Do you love the game so much that you would switch playing hands if you had to?

When forced to, most are surprise how well they play ‘other-handed’. You leave behind the bad habits ingrained in your normal stroke. Your focus increases, and you avoid the shots that usually tempt you to overhit & move the CB around unnecessarily.
I’ve also heard the a hand injury HAS been known to improve your golf game (?).

I'd start over if Covid going away were the payment.

poolcuekid3275 said:

Do you love the game so much that you would switch playing hands, and start the learning process all over again, if you had to?

For this example, lets just say you have never even tried to learn how to play with your weak hand.

How long do you think it would take for you to be able to get good enough to run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball, for example? How many hours of practice per day? Would you try drills, or how would you go about the learning process?

Is this something that a Pro instructor could help a player learn to do, to speed up the learning process, if needed?

Thanks for any thoughts about this.

Click to expand...

I thought I’d mention Cecil Tugwell here. He lost the use of his right arm in the 70s - courtesy of a bad accident - and switched to playing left-handed. Although people say that he was not able to regain full speed as a leftie but still became a world beater again and went on to win quite a few tournaments (1990 Hard Times One Pocket classic, to mention one).

So it’s possible but man you’ve got to have a lot of time on your hands and perseverance.


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I’d try hard and accept how it goes. It easy to say but I’d figure something out. I’m not a money player so would have all to gain.

I would be forced to quit
I can do many things with left hand
bowl,golf,baseball but not pool

ever since i was 9 years old it made me dizzy to hit even one shot left handed

i am terrible from the south side

poolcuekid3275 said:

Do you love the game so much that you would switch playing hands, and start the learning process all over again, if you had to?

For this example, lets just say you have never even tried to learn how to play with your weak hand.

How long do you think it would take for you to be able to get good enough to run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball, for example? How many hours of practice per day? Would you try drills, or how would you go about the learning process?

Is this something that a Pro instructor could help a player learn to do, to speed up the learning process, if needed?

Thanks for any thoughts about this.

Click to expand...

I started shooting off handed(left) to make a more competitive game against weaker players (girls ).
It took about 2 years to get what took 10 years originally with the right. The loop bridge with the right hand was the hardest part for me to get.

When I started gambling off handed, my first breaks pocketed the 9 in nine ball and the 8 in eight ball(winner).

I found the left side to be more intuitive and the right is mechanical.

A big plus for being able to switch hands is the intimidation factor. Any time I do something my opponent can’t do it is a big step towards making them quit. Making them surrender has always been my goal when gambling.

I practice competing the left against the right.

Can’t help but brag:wink: I have only posted one loser left handed. That was a $35 loss at $5(that set up a $240 win). The player spots me the 8 playing right handed. We played lefty even. I knew I liked the game. So the next to night he asks me to play for $5. I said “sure, let’s play left handed.” He says, “well Greg if we are going to play left handed, we need to play for $10”. To which I replied, “if we need to play for $10 then we need to play for $20.” I busted him at $240.

Once you have played and practiced enough it is such an advantage to maintain your rhythm by just changing hands and stepping into the shot.

I already play with "wrong hand", as I am a lefty, can do something right handed a little. I am also right eye dominate.

That is why the invented moose-head bridges.

Interesting billiards stat on lefties even before lefty Judd Trump won the World Championship in 2019. excludes Ronnie O'Sullivan who shoots left about 25 % of the time..

60% of top 10 snooker players are lefties although they make up only 10% of the population.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S8_OpIP7MOM

Soeaking from experiencd i can say its entirely up to each individual on how profificient you can be with your opposite hand..

I sustained an injury to my dominant hand where it was completely out of commision for 6 months. I was in a cast from my fingertips to my elbow for 3 months and then in a cast from my knuckles to my elbow for another 3 months. The firdt 3 months i could absolutely do. Othing at all with my right handed...rending me with the use of only ome hand and my off hand at thst.

Lemme tell you guys . having the use of only one hand aint no fun.

Then after 6 months when the cast finally came off i went through 6 momths of physical therapy ...again...aint no fun.

I lost partial mobility in my fingers.. Cannot curl them up into a fist and lost a lot of strength in it also.. fter physical therapy was over i regustered a 90 in my off hand and a 35 in my dominant hand. Gives you an idea of hiw much dexterity and strength i lost.

As a result i fjnd myself using my offhand a lot more than i use my dominant hand ...especially for delicate situations that call for dexterity in your fingers and also lifting heavy objects..

I cant really say how much it applies to pool because i never picked up a pool cue during my rehabilition but will say i have always relied on off hand shots when the need arises even before my injury..

Based on how i continue to utilze my off hand quite a bit since my injury instead of my dominamt hand I do feel with enough practice i could be just as proficient with either hand.

