the lefty advantage!

[Rickson]

Although a similar thread was made many moons ago, I'd like some more feedback on this topic. I'm ambidextrous, but play tennis right handed with a one handed bh. If I switched to a lefty everything, would I make quicker progress than a natural lefty or righty who has just begun playing tennis? I know I can beat beginners with my left hand, but the real question is about development. Will I develop my off hand in tennis faster than a beginner using his natural hand?

[Jonnyf]

Well, possibly since you already play tennis at a high level with one hand stroke production will be easier.You'll know what a fh should be like whereas beginners dont. Also often beginners may only get an hour a week or so but you can get moretime to play/practice with your left hand

[Rep. Timothy Calhoun]

One advantage that lefties have over righties is that there are less lefties in this world (I think it is safe to assume that, right?). So, there must be a whole lot less lefty tennis players. That makes it that righties meet less lefties than lefties meet righties, therefore, lefties are more used to playing righties and knowing righties' tendencies. That is a HUGE advantage.

Lefties know where the weak points are of a right-handed and left-handed player, without conscious effort. Ususally, I would think, that when a righty plays a lefty, the righty has to consciously think more (or remind themself) as to where the weak points of the lefty is. That is a hassle!

[Ammo]

Although a similar thread was made many moons ago, I'd like some more feedback on this topic. I'm ambidextrous, but play tennis right handed with a one handed bh. If I switched to a lefty everything, would I make quicker progress than a natural lefty or righty who has just begun playing tennis? I know I can beat beginners with my left hand, but the real question is about development. Will I develop my off hand in tennis faster than a beginner using his natural hand?

R u actually ambidextrous? can you write with both hands? if you r not truly ambi your offhand wouldn't have the same potential as a true lefty. Even if u were ambi, you'd have to use ur left hand more than a lefty to surpass them in dexterity. I don't think the dividends r worth the time; especially if ur already at a high level.

[grizzly4life]

R u actually ambidextrous? can you write with both hands? if you r not truly ambi your offhand wouldn't have the same potential as a true lefty. Even if u were ambi, you'd have to use ur left hand more than a lefty to surpass them in dexterity. I don't think the dividends r worth the time; especially if ur already at a high level.

i'm not the original poster.... but i'm strangely ambidextrous probably like alot of lefties.... can do alot of things with either hand but not everything.

i play lefty serve and righty groundstrokes and all others..... have thought of shifting to all lefty, but it just seems the learning curve is way too steep and as is my 2hb is very good and almost like a lefty forehand (although not quite, lefty forehand can get that huge topspin on the angles i.e. nadal)... i might want to utilize playing lefty in certain situations though. and the switching hands is somewhat limiting at higher levels of play, plus horrible right handed overhead and it's pretty hard to change hands.

BTW, i changed my identity on here as i couldn't get the password retrieval to work properly... used to be tom selleck identity on here.

[Rickson]

R u actually ambidextrous? can you write with both hands? if you r not truly ambi your offhand wouldn't have the same potential as a true lefty. Even if u were ambi, you'd have to use ur left hand more than a lefty to surpass them in dexterity. I don't think the dividends r worth the time; especially if ur already at a high level.
I used to play basketball and I'd use either hand for relatively close shots, but I'd use my right hand for all outside shots. I can eat and drink with my left hand and although the words would be sloppy, yes, I believe I can write with my left hand. I don't know what truly ambidextrous is in your book, but to me, it's playing sports with good use of either or both hands.

[FiveO]

I used to play basketball and I'd use either hand for relatively close shots, but I'd use my right hand for all outside shots. I can eat and drink with my left hand and although the words would be sloppy, yes, I believe I can write with my left hand. I don't know what truly ambidextrous is in your book, but to me, it's playing sports with good use of either or both hands.

In tennis, level to level, the greatest advantage a southpaw has is the serve. Yes, up to the higher middle levels of the game you'll gain the added advantage of hitting fh's x-court into a righthander's often weaker bh side. But after making the mental adjustment the righthander has an off-setting edge against the leftie being able to do the same thing. As levels go higher ground games become so good off both sides as to become relatively indistinguishable. At net I see no advantage for a lefthander.

Through teaching I became 'functional' in my ability to demonstrate strokes with my left hand. Emphasis on 'functional'. I've also played the drums my whole life which requires a decent degree of 4 limb coordination. Still, I consider myself VERY right handed, if there is such a thing. I don't recall the biomechanics of it, but from what I remember alot of it has to do with the wiring of the individual's CNS. A genetic gift. You either are or aren't.

If you aren't ambi enough to develop a serve into a weapon using your left hand, I don't see the point. See if you can throw a baseball across a diamond or a football 20 to 25 yards, either cold or with very little practice, I think that would indicate just how ambi you are. Good luck though.

