Learning how to play opposite handed?

noMoreSchon

noMoreSchon

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am one of the few that plays backwards. In more ways than one, but play with my opposite hand. Just recently I cut two of my tendons in my right hand, and decided to practice (really the only way I can play right now) shooting the way I was born to: right handed. It has been a great experience teaching yourself how to play pool again, and I actually have to revisit everything I have learned over the past twenty years. I am right eye dominate also and had a hard time 'finding' center cue ball shooting right handed. I was wondering how many players out there play similarly with their opposite hands?
 
I practice left handed sometimes, and ya first time I tried it was like I had lost all muscle control, like you said learning how to all over again, but even tougher. But you are focusing more so I think it adds something to your game, everytime I do that awhile then switch back shooting feels very easy
 
Mike Sigel

Plays pool left handed...does everything else right haded including golf.

Wedge
 
But how hard would it be to switch now and shoot right handed Wedge? I am finding that pocketing balls isn't to difficult, but have no finesse to move the rock. Which makes me play different/better lay outs instead of how I would normally would.
 
Find a partner and agree to play off handed. I did that years ago and you might be surprised how quickly you improve. Your knowledge is still there its just your stroke and confidence that is missing, if you're like me your confidence will return before your stroke but the pay-offs are big.

Don't avoid the things you are uncomfortable with but rather conquer them.
 
I can actually draw better left handed. I never use the rake, just switch hands. I frequently don't even notice except for there is no glove on my right hand.
 
noMoreSchon said:
I am one of the few that plays backwards. In more ways than one, but play with my opposite hand. Just recently I cut two of my tendons in my right hand, and decided to practice (really the only way I can play right now) shooting the way I was born to: right handed. It has been a great experience teaching yourself how to play pool again, and I actually have to revisit everything I have learned over the past twenty years. I am right eye dominate also and had a hard time 'finding' center cue ball shooting right handed. I was wondering how many players out there play similarly with their opposite hands?
Click to expand...

Because of the "eye dominate" factor... your opposite hand will likely change everything that you ever did with a cue stick left handed. For instance, I shoot right handed. Over the years I adjusted to a squared stance with my natural hand as I see (and feel) my lines better and my stroke is smooth and straight with good cue ball control (when I'm on).
However shooting lefty took a lot of years to figure out (and get used to), because I was always trying to mirror my natural handed shot. Now I'm shooting with a completely different stance, bend, movement, head position, ect... While I have a prominent squared stance right handed, I now shoot in a side-on stance left handed and have developed a much better game with both my shot making and my cue ball control.
I have run several racks left handed and can feel and move the cue ball almost as well as I can right handed (when I'm on). I believe that most of these two different stances developed over the years due to being "right eye dominant". Once I started to see the lines both ways, I just trained my body (and my brain) to become comfortable with each stance and the control found itself.
These days I don't even realize when I'm shooting lefty half of the time. My brain just says "switch hands" and it's become a regular part of my game.
Good luck with your own adjustments (however they work out for you).
 
Broken arm

Years ago I broke my left wrist (I'm left handed) and had various length casts for almost a year. Once I got down to the shorter casts I started playing right handed.

It took a while but I got used to it, and while not as good as left handed, I could do pretty well. For a while afterwords when playing somebody that wasn't too good I would switch hands.

Still do it today when I'm too lazy to reach for the bridge.
 
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There is a relatively high percentage of golfers who eventually develop the yips. They will usually develop it first in their short game but it can even migrate to the long game. This is a crippling ailment which starts to affect others areas of their game because of the distractions that acompany this ailment.

What many of them don't realize is that if they will force themselves to learn to putt and chip with the opposite hand, they will perform better...and usually free of the yips.

It takes time but they'll usually start to see positive results within a couple weeks. The ones who do force themselves to learn with the unnatural hand, are usually quite surprised at well they can putt and chip. Even to the point of them getting tremendous excitement about playing golf again.

I've had them comment to me that they were on the verge of quitting because they had the yips so badly but...now they have a renewed excitement and have even lowered their handicap.
 
noMoreSchon said:
I am one of the few that plays backwards. In more ways than one, but play with my opposite hand. Just recently I cut two of my tendons in my right hand, and decided to practice (really the only way I can play right now) shooting the way I was born to: right handed. It has been a great experience teaching yourself how to play pool again, and I actually have to revisit everything I have learned over the past twenty years. I am right eye dominate also and had a hard time 'finding' center cue ball shooting right handed. I was wondering how many players out there play similarly with their opposite hands?
Click to expand...