If I had to I would. Who knows how long I would last. I've tried to play offhand before and never progressed past trying to make a bridge. In all the years I've played I haven't attempted a single shot with my opposite hand. I'll either use a bridge or shoot it one handed

John Morra did he, and he's now up to his pro level, however! and this is my personal opinion, I feel that in the past he used to be a much dangerous player, he was in so many finals and semi-finals, now adays since he switched, he plays great, but I don't see him anymore.

Justin’s back

Playing off-handed

poolcuekid3275 said:

Do you love the game so much that you would switch playing hands, and start the learning process all over again, if you had to?

For this example, lets just say you have never even tried to learn how to play with your weak hand.

How long do you think it would take for you to be able to get good enough to run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball, for example? How many hours of practice per day? Would you try drills, or how would you go about the learning process?

Is this something that a Pro instructor could help a player learn to do, to speed up the learning process, if needed?

Thanks for any thoughts about this.

Click to expand...

I learned to shoot left-handed after watching better players that I played switch hand so as to not have to use the bridge. I got adept at doing so and there for awhile would practice consistently to get better shooting left-handed. I am able to run a rack playing on a barbox with my off hand and have enough confidence shooting left-handed to switch often when playing depending upon the lie and angle of cue ball and object ball. It takes some getting used to but it is easier than you would think.

I'd work it till I could do it. Around twenty years ago I attended a fly fishing school. Toward the end of the weekend my right arm was pretty damn sore. So I switched to my left. Holy smokes, I could cast farther and way more accurately with my left. I was astonished. The instructor said it was because I was intellectualizing the movements. It was the muscle memory of spin casting that was goofing up my right. He said it happens all the time. So there is hope.

I shoot both ways. As a lefty I likely just adapted to using my right hand from my earliest age as my older brothers were right handed and I would always be using their sports equipment, etc.

One observation I make over and over watching righties trying to shoot left-handed. They spend a lot of time trying to adjust their bridge hand and so on. What they forget to do is to mirror their stance Before getting down on the shot. The body ends up in an awkward position and off balance even before trying to make a bridge. Spend a bit of time approaching the table from a left handed perspective...it really helps.

poolcuekid3275 said:

Do you love the game so much that you would switch playing hands, and start the learning process all over again, if you had to?

For this example, lets just say you have never even tried to learn how to play with your weak hand.

How long do you think it would take for you to be able to get good enough to run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball, for example? How many hours of practice per day? Would you try drills, or how would you go about the learning process?

Is this something that a Pro instructor could help a player learn to do, to speed up the learning process, if needed?

Thanks for any thoughts about this.

Click to expand...

Being able to shoot with either hand is a huge asset. Time with an instructor is a great idea. Drills for me personally help tremendously. For me, 1/2 hr of drills 5 days a week transforms my game. Shooting a drill for one single shot gives me confidence when that shot comes up in a game. I shoot each drill for 5 racks (75 shots) 4 or 5 drills a day will be over in no time.

Shooting drills with a friend can turn it into a competition. Choose the shot and the position to leave the cue ball. We would use a sheet of paper as the position target. Shoot 15 shots and count how many times you can pocket the object and leave proper position. (your friend sets up the drill for you. You just shoot) Then you set up 15 shots for him. Now you are trying to beat each other.

poolcuekid3275 said:

Do you love the game so much that you would switch playing hands, and start the learning process all over again, if you had to?

For this example, lets just say you have never even tried to learn how to play with your weak hand.

How long do you think it would take for you to be able to get good enough to run out a rack of 8 ball or 9 ball, for example? How many hours of practice per day? Would you try drills, or how would you go about the learning process?

Is this something that a Pro instructor could help a player learn to do, to speed up the learning process, if needed?

Thanks for any thoughts about this.

Click to expand...

I love the game too much to do that to it.

I can shoot a little lefty... but it's ugly.

Lou Figueroa

short answer sure probably would take a while to gain any true proficiency.

long answer I shoot lefty but am naturally right handed (left eye dominant). when I was a kid and my father saw me shooting left handed he told me to practice with both since I did everything else right handed throwing, hitting, holding a hockey stick etc. I did over the years and am ok playing righty no where near same level as lefty. Move forward to me at 17 years old and suffering a spinal cord injury that left me with partial mobility in my fingers (both hands) my left hand being somewhat more functional than my right my physical therapists wanted me to begin writing left handed and many other tasks I simply adapted with my weaker right hand and figured it out no way I was gonna learn to write lefty. today at 50 years old would shoot righty if i had to.

After a few months of regular practice I can almost shoot as good with my opposite hand as I can normally (right handed). The stroke does not feel nearly as natural, but the only thing that matters is where the tip is placed on the cue ball and of course a decent follow through.

It's not hard to switch hands, but it can be discouraging when this game is already hard enough! However, no I would not quit, but rather it would give me a whole new perspective to play with (if I had to make the change).