Do you shoot ambidextrously?

Halfjack87

Halfjack87

In Training
Silver Member
So, shooting up and down the table do a lot of players switch between Left and Right hand shooting, or do most players always shoot only with their dominant hand?

I've been switching between left and right (and drilling left and right) and it seems to be working for me fairly well, even though I'm not ambidextrous. Is this common practice, or maybe a mistake?

Thoughts? :ok:
 
Snookers Ronnie O'Sullivan does it so well, he makes it look easy.

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Play left against right at least one match per day. Your favorite game. Tell us how you do after 30 days and I'll bet better than you'd imagine. A small wager of course. 😎
 
Righty here, shoot lefty, practice with my right hand all the time. After I got my visuals right it became fairly easy. Just can't move whitey around and have to make it simple. And it has made shooting left easier because of how simple I now can make it.
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
I do. Practice makes, well, better then no practice. It can come in handy. Good luck!
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Right now I try to start each session with a stroke drill which has helped a lot, shooting down the table into the corners with the concentration on using perfect form (bridge, grip, stance, alignment). I carefully work through the going rack down the table right handed, and then come back up the table left handed.

When playing, I switch between left and right continuously. It's not 50%-50%, because I will chose a right-handed shot over a left-handed shot if they're otherwise equivalent, but it is maybe 1/3 of my shots or more. My left-shooting still lags my right-shooting, but I expect the gap to close...
 
This thread reminds me of two scenarios where the highly acclaimed equalizer system falls short: first, knew a young male player who bragged to me about playing an entire session in a different league opposite handed to ensure his SL3 remained justified(who played like a strong six right handed); second, can never forget playing a right handed female three in Vegas some years ago who turned around on a particular shot and snapped the CB the length of the table for perfect position... just saying opposite hand shooting has its nefarious advantages as well.
 
ambi-

Halfjack87 said:
So, shooting up and down the table do a lot of players switch between Left and Right hand shooting, or do most players always shoot only with their dominant hand?

I've been switching between left and right (and drilling left and right) and it seems to be working for me fairly well, even though I'm not ambidextrous. Is this common practice, or maybe a mistake?

Thoughts? :ok:
Click to expand...

I could bowl rather well with either hand when that was my primary sport from 1955 to 1972. For some reason, it was harder to switch with pool, and I never seemed to have the time to develop that.

Had a close friend and teammate back in the '60s-'70s who played all sports with either hand. He made most of his gambling $$ playing golf. He played about two over par right-handed and 4-over left-handed. He was banned, I believe, from the local country club because he took some cash from doctors and lawyers...there's a switch for ya!
 
Simple answer.....Yes......I try to play left handed for 15-20 mins every time I practice.
Why? Because I prefer to not rely upon the bridge except when absolutely necessary.
If I don't practice lefty, my cue ball speed tends to suffer & so my cue ball shape is poor.

Matt B.
 
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I try not to, but on occasion I'll switch to the other hand. It kind of depends on who I'm thinking about at the time.
Once I was fantasizing about Marie Osmond, then all of a sudden there was Betty White, and wow, I didn't know whether to shit or go...Oh! You meant when playing pool, didn't you? My bad. Carry on. :smile:

P.S. I sometimes use the old switcheroo, but only for short simple shots.

P.S.S. And, Betty White.
 
Yes I do.
I do everything both hands.
Pool, ping pong, racket ball, write.

In pool though, just remember to switch your dominant eye when you switch hands.
Life will be a lot easier if you do.
 
Never use a bridge

couldnthinkof01 said:
I do. Practice makes, well, better then no practice. It can come in handy. Good luck![/QUOT

I always liked playing but when I was too much better than friends or my ex wife who is a decent player I would always shoot left handed so I could still play my hardest an enjoy the game. I've gotten quite good left handed that I hardly ever have to use a bridge (which is a great thing).
Click to expand...
 
When i first started practicing my left it was very awkward. I was told to practice throwing a baseball with the left. I did help a bunch. It also helped me relearn the fundamentals and translated well for both hands. Its a great way to stay competitive with non-playing friends and the old lady.
 
Ronnie O has inspired me to try...
Still awkward, but I haven't put out an eye yet.
 
ShakesSea........I don't ever recall seeing anyone practice at the pool hall just repeatedly using the bridge for every shot or setting up practice bridge shots.
However, I do see players using drills, and practicing 8, 9, 10 ball & 14.1 all the time. Most people just rely upon using the bridge in their practices games.

If that's what you are referring to, I feel the bridge is used so seldom in comparison to other shots that I must question how much better one becomes using it.
I'll concede that the more one uses a bridge, the better you should become using it. I prefer lefty since I can move the cue ball for shape a lot more precisely.

Anyway, through a combination of using Tony Ryan cue extenders (12" & 18") and playing lefty, the number of times I use a bridge is really very seldom.
Every player should conform their game to what works best for them and ambidextrous play is more versatile for my pool game but to each their own.

Matt B.
 
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