[Rickson]

If you aren't ambi enough to develop a serve into a weapon using your left hand, I don't see the point. See if you can throw a baseball across a diamond or a football 20 to 25 yards, either cold or with very little practice, I think that would indicate just how ambi you are. Good luck though.
50, I'm not looking to change my game from righty to lefty, I was asking a hypothetical question as to who would progress faster; a natural lefty or someone who's ambidextrous, but is a natural righty. I'm gonna try it out for the heck of it, but I'll only use the lefty strokes and serve if I get injured on my right arm, shoulder, or wrist. That would be a great advantage if I could change hands at will.

[FiveO]

50, I'm not looking to change my game from righty to lefty, I was asking a hypothetical question as to who would progress faster; a natural lefty or someone who's ambidextrous, but is a natural righty. I'm gonna try it out for the heck of it, but I'll only use the lefty strokes and serve if I get injured on my right arm, shoulder, or wrist. That would be a great advantage if I could change hands at will.

In your hypothetical, given persons of equal athetic ability and general athletic background I would think the true ambi with a tennis background would maintain an edge longterm. If it's a "natural righty who may be ambi" with a tennis background vs. the lefty beginner, I think the the kinda-ambi would progress faster initially but hit a ceiling the left hander would likely surpass later. I think it comes down to just how ambi the guinea pig is.

[Rep. Timothy Calhoun]

I used to play basketball and I'd use either hand for relatively close shots, but I'd use my right hand for all outside shots. I can eat and drink with my left hand and although the words would be sloppy, yes, I believe I can write with my left hand. I don't know what truly ambidextrous is in your book, but to me, it's playing sports with good use of either or both hands.How tall are you?

[lucky leprechaun]

50, I'm not looking to change my game from righty to lefty, I was asking a hypothetical question as to who would progress faster; a natural lefty or someone who's ambidextrous, but is a natural righty.

I was born left-handed but forced to go right-handed back when I was a knee-biter. I've goofed around with my friends you know just hitting with the opposite hand for fun and noticed that I do a more competent job naturally (having the timing to not mishit and adjust), BUT, it is a far sight to go to even match my right-handed prowess since I've already advanced so far along. I think its more an issue of specific tennis muscle development. I don't think my hand-eye coordination goofing around left handed is a big issue, its the strength. So I would think if you're truly ambidextrous, you would still have to play tons and tons of tennis just to get your left handed tennis playing muscles up to the same level as your right.

[Andres]

I used to play basketball and I'd use either hand for relatively close shots, but I'd use my right hand for all outside shots. I can eat and drink with my left hand and although the words would be sloppy, yes, I believe I can write with my left hand. I don't know what truly ambidextrous is in your book, but to me, it's playing sports with good use of either or both hands.
Every basketball player will use either hands for close shots. That's not being ambidextrous.
Penny Hardaway, on the other hands, can shoot outsided with both hands, same thing with Larry Bird.

[wyutani]

ice hockey players use both hands too....but they're arent ambidextrous...

[Andres]

ice hockey players use both hands too....but they're arent ambidextrous...
But I don't think they swing the same way, I mean, both lefties and righties. it's like Baseball. A lefty swing is different than a righty swing.
Anyway, it's good to see you're trying to contribute with a helpful insight in a thread ;)

You're improving :mrgreen:

[Woodstock_Tennis]

I'm a lefty, I can tell you the greatest advantage I have is on the serve. Slice on add court is always an easy volley when playing most righties. The other advantage is like boxing the person you play is not use to playing a southpaw, usualy takes them awhile to get use to it in a game, giving you the opprotunity to jump out to a nice lead.

[lucky leprechaun]

I'm a lefty, I can tell you the greatest advantage I have is on the serve. Slice on add court is always an easy volley when playing most righties. The other advantage is like boxing the person you play is not use to playing a southpaw, usualy takes them awhile to get use to it in a game, giving you the opprotunity to jump out to a nice lead.

Finally an honest left-hander. We need to sticky this so some noob left-hander will know the right answer before he posts. :mrgreen:

[Rickson]

Every basketball player will use either hands for close shots. That's not being ambidextrous.
Penny Hardaway, on the other hands, can shoot outsided with both hands, same thing with Larry Bird.
Every basketball player? Does the name, Allen Iverson, ring a bell? How about Shaquille O'Neal? Kevin McHale sound familiar? Anyone remember Dominique Wilkins? Should I go on or will you admit that not every basketball player uses his off hand? BTW, I named all stars so how many more one handed players would there be in the scrub ranks? Think about it.

[Golden Retriever]

A lefty with a strong forehand is like a righty with a strong backhand and vice versa, nothing really special there. I would agree the serve is about the only real advantage for a lefty but still it is a huge advantage.

