is it ever to late to learn to shoot opposite

J

justabrake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I watched alot of pool on TV and I see alot of players that can and some that can not shoot with either hand shots, some are masters at it and some have no idea how to do it and you could see it in there faces when they approach the table to try do it , I seen cory and he looked dumb founded trying then you see efrem and he could beat probably anyone either handed and then you hear the pros say when learning to shoot pool you should use both left and right handed to play ,but the question here is do you think it's to late for older players that have been shooting one handed all the time to learn it , it does feel awkward to me to try now more then before?


Steven
 
I guess it is just the same as when you started to learn playing with your correct hand, just practice.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy from the Snooker world can make century breaks with their opposite hands, I am not sure how much they practice opposite hand, but with some practice I am sure you would be able to master the basic shots, obviously some natural talent wouldn't go to waste either.
 
justabrake said:
I watched alot of pool on TV and I see alot of players that can and some that can not shoot with either hand shots, some are masters at it and some have no idea how to do it and you could see it in there faces when they approach the table to try do it , I seen cory and he looked dumb founded trying then you see efrem and he could beat probably anyone either handed and then you hear the pros say when learning to shoot pool you should use both left and right handed to play ,but the question here is do you think it's to late for older players that have been shooting one handed all the time to learn it , it does feel awkward to me to try now more then before?


Steven
Click to expand...
I'm "older" and just switched from "behind-the-back" to left-handed about 9 months ago, at the very strong suggestion of a better player. It was very awkward at first, but I haven't shot "behind-the-back" since then, and now I can easily do English, draw, etc. It is a necessity for improving your game.
 
whitewolf said:
At age 55 I got a Stroke Trainer and also started shooting left handed for about 15 minutes every time I practiced, which was about 4 times per week. I got to be proficient enough to trust my opposite hand shooting on short to medium length shots.

The Stroke Trainer, IMHO, was a necessity in this matter. The toughest thing for me to do was to make a decent bridge. After I did this, my off handed shooting jumped up another notch.

Good luck, WW
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Whitewolf and I shoot together. I have always been amazed that he can just switch hands and shoot with either hand. I tried it a few times and darned near put my eye out.......

I don't shoot too bad right handed, but I have no clue with the off hand....
 
whitewolf said:
That is way too funny Joe.

Oh, BTW, did I mention that when Bluewolf shoots you should watch your eyes as she will poke them out - seriously.

If you want to try the StrokeTrainer one time I could lug mine in and let you try it, that is if you not afraid of poking your eye out!
Click to expand...

Sure...always wanting to try something new that can help my game....only if it is not too much work, though. Don't go to any real trouble if the trainer is big/bulky, etc.
 
I can write with both hands, shoot basketball with either hand, switch hit in baseball and even putt cross handed. So I thought I could easily shoot pool left handed, well it wasn't as easy as I thought but I'm starting to shoot as good and might become better left handed then right.

When I was a baby my mother said I would go to pick up a spoon left handed and she would always take the spoon and switch it to my right hand, so I think I was meant to be left handed in the first place. because of this I am ambidextrous and it really doesn't matter left or right handed, I can even write with both hands at the same time :D

Maybe not everyone can become proficient at it, but I think anyone can learn shoot basic shots with their opposite hand and I say go for it! it's a good advantage to have and your brain will grow some new cells and nerve fibers so if you lose some from drinking, no worry just learn to shot left handed and bingo new brain cells :D
 
justabrake said:
I watched alot of pool on TV and I see alot of players that can and some that can not shoot with either hand shots, some are masters at it and some have no idea how to do it and you could see it in there faces when they approach the table to try do it , I seen cory and he looked dumb founded trying then you see efrem and he could beat probably anyone either handed and then you hear the pros say when learning to shoot pool you should use both left and right handed to play ,but the question here is do you think it's to late for older players that have been shooting one handed all the time to learn it , it does feel awkward to me to try now more then before?


Steven
Click to expand...

When I started playing my dad would hardly ever let me go for a bridge. He would make me go opposite handed on most shots that were hard to reach left-handed. Now I'm thankful he did. I can play maybe 60% opposite handed to my 100% game regular handed. I'm left handed and when I was a young (idiot) man I would play right handed and then proposition someone to a game of opposite handed pool...and then just play good enough to win. Ahh...the good ol' days.
 
SlimShafty said:
I can write with both hands, shoot basketball with either hand, switch hit in baseball and even putt cross handed. So I thought I could easily shoot pool left handed, well it wasn't as easy as I thought but I'm starting to shoot as good and might become better left handed then right.

When I was a baby my mother said I would go to pick up a spoon left handed and she would always take the spoon and switch it to my right hand, so I think I was meant to be left handed in the first place. because of this I am ambidextrous and it really doesn't matter left or right handed, I can even write with both hands at the same time :D

Maybe not everyone can become proficient at it, but I think anyone can learn shoot basic shots with their opposite hand and I say go for it! it's a good advantage to have and your brain will grow some new cells and nerve fibers so if you lose some from drinking, no worry just learn to shot left handed and bingo new brain cells :D
Click to expand...

I'm primarily left-handed but I'm very ambidextrous as well. I play guitar right handed (which I thought I was doing left handed since you use your left hand to create the chords,etc...made perfect sense to me), can write with either hand..throw with either, drive a golf ball either way, bat either way. One of those things some are born with I guess.
 
Be Forewarned though ....

That room owners will not let you enter a handicapped
tournament twice, once for each hand. I am right handed,
but my dad switched me at 3 years old because he didn't
want me playing sports, mostly baseball, left handed.
Getting left handed equipment back then was not easy.
I taught myself when late teens, early 20's, to play with
either hand, either hand one handed, and with using my
left foot as a bridge. I use to win pretty good money playing
with my left foot as a bridge, and could run an 8 ball doing it.
I probably shoot a 5 or low 6 speed playing left handed.

Somehow ... lol ... room owners don't think you are sincere
about playing left handed as an entry, and right handed as
another entry ...
 
I don't think...

it's ever too late to learn to play opposite handed. I don't have any trouble using a bridge but anyone who shoots "both hands" as I do will tell you that it's easier to maintain "feel" than when using the bridge. My biggest problem has been making a closed bridge with my right hand or shooting shots where I have to jack up. A shoot with a guy who is around 55yo and he just started practicing playing left handed a few weeks ago and he is already doing great as a lefty. If you having trouble making a bridge find an old picture of Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter shooting lefty. He would actually lay the backside of his bridge hand on the table laying the shaft in his palm.
 
Snapshot9 said:
That room owners will not let you enter a handicapped
tournament twice, once for each hand.
Click to expand...

No always the case.

I am a well documented switch hitter in my room, and most of the people (the ones that are important anyway) know that i can play with both hands.

There have been times where i entered the tournament playing with the opposite hand, and had a rating specifically geared for that limb. (about a ball under my right)

It was going great for a few weeks, till every wannabe in the room decided that THEY wanted to try out the tournament with their opposite hands cause they wanted to get a better rating, even though they couldn't make a ball.

After a couple of tournaments, the TD decided that it was an option probably only available to me, and not for anyone else.
It just caused too many problems, with people complaining about ratings and such.

So even though theoretically i could play in the tournament opposite handed, i choose not to because of possible/probable garbage that might result from the people that ALSO want to do it, or the people that think my opposite hand is rated wrong because it beat them.

BUT, i have never had 2 entries going on at 1 time in the tournament. It was either 1 or the other.
 
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