Learning to play with the opposite hand?

ThePoliteSniper

ThePoliteSniper

Fruitshop Owner
Silver Member
Because I hate playing with the rest.

Is there anybody here who has done that and has any useful tips on what I should focus on - apart from "just doing it"? How long does it take to get comfortable with the opposite hand?
 
ThePoliteSniper said:
Because I hate playing with the rest.

Is there anybody here who has done that and has any useful tips on what I should focus on - apart from "just doing it"? How long does it take to get comfortable with the opposite hand?
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When i practice i usually shoot my last to racks of the day opposite handed. If i had to guess id say about 50 racks and its comforatable.
 
ThePoliteSniper said:
Because I hate playing with the rest.

Is there anybody here who has done that and has any useful tips on what I should focus on - apart from "just doing it"? How long does it take to get comfortable with the opposite hand?
Click to expand...

I will say that all players should really learn to be proficient with a bridge/rest.....even the pros use them. They are but another tool in the arsenal.

With that said.....years ago my ex and myself went out to play and decided to play completely opposite handed all night. The hardest thing is to make sure the cue is close to your body as it would shooting normally. Most struggle with a really bad chicken wing. By the end of the night, I was proficient enough to play with either hand...and do, on mostly closer in shots. However, when the distance is greater, I will still reach for a bridge/rest every time....I make far far more shots with the bridge/rest than I miss.

With either...it's really just all about practice.
 
Neil said:
It's much easier to play opposite handed if you have a pre-shot routine and know what you are actually doing with your regular hand. Then, all you have to do is do the same thing with your opposite hand. It will feel a little uncomfortable at first, because it is new to the muscle memory. But, if you do things right or correctly, it will feel fine in no time.
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I agree. It should be consistent....and then practice.

I used to practice left handed a lot. I was never as good left handed, but nearly so at the apex of my game.

In surgery we practiced doing sutures and hand and instrument ties both right and left handed....at least those who want to be better do. It has to be the same (as in PSR above) and repeated many times, as in practice, practice, practice.


.
 
Neil said:
It's much easier to play opposite handed if you have a pre-shot routine and know what you are actually doing with your regular hand. Then, all you have to do is do the same thing with your opposite hand. It will feel a little uncomfortable at first, because it is new to the muscle memory. But, if you do things right or correctly, it will feel fine in no time.
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^^^ This. Part of the ability to play well opposite-handed is having an established PSR that you can "mirror" (flip sideways) to the opposite site.

I like the snooker stance for this reason. It's very simple to "flip" to the opposite side, because all the checklist items are the same, and not dependent on "feeling comfortable." (This is not to say the snooker stance isn't comfortable, but rather that a proper snooker stance mandatorily places emphasis on where you place your feet, what direction are they pointed, locking the leg, where your weight distribution is, griphand arm alignment to the cue, head/eye alignment to the cue, etc. -- checklist items that with experience, become second nature.)

Because shooting opposite-handed is not "immediately comfortable" (hence why many of us don't like / don't have success with shooting that way), the snooker stance's rigid checklist of fundamentals is very helpful.

I personally like to shoot opposite-handed (lefty, for me), because I find it easy and reliable. I just go through my checklist, and I'm online -- I only need to concentrate on delivering my cue straight and correctly. And I often use it as a "spot" to play weaker players. In my Thursday 8-ball league, there's another player there that is equally adept at shooting opposite-handed. When he and I match up, for the purposes of boosting the competitive spirit, we'll sometimes choose to shoot the entire match opposite-handed. What's funny -- something that we both try our best not to let it on that we find it funny -- is when folks are watching our match, they'll notice something's wrong, but quite can't put their finger on it. Almost like they're watching pool from a mirror, but don't know it. Then, someone will finally "get it," and go, "wtf are you guys doing?!?" :D

-Sean
 
I give about 30 mins with opp hand just focus on the basics and it will come.

I hated playing opp hand but I spent so much time working on it i now makie difficult game winning shots. Shooting pop hand
 
If you find yourself playing a friend who's not great, shooting opposite is a great way to keep it fun and become proficient. I find that I make a lot of good shots and sometimes get better action / position on the cue ball because of how deliberate the delivery is. Practice gains proficiency.
 
I could probably mention one good way to practice with your other hand but this is a family forum.

Interesting tho. I am a left with a hockey stick, catch left with a ball glove,
write with my right and am a righty with a cue.

I have tried to shoot left with a cue and its painful to watch myself try and make a proper bridge hand.

Now you're going to make me try this again when I go out tonight.

The ability to switch would come in very handy at times.
 
If you have someone else who is trying to learn this as well, try playing a type of one man scotch doubles I.e. switching hands for every shot.
That way you will also improve your positional play and decision making as you won't want to leave yourself a difficult "other hand", shot.

Just an idea.
 
Opposite handed

I play about a 5-6 speed left handed. When I was younger I taught myself to play with both hands, and both hands 1 handed, and with my foot.

I used to make quite a bit of money shooting with my foot as the bridge, and I made a fair share shooting 1 handed.

To answer your question, it takes about 2 months of practice before you start to feel halfway comfortable shooting opposite handed. It will feel odd to bridge with the opposite hand that you normally shoot with. Having a pres-shot routine will help you along.
 
I found making a comfortable bridge was the most awkward for me and I saw an article way back, by Alan Hopkins maybe, recommending use of a fist bridge for opposite hand shots. That's what I've been doing for years and it works pretty well.
 
StrokeofLuck said:
I found making a comfortable bridge was the most awkward for me and I saw an article way back, by Alan Hopkins maybe, recommending use of a fist bridge for opposite hand shots. That's what I've been doing for years and it works pretty well.
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A comfortable lefty bridge is awkward for me too. It takes too much thought! If you don't mind explaining (or even showing a pic), but what is a fist bridge?
 
Lewie said:
A comfortable lefty bridge is awkward for me too. It takes too much thought! If you don't mind explaining (or even showing a pic), but what is a fist bridge?
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I could be wrong but I assume he means making a fist and laying it on the table. Stroke thru the big knuckles.
 
Guapo said:
I could be wrong but I assume he means making a fist and laying it on the table. Stroke thru the big knuckles.
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Actually, I got a different impression. Create a closed-loop bridge in your opposite hand, but normally where you'd have the middle, ring, and pinkie outstretched into a tripod, instead "fist them" (close them inwards into a fist).

In the initial stages of learning to play opposite-handed, this may prove helpful and ease you into shooting opposite-handed, but don't let it become an Achilles Heel (i.e. don't let your opposite-handed style cement reliance upon this malformation of the bridge). Instead, gradually try to form a correct bridge with that opposite hand. In the long run, after it becomes comfortable to you, you'll reap the same benefits as that bridge on your normal bridge hand.

-Sean
 
Chopdoc said:
I agree. It should be consistent....and then practice.

I used to practice left handed a lot. I was never as good left handed, but nearly so at the apex of my game.

In surgery we practiced doing sutures and hand and instrument ties both right and left handed....at least those who want to be better do. It has to be the same (as in PSR above) and repeated many times, as in practice, practice, practice.


.
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why would you do that???:confused:
 
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