Right-Handed Judoka - Left-Handed Grips.

Those who know me know that although I’m right-handed, I prefer fighting left-handed.  There are a number of reasons for this - one of the major reasons being that most people don’t know how to handle “lefty’s”.

But I thought I’d comment on a similarity between my favored grip, and Boxing.  If you have any familiarity with Boxing, you know that right-handed boxers put their weak left hand forward, and their ‘power hitting’ right hand is back.  Thus, their weaker hand is used for “opening up” their opponent - so that their stronger hand can deliver punishing blows.

I think that for a right-handed person to change to a left grip is going to have much in common with Boxing - as far as using the appropriate hand for the appropriate task.  What do we do in a right-handed grip?  We take our weakest hand, and force it to do the most work - pulling uke (on forward throws).  Our strongest hand, meanwhile, isn’t doing much more than providing contact between our body, and Uke’s body…

Doesn’t it make more sense to pull with your strong right hand, and let your weaker left hand operate as the contact point between your body and Uke’s body?  In my opinion, it does.  Give it a try…

The only problem for most people is that since they don’t practice their throws to the left side, it’s going to be very awkward; they’ll be going back in time to when they were first learning their throws.  But just note the pull that you get to the left side, and see if switching to the left from time to time might improve your Judo skills…