[Midlife crisis]

My son's a lefty, and he has three shots that are hard to deal with. Obviously, one is his serve. The second is his backhand slice, which he has learned to do with varying amounts of sidespin. He uses it in two ways. First, against a 1HBH righty, he'll slice it down the line because it is harder for a one-hander to handle a ball that unexpectedly is a bit further away and requires a last minute stretch to reach. These balls are often shanked when trying topspin, and are floated when trying to slice. He also uses it as a short, low, faster shot out wide to a rightly forehand because that's a shot that a righty would almost never see from another righty. It's hard to run forward and hit an offensive shot from that position.

Third is his sidespin-topspin forehand. He tries for a bit of extra sidespin when his opponent is at the net, and just the difference in spin direction makes it hard to volley.

He's only been playing a year but he's got a good coach (who's a crafty lefty) and I'm already hating life a lot of times when I'm playing with him.

[Andres]

Every basketball player? Does the name, Allen Iverson, ring a bell? How about Shaquille O'Neal? Kevin McHale sound familiar? Anyone remember Dominique Wilkins? Should I go on or will you admit that not every basketball player uses his off hand? BTW, I named all stars so how many more one handed players would there be in the scrub ranks? Think about it.
I've seen lots of times about Shaq shooting layups, and half-hooks with his left hand. And Allen, attacking from the left wing, uses both hands. He can't get that HIGH releasing layup with his left, but he doesn't use it when he's underpressure, which doesn't mean he doesn't use it at all.
And i've seen thousands of times Dominique making reverse layups with his left hand, specially when he played in Atlanta.

You are missing the whole point. You mentioned 4 examples out of 500,000 advanced players out there, who are PEFECTLY capable of shooting a layup and a close shot with both hands. That's how they been taught and trained. It's not being ambidextrous. It's called skill.

Videos confirming my theory? On the way ;) I'll pick random right guys hitting shots with the left hand. And no, they're not ambidextrous.

[Ammo]

I'm ambi. I noe that becuz I can shoot three's with both hands. Wen I play ANY sport, I can switch hands without even realizing it a lil after. I learnt to be ambi after a couple of years so it isn't 100% genetic but does take a long time. Like wat Gatorade would say: Is it in you? :mrgreen:

[wyutani]

I'm ambi. I noe that becuz I can shoot three's with both hands. Wen I play ANY sport, I can switch hands without even realizing it a lil after. I learnt to be ambi after a couple of years so it isn't 100% genetic but does take a long time. Like wat Gatorade would say: Is it in you? :mrgreen:

damn, i wish i was an ambi. you know, like when you injured or have tennis elbow on one arm, then you'll have another...but for my case, might as well stick to the dominent hand eh, mate'?

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3462/tezukaitai1nl.th.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tezukaitai1nl.jpg)

once i caught an injury and i felt like the pic above, painful...jeez~

[Rickson]

Michael Jordan and Larry Bird were great with their off hands, but the players I named before all use their right hands only.

[dmvprof]

I'm a pure lefty. I almost always win the first 3-4 games against players around my level. It really is hard for them, mid-point, to remmeber what side is what. After a while though the advantage seems to wane a lot.

I think the biggest advantage lefties is in doing things that righties aren't used to seeing. It isn't only the serve that it comes out in eithor. There is a completely reversed spin on most lefty shots that takes some time to adapt to. Especially for defensive shots. If I whip a FH w/ alot of top, righties are often used to seeing the ball come at them and bend one way, but mine bend the opposite.

Funny thing, when I'm playing someone for the first time, I'll often hold my raquet in my right hand while they are setting up for their serve.

[wyutani]

I'm a pure lefty. I almost always win the first 3-4 games against players around my level. It really is hard for them, mid-point, to remmeber what side is what. After a while though the advantage seems to wane a lot.

I think the biggest advantage lefties is in doing things that righties aren't used to seeing. It isn't only the serve that it comes out in eithor. There is a completely reversed spin on most lefty shots that takes some time to adapt to. Especially for defensive shots. If I whip a FH w/ alot of top, righties are often used to seeing the ball come at them and bend one way, but mine bend the opposite.

Funny thing, when I'm playing someone for the first time, I'll often hold my raquet in my right hand while they are setting up for their serve.

the advantage of lefties is that not many righties played tennis wif lefties before, that's why its unfamiliar. same case for lefties and lefties.

my arm still hurts...should i wait for it to heal or play sucky tennis wif my right?

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8417/sgag5kq.th.jpg (http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sgag5kq.jpg)

[BeachTennis]

The advantage of lefty is that the big points are played to the add side of the court!

Here is where the lefty can have the biggest advantage.
The south paw can swing you off the court and open up the court on the big add points!

The add in

and the break points!

