DON'T BE ONE SIDED!
Learn to be a 'switch-hitter'.
If I'm honest, when I was going through my 'street fighting' years, I was basically a one-handed/sided fighter.
I would use the right cross, right uppercut, right elbow, headbutt from right to left, right kick, right knee, right stomp.
That was it!
My left might push, pull, grab or otherwise manipulate the opponent, but apart from one drunk guy I knocked out (without that even being my intention- it was meant to be a 'warning' shot; a 'wake up' call, not a 'go to sleep' one!) with a left palm hook/slap, the few times I threw punches or elbows with my left, they were very weak.
And it's no mystery, really- as the right sided blows were all I ever trained on the heavy bag (I didn't spar- just hit the heavy bag, occasionally focus mitts and quite frequently live bodies!).
This was being lazy, and sticking to things I knew had fight changing effect.
Near the end of me giving up street fighting as a pastime, several events helped change my path.
One of these was me seeing a guy get stomped, just as I had done to others before- except that this guy ended up dying a few days later.
I had known a few people who had been killed before, but it had never happened literally before my eyes (and using a technique I considered 'normal' to use on people).
I also broke my hand- after years of it serving me well- on someone's head.
With my hand in a cast, I felt very vulnerable, still living in a chaotic and hazardous culture.
I was charged for this and thought I would go to prison again, but luckily the case was eventually dropped.
I had surgery on my hand, and only a few hours later (!), still groggy from the general anaesthetic, me being an idiot ended up attacking someone who disrespected me.
My left hooks were very poor, but the aggression luckily overwhelmed the guy, and he didn't want any more.
Sometime later, I beat up someone with gang connections, and (not for the first time!) had a group looking for me to hurt me,
at which point I realised I needed to radically change my life...
(Which I did)
So, you can get through fights with just the right hand etc.-
but what if your arm's injured, or you're holding something, or someone's holding your arm, or you're up against the wall or in some other position or situation that negates it's use?
You need to be able to comfortably hit with all of the body's weapons, with respectable power and from numerous positions and angles.
I'm reminded of this now, because I've got a sore right elbow, and I'm going to 'go southpaw' in boxing training tonight, and see what that entails (I'm watching videos on the subject before I go!).
I'll apply this to the stick fighting I'm learning, and everything else too.
I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE SIDED! :)