even more obvious is that we humans have 2 of them. But they are not the same. Most of us, really almost EVERY one of us, has a dominant hand. This is often the hand that you write with but even more often, the one you would throw a ball with.
So what does that mean for boxing? Generally this determines your fighting stance. You want the dominant hand, the one you could throw a ball with as far as possible in back. Why? Because this is your power side. And if you were throwing that ball, you would want the space to throw across your body with balance. When you box, this is also true. You are going to get max power from your dominant hand loaded from the back, giving the punch more space to travel.
This does NOT mean the dominant hand is more important though. In fact, for many it is less important. But really, it's not about more or less important, it is that they are different. And different is good. Your right and left hand should not be interchangeable. Using a more specific ball sport as an example, think of it almost like a baseball mitt. Not in terms of mechanics or even function but the difference. In baseball, you throw with your dominant hand but catch with your non-dominant hand. They are both equally important and in fact, if you've ever tried to catch a baseball with a glove in your dominant hand, you would know it is MUCH harder. Your non-dominant hand is better suited to catch that ball, just as your dominant is better suited to throw.
Again, this example is only meant to illustrate the different roles each hand has. Boxing is not nearly as extreme as fielding in baseball but the things we learn to do with our lead, non-dominant hand would not necessarily be done better with your dominant hand. The #1 example is the jab. Most everybody agrees that the jab is the most important punch in boxing and I wrote a blog post about it too - https://theboxingmanifesto.blogspot.com/2022/02/cmon-is-jab-really-most-important-punch.html
While you might be able to throw a more powerful jab with your dominant hand, the jab is not meant to be powerful and you wouldn't necessarily be able to throw a more effective jab. But what about power punches? Are you going to be able to get as much power on a lead hook vs. rear hook? Maybe! Certainly not at first but the more you learn how to engage the lower body, not the arm, when you throw hooks, the more equal in power they can be. Plenty of boxers have more powerful lead hooks than rear hooks. It's not just about power though here either. Just like your different hands have different roles, your different side punches do too. The lead hook is truly what I believe to be the most dangerous punch in boxing. Wrote a post about that too - https://theboxingmanifesto.blogspot.com/2021/09/what-is-most-dangerous-punch-in-boxing.html
The rear hook, by comparison, is a very different animal. Much harder to land for a number of reasons. There are some boxers who rarely if ever even throw it. I think I'm going to talk about that in a later post. Then of course there are body shots and uppercuts, with similar differences as hooks.
So the most important punch in boxing comes from the non-dominant hand, the most dangerous punch in boxing from the non-dominant hand, and there's even another thing I haven't mentioned yet: the vast majority of punches in any boxing match come from the non-dominant hand. Like 70-80%. Even more true when you talk about punches landed. This is why a case can be made that your non-dominant hand is more important. But again, they have different rolls. The threat of the rear hand is what makes all of the lead hand stuff work and even if you only throw 20% of your punches from that side in a fight, I would still say they are 50% as important.
All that said, I know and have heard from many of you that throwing with your dominant hand feels good and the non-dominant hand feels awkward and less powerful. That is normal but the good news is that it is also fixable! And the key is to truly learn something that is critical to throwing all punches in boxing - using the lower body. When you use your legs and hips to throw a punch. That can make up for any strength and coordination disparities.
The other key is to use that sudden, explosive whip-like motion that also integral to boxing. So if you're right-handed, you are going to have more space to throw your right uppercut than your left uppercut but if you are explosive and time it right, you don't need a lot of space. Kind of like the classic Bruce Lee 1-inch punch.
So how does this all relate to a workout for someone not at all interested in the details of ring-fighting? First and foremost, learning the proper mechanics like I mentioned above (lower body, explosiveness) will improve your workout more significantly than anything else. Also, the reason that most people feel weaker on their non-dominant hand is not necessarily for a lack of muscle. Unless you are a professional arm-wrestler, the issue is more likely coordination. Coordination is a skill that you can train. Many people tell me that they are uncoordinated but that doesn't mean that this is how they always have to be for the rest of their lives. Boxing can fix this. It requires practice and commitment to the movements.
At our club, we don't quite have you throw 70-80% of the punches from your non-dominant hand but at least in my classes, it is over 50% for sure. But it doesn't mean that you’re building more than 50% of the strength on your non-dominant hand. The punches you throw from the dominant side are going to have more power so while you may throw more total punches on the left, your resistance per-punch (and calories burned per punch) is probably going to be about the same. Plus you are also improving your total overall coordination and balance.
So while both hands are not created equal, boxing helps you embrace those differences and make both sides stronger in their own ways because they are both equally important. You might even say...wait for it...they go hand-in-hand.
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