong side, I tend to operate with a right lead. I injured my right knee a few years back, so now I avoid any situation that requires me to pivot on that knee. To maximize this, I tend to put my power side forward.

 

[zDom]

Both. And I change often.

 

[chrismay101]

I always start right but change quite often during a match-up to try and make my opponent do the same and maybe catch him mid change or have him on a weaker side.

Well that's the idea!

 

[Andrew Green]

I work primarily with a right lead(and I'm a righty), mainly because that is what I got conditioned too from years of fencing.

Jeff

Same here, for similar weapons related conditioning most likely. But I can switch as well, striking goes ok either way, but my shoots suck with a left lead

 

[karatekid1975]

I fight southpaw, eventhough I'm a righty. It comes from TSD where they trained a lot of front leg kicks, and my right leg is the strongest. I love front leg kicks, so this is only fitting to put my right leg forward. In TKD, it works out well for me, because most TKD students are used to kicking off their back leg. I throw them off all the time.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Right neutral.
Sean

 

[Carol]

I practice both. I'm right handed but tend to shift to differrent stances depending on what I am doing.

If I'm just using my arms, I gravitate to a left lead.

If I'm using my arms and legs, I gravitate towards a right lead...my left round kicks are stronger.

 

[searcher]

I fight left lead. It started years ago when I was boxing. I keep it this way since my left is more articulate and is capable of knockouts. When I fight point style I fight right lead. This is the only time I change sides.

 

[Steel Tiger]

I'm a southpaw so tend to favour a right lead. But I have trained for many years to be comfortable with either. On the spur of the moment, however, I will adopt a right lead stance.

 

[Em MacIntosh]

I change my stance so I feel comfortable (relative to the situation) and don't have a concrete answer. I feel more natural in my south paw stance but my technique is more stable with my left hand forward. To be honest, I like a nice axe-kick for a lead followed by an appropriate combo (assuming I haven't been beat up by then). To me though, a lead is intentionally exposing a weakness to encourage them to exploit it. Like chess. With my right leg forward I like a quick "ginger fist" to the bridge of the nose, lead hook to the back of the jaw, or straight jab to the face. With the left leg I prefer a solid boxing stance and more defense. I like the jab-cross combo, my hooks and uppercuts. If someone throws a flurry during sparring I like to use a shoulder to push them out of my infighting range and try to hit them on the way out with a one solid shot rather than a combo. The problem with my right leg forward is that I only use my lead limbs, don't use a lot of combo's and try to stay out of range.