Shooting with your opposite hand

Actually it's not that difficult to learn to shoot some basic shots opposite handed. Even though at first it looks impossible. You know exactly what is wrong each time you miss a ball because you already have so much 'knowledge' from playing with your right, lol.

I know people like Efren, Ronnie, etc. are able to shoot lights out opposite handed. Making 100 breaks, running rotation racks, whatever... But it is not true they would be top players if they suddenly started to shoot exclusively that way, i.e. with left hand. I still think that their right hand stroke is far superior.

All these players who play great opposite handed...has anybody seen them play...

- big power draw?
- cb near the rail and you need elevated cue for a good draw?
- masse?
- partial jump, full jump?
- break?

I don't think anybody practices those using opposite hand.
 
mark williams also shoots some shots by tucking the cue under his stomach and to the other side, instead of using the rest or shooting opposite handed sometimes. very unique. he can even play complex shots this way as well.
 
TX Poolnut said:
Learning opposite-handed is the same as learning natural-handed (is that a word? ;) ). Remember when you first picked up a cue and starting banging away? It didn't come all at once, but over time, you got comfortable. It just takes a little commitment. In my situation, I just decided one day that I was going to learn to shoot left-handed. Two years later, I hardly ever need the mechanical bridge and I can generally play well left-handed. I think folks try it and feel awkward and don't give it time to sink in.
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I was getting ready to post pretty much the exact same thing, right down to the two years!

Like you said it's just a matter of sticking to it and practicing till you're comfortable with it. Just like everything else in pool.
 
Voodoo Daddy said:
Dont forget Wade "Billy Johnson" Crane...one of the all time great either hand players. Most time's I been around Danny Diliberto see's a guy shoot opposite hand he say's "look, he's amphibious" HAHAHAHA!!
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Thanks for making me spray soda all over my monitor! I had this image of the Creature from The Black Lagoon shooting pool. DiLiberto does come up with some real gems. :D
 
i tired shooting with my other hand, the one on the other side of my torso(i'm very symmetrical).

i couldn't even hold the cue.
 
predator said:
Actually it's not that difficult to learn to shoot some basic shots opposite handed. Even though at first it looks impossible. You know exactly what is wrong each time you miss a ball because you already have so much 'knowledge' from playing with your right, lol.

I know people like Efren, Ronnie, etc. are able to shoot lights out opposite handed. Making 100 breaks, running rotation racks, whatever... But it is not true they would be top players if they suddenly started to shoot exclusively that way, i.e. with left hand. I still think that their right hand stroke is far superior.

All these players who play great opposite handed...has anybody seen them play...

- big power draw?
- cb near the rail and you need elevated cue for a good draw?
- masse?
- partial jump, full jump?
- break?

I don't think anybody practices those using opposite hand.
Click to expand...

I am right-handed, but shoot pool primarily lefty. This may help in my right-handed game, but it did take a while to get over that sensation you feel when throwing a ball with the wrong hand. Oddly enough, I can get more masse when I go right-handed. My right-handed break has gotten better since I changed my stance. I can do quite a nice draw as well. Opposite-handed shooting I feel makes a decent difference in my game.. it's the difference between an awkward cut shot from a rail or an easy cut, etc etc. I typically practice right-handed when I get bored with my opponents and feel I'd have a better challenge that way. I just got my first BR the other day.. woo.

And I'm sure everyone's favorite.. who wouldn't want to get someone into a game after playing right-handed only to run em out with ease lefty when needed (or I guess left-right, whichever).

The stroke is the more difficult part to get down opposite-handed.. while I can do nice draw, sometimes it still feels as though I'm jabbing at the ball.
 
Being able to switch hand comes in very handy. I'm still working on it, but it's getting there. Like already stated, the stroke is the hardest thing to get comfortable off-handed.
 
I learned how to do both when I was just starting out. I have never had lessons so in the very beginning I didn't know which hand I should be using so I used both lol.

Now as I got better my right hand became the dominant one, but I can play fairly comfortable left handed as well.

As Andrew stated Ronnie plays with both hands. He played Alain Robidaoux (sp?) of Canada in the World Championship at the crucible left handed, for the entirety of the match. Alain was pissed and offended. But it was a very Ronnie thing to do. I mean he is one of the greatest cueists ever.
 
Yup, opposite hand is really tough. I'm still working on it too. By far the hardest thing though is playing one handed. Today my straight pool game SUCKED and I was getting hot so I decided to practice some one handed shots. I slapped in seven (on my 9 foot table), long shots in a row. Getting that center ball hit is tough and drawing the cue even tougher. It sure does look impressive though...
 
jay helfert said:
Good advice Allen. You can actually learn faster with your opposite hand than you did originally. And your game will be much stronger.

The best opposite handed players - Keith, Buddy, Sigel. All can run out after switching hands.
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Reed Pierce is the best opposite hand shooter I have ever seen. I would say his speed opposite handed is the 7 ball below his normal shooting hand.
 
predator said:
Actually it's not that difficult to learn to shoot some basic shots opposite handed. Even though at first it looks impossible. You know exactly what is wrong each time you miss a ball because you already have so much 'knowledge' from playing with your right, lol.

I know people like Efren, Ronnie, etc. are able to shoot lights out opposite handed. Making 100 breaks, running rotation racks, whatever... But it is not true they would be top players if they suddenly started to shoot exclusively that way, i.e. with left hand. I still think that their right hand stroke is far superior.

All these players who play great opposite handed...has anybody seen them play...

- big power draw?
- cb near the rail and you need elevated cue for a good draw?
- masse?
- partial jump, full jump?
- break?

I don't think anybody practices those using opposite hand.
Click to expand...
I do. I've only seen Efren shoot left-handed occasionally in matches. His bridge looked odd, but anybody would be a fool to play him that way. It's his knowledge that makes the game easy for him, and it will be just as easy for him left-handed. Even the power strokes are still mostly about timing and looseness, when Efren's shooting. And they won't come up enough to make a difference anyway.

I've made 5 balls on the break opposite-handed many times, 4 too many to count. When in stroke I can jump full balls and make power draw and follow and spin shots, and play even with the 12-ball ghost.

It's the same game with either hand. Efren would certainly still be a top player, imho.

unknownpro
 
watchez said:
Reed Pierce is the best opposite hand shooter I have ever seen. I would say his speed opposite handed is the 7 ball below his normal shooting hand.
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If he would give himself the 7, then I would rob him, lol! He would never finish the match playing himself though, so how would you know?

unkownpro
 
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