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Martial arts stance vs Shooting stance for ambidextrous


shake55

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Looking for advice from ambidextrous shooters. I searched but didnt see exactly what Im asking. I have always been ambidextrous. Im left eye dominant. For martial arts and shooting I was right handed until I met matt burkett. He advised me to switch to a lefty shooting stance and that has made me a much better shooter. Im getting back into martial arts. I love being a lefty shooter. Doing martial arts as a lefty feels very arkward. What should I do? 1. Learn martial arts in comfort as a righty and shoot stay shooting on the left? That seems like setting my fight response up for failure. 2. Switch back to a right handed shooter? Take a hit in the accuracy department but dont condition in possible confusion failure when the beep goes off or real life fight or flight? or learn to fight as a lefty also? I have been actively shooting as a lefty for years now and really like where I have gotten but I want the best performance with shooting and martial arts under pressure.

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Why do the two have to have anything to do with eachother?

I have a friend that plays hockey as a lefty but baseball and tennis as a righty. I've never heard him say that swinging the bat righty messed with his slap shot.

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After working to imprint 3,000 plus reps of shooting lefty mechanics, to make it an automatic response under the pressure, then working to imprint reps of the exact opposite mechanics for fighting, which what stance do you default to under pressure? When the beep goes off i go almost blank and work what i practiced. Now I just practiced two different things. Mistakenly grabbing for my lefy gun in a righty stance is going to make for sloppy time and accuracy in a match, in real life Im sure consequences get worse. The whole point of martial arts training and weapons training is to improve response under stress. Shooting lefty then fighting righty seems to add variables and potential for confusion. Is it worth it to take the time and effort for uniformity in response?

Edited by shake55
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If you really shoot better lefty, I'd go that way for sure, rather than force yourself to shoot worse, just because of your fighting stance. Bottom line is you will revert to whatever you train the most to do when the heat is on. Having your left or right foot forward won't matter all that much IMO. Then again, this isn't a defensive/fighting messageboard and I only shoot cardboard.

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I thought the point wasnt what you are shooting, wether you are shooting paper or metal but mastering the techniques of a certain type of shooting. That shooting being practical and defensive?

Edited by shake55
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When you say "martial arts," what exactly are you talking about?

Here are my thoughts: You could do a martial art that is meant to be ambidextrous like jiu-jitsu. You could learn karate or kickboxing or what ever as a southpaw. The new hotness in kickboxing training is to have right handed fighters fight as southpaws. It puts their strong hand in the lead where it can get the most activity as the jab, and it puts their left leg back where it can generate a lot of power before it crushes someone's liver.

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When I, as a lefty, started kickboxing, I learned to fight right handed, mainly because it did 2 things: Placed me further away from my opponant's "power", and put my more powerful side forward. The only similarities I ever found in shooting was that the Weaver stance is a slightly similer, yet more compact version of some of the Japanese style's fighting stance. I think Bruce said it best (to paraphrase) "when you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup, etc". I think your shooting reverts to your training to shoot...

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Balance. If you train one sided you will fight or shoot one sided. You should be equally able either left or right. You do not get to pick which side you will need to defend or attack from. You are where you are and when the need arises, you must be able to act regardless.

You go to a match, a stage is presented, the best way to shoot it is as a lefty, if all you shoot is RH, you are at a disadvantage, if the stage is best shot as a righty, then if all you shoot is LH, you are at a disadvantage. he same thing applies as you walk down a dark street with respect to your unarmed combat skills.

Seek balance.

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After working to imprint 3,000 plus reps of shooting lefty mechanics, to make it an automatic response under the pressure, then working to imprint reps of the exact opposite mechanics for fighting, which what stance do you default to under pressure? When the beep goes off i go almost blank and work what i practiced. Now I just practiced two different things. Mistakenly grabbing for my lefy gun in a righty stance is going to make for sloppy time and accuracy in a match, in real life Im sure consequences get worse. The whole point of martial arts training and weapons training is to improve response under stress. Shooting lefty then fighting righty seems to add variables and potential for confusion. Is it worth it to take the time and effort for uniformity in response?

What Marial Art?

I train in both leads but am Right Handed and I use the Lead that presents the best opportunity with the least vulnerability.

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