I practice left handed. I play APA matches against myself and alternate hands. I started off left handed as a 1 and couldn't beat my RH handicap, but I can now as a 2. I think trying to become adept opposite handed increases your focus and leads to a better understanding of fundamentals.
 
I'm also a righty that plays lefty. I thought that maybe if I learned how to play righty, that it may be more natural and maybe I could do even better that way. Well, I spent a little time with it and can run a rack, but shooting lefty just feels so much more natural. I'm sure the time spent trying to improve lefty will outweigh the benefits of trying to catch up as a righty. Sure makes off-handed shooting easier for those occasional shots, I know that much.
 
Diogenes said:
Because of the "eye dominate" factor... your opposite hand will likely change everything that you ever did with a cue stick left handed. For instance, I shoot right handed. Over the years I adjusted to a squared stance with my natural hand as I see (and feel) my lines better and my stroke is smooth and straight with good cue ball control (when I'm on).
However shooting lefty took a lot of years to figure out (and get used to), because I was always trying to mirror my natural handed shot. Now I'm shooting with a completely different stance, bend, movement, head position, ect... While I have a prominent squared stance right handed, I now shoot in a side-on stance left handed and have developed a much better game with both my shot making and my cue ball control.
I have run several racks left handed and can feel and move the cue ball almost as well as I can right handed (when I'm on). I believe that most of these two different stances developed over the years due to being "right eye dominant". Once I started to see the lines both ways, I just trained my body (and my brain) to become comfortable with each stance and the control found itself.
These days I don't even realize when I'm shooting lefty half of the time. My brain just says "switch hands" and it's become a regular part of my game.
Good luck with your own adjustments (however they work out for you).
Click to expand...

I am figuring this out, my head seems like a bobble head, trying to get where I can accurately 'see' center. Not only that getting my body out of the way of my shot was becoming a problem but am now overcoming it. Last night I was pinging some shots, and since I do not trust my stroke it seems to be a slower more fluid stroke, letting the cue do most of the work. How it should be.
 
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As far as I know, I'm a natural right hander. But there are a few things that I naturally do left handed. My right hand is a little stronger than my left, but my left hand has more dexterity. My wife thinks I'm a natural lefty that might have been trained to be right handed, but I'm not so sure.

I began shooting left handed rather than use the mechanical bridge this year. My accuracy is quite good on shorter shots but starts to error with more distance. My speed control is not very good, but like shooting, it's better on short shots than longer ones. Like someone else mentioned, I seem to be able to draw the CB better, or with greater ease than my right hand. I chalk this up to my left not having any bad habits so focusing on proper stroke tends to find it's way in easier. My cue seems more level and I definitely follow through more with my opposite hand. This tells me where I can improve with my right.

Not regularly, but I do practice playing left handed quite a bit. It becomes more comfortable and reliable each day. And as some others have noticed, focusing this much with the opposite hand does seem to help dial things in when switching back to normal.
 
noMoreSchon said:
I am one of the few that plays backwards. In more ways than one, but play with my opposite hand. Just recently I cut two of my tendons in my right hand, and decided to practice (really the only way I can play right now) shooting the way I was born to: right handed. It has been a great experience teaching yourself how to play pool again, and I actually have to revisit everything I have learned over the past twenty years. I am right eye dominate also and had a hard time 'finding' center cue ball shooting right handed. I was wondering how many players out there play similarly with their opposite hands?
Click to expand...

You injured two tendons in your right hand and decided to play right-handed? What exactly is your question?

ONB
 
Opposite hand

I never really learned how to play left handed because I am 6' 5" and didn't have to. I could reach all shots on everything up to a Pro 8. Recently I have been playing on 9 footers and man is it embarrassing. I don't know how to change over or really even use the bridge. I see little guys who, out of necessity, have learned to play both ways. I am now dedicating part of my practice time to shooting left and using the bridge but I look like Ned and the 3rd reader when I do. Basically, I am an APA 7/9 right and a 2/3 left :o
 
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