[grizzly4life]

Every basketball player? Does the name, Allen Iverson, ring a bell? How about Shaquille O'Neal? Kevin McHale sound familiar? Anyone remember Dominique Wilkins? Should I go on or will you admit that not every basketball player uses his off hand? BTW, I named all stars so how many more one handed players would there be in the scrub ranks? Think about it.

i'm intrigued by this and no expert.... but are you saying that shaq and iverson don't hit close in shots with either hand? i'm not talking dunks, but shaq doesn't do small hook shots with either hand.....

detroit vs. toronto, the pistons were up so much that rasheed did a 3 pointer (successfully) with wrong hand. that is serious talent...

guys like mickey mantle and eddie murray who hit huge home runs from both sides are amazing.

[grizzly4life]

The advantage of lefty is that the big points are played to the add side of the court!

Here is where the lefty can have the biggest advantage.
The south paw can swing you off the court and open up the court on the big add points!

The add in

and the break points!

i was thinking about this..... and the righty actually gets more service points to his favored side as the first point is played from that court...

i just think the lefty advantage is more physical or lack of familiarity with lefty opponent.

[Kabob190]

If i were you i would start off by learning to serve with the left hand because you'll be able to use that in a match right away, from the ad side. Then from there learn it stroke by stroke, i am interested to see how this turns out.

[OrangeOne]

Funny thing, when I'm playing someone for the first time, I'll often hold my raquet in my right hand while they are setting up for their serve.

That's awesome! I mainly say so as I know, as the opposing server, that plan would drive me nuts! :)

As to solidifying the better-to-be-lefty argument, I did read Lendl answer in more than one interview that the main thing he'd change about his game, if he had the chance, was to play left-handed. He cited the common wide serve on the ad-court argument as his reason.

[metsjets]

5,000 posts on a tennis forum and you don't know which hand to play with?? that's just funny! play with whatever hand you prefer. the only advantage i give to leftys is the backwards game.

[Rickson]

5,000 posts on a tennis forum and you don't know which hand to play with?? that's just funny! play with whatever hand you prefer. the only advantage i give to leftys is the backwards game.
5000 posts on this board and I know I can dominate with my right hand so I'm gonna try the left hand for fun. I go into matches already knowing the outcome so why not have a little fun and actually enter a match not knowing if I'll win this time? I won over 200 sets and dropped only 1 set in 05 and even that set went to a tiebreak. I know, I know, I need to find better opponents, but if I play them with my left hand, at least they'll have a chance.

[Andres]

i'm intrigued by this and no expert.... but are you saying that shaq and iverson don't hit close in shots with either hand? i'm not talking dunks, but shaq doesn't do small hook shots with either hand.....
Yes, he does. Specially hookshots. Good example ;)

[Rickson]

Shaquille and Iverson do not use their left hands when they play basketball.

[dmvprof]

5000 posts on this board and I know I can dominate with my right hand...snip... I won over 200 sets and dropped only 1 set in 05 and even that set went to a tiebreak......snip....if I play them with my left hand, at least they'll have a chance.

:rolleyes:

I'm sorry man, but that just sounds utterly ridiculous.

If I won that much, tennis would be utterly boring to me. I'm not necessarily calling you a liar, as much as I'm saying your crazy to be playing so many matches that aren't competitive.

[kevhen]

Rickson, why don't you enter some tennis tournaments to get some real competition? You could also join a USTA team at the nearest club. Maybe Rickson doesn't like to lose!

[Andres]

Shaquille and Iverson do not use their left hands when they play basketball.
Iverson does the crossover a lot. It's his patented move. You are talking nonsense.

[bkc]

I've started playing with two forehands. It seems to make people nervous. I haven't competed with it much yet. The serve is a little harder to get, but the good thing about it is that it teaches me some things about my dominant hand serve.

[Custom+Hybrid]

I am a natural lefty and I agree that we have an advantage with serving. I also like that most righties have trouble returning my crosscourt forehand.

[Rickson]

:rolleyes:

I'm sorry man, but that just sounds utterly ridiculous.

If I won that much, tennis would be utterly boring to me. I'm not necessarily calling you a liar, as much as I'm saying your crazy to be playing so many matches that aren't competitive.
I'm not that good, it's just that the competition sucks. It just got to the point where I refused to lose to the guys I play most often, Raul and Richard. Don't get me wrong, Raul does everything in his power to cheat me out of wins so even though he's outmatched skillwise, he keeps the sets "close" by calling all line balls out. Raul's blatant cheating fires me up to not let him win so I play away from the lines and still beat him. Richard is not a cheat, but he's a pure baseliner who prides himself on getting back everything he can so he loves slow courts in particular. Why do I play with a blatant cheat and a pusher? The blatant cheat practically begs for me to come out and play him because nobody else will play his cheating ass and the pusher also has trouble finding opponents, with NYC not being so tennis friendly (we're a basketball city). Oddly enough, the cheat and the pusher have a pretty even head to head against each other.