Is switching from Right to LEFT, a smart choice?

Mr.kevinle91 · Aug 1, 2014

I hear from a few players that were played 4.0 as a righty, but decided to train as a lefty because his right side had too many bad habits and flaws. Would you start all over again on the opposite side, knowing that you know the basics and are able to become style you want since your starting fresh? is it worth it?

TeamOB · Aug 1, 2014

I you are already a 4.0, you should probably just stick to the hand you always used. Becoming a 4.0 from scratch can take a long time so it is probably not worth the switch. It is far easier and quicker to simply fix up your existing technique than to start from scratch with your non-dominant hand.

Topspin Shot · Aug 1, 2014

TeamOB said:
I you are already a 4.0, you should probably just stick to the hand you always used. Becoming a 4.0 from scratch can take a long time so it is probably not worth the switch. It is far easier and quicker to simply fix up your existing technique than to start from scratch with your non-dominant hand.

+1 this. Don't do it.

ace_pace · Aug 1, 2014

Depends. If winning/losing isnt important to you, go ahead. But if you are competitive or value winning and maintaining skill level, dont do it, do what the guys above me said.

jrs · Aug 1, 2014

I tried this as an experiment in Table Tennis - I found the hardest thing to adjust was the footwork. My feet automatically setup for right hand shot.

A friend of mine due to Tennis elbow switched to left in TT - but it took around a year playing - to become a 3.5 player - but still not to the level he was as a right handed player.

cjs · Aug 2, 2014

Mr.kevinle91 said:
I hear from a few players that were played 4.0 as a righty, but decided to train as a lefty

A few? Surely this is incredibly rare and would require a degree of ambidexterity to begin with.

Only right-handed person I know who learned to play with their left hand lost their right arm in a car crash.

movdqa · Aug 2, 2014

I have a friend, former 5.5, probably 4.5 now that has been working on this for 7 to 8 years. His lefty groundstrokes are quite good. He can hit volleys but nowhere near as good as his rightie strokes and his serve is awful. It has pace and spin but he has a lot of problems getting it in the service box,

I think that this only works if you commit to it (basically dump the rightie strokes completely). I've tried learning a leftie serve a few decades ago and determined that it wasn't worth the effort - unless I had an injury that severely compromised my ability to play rightie.

Raul_SJ · Aug 2, 2014

Don't see any reason why any healthy person would waste their time doing this.

oldschoolrules · Aug 2, 2014

Switching is definitely not easy. One of the biggest challenges one might face (was and still is for me, at least) when doing so is, interestingly enough, making the necessary visual adjustments after having "trained" your eyes for so many years to judge/measure the depth and speed of the ball on groundies as well as it's height and position on the toss that are now being hit from the "wrong" side.

Mr.kevinle91 · Aug 2, 2014

Thank you guys!

I definetly wanted to hear your guy's opinion and stories. I know its possible but no one that is healthy and fit would ever give up such stupidty to switch from their dominant hand to their non-dom. This is actually my first post, so im very happy to hear feedback from the top legends

thatguymattin · Aug 2, 2014

I can hit forehands with my left hand, but my arm feels week. It's like developing muscles for tennis all over. Backhand is tricky... and serves are also non-existent.

ProgressoR · Aug 2, 2014

Mr.kevinle91 said:
Thank you guys! I definetly wanted to hear your guy's opinion and stories. I know its possible but no one that is healthy and fit would ever give up such stupidty to switch from their dominant hand to their non-dom. This is actually my first post, so im very happy to hear feedback from the top legends

Yes, that is really stupid, especially if they had hopes to be professional and perhaps reach no. 1 someday. Idiots

movdqa · Aug 2, 2014

thatguymattin said:
I can hit forehands with my left hand, but my arm feels week. It's like developing muscles for tennis all over. Backhand is tricky... and serves are also non-existent.

I've played left-handed in really weak social mixed doubles before.

oldschoolrules · Aug 2, 2014

I had to switch in my early teens because of an accident, by the way, and after I had already started playing competitively as a right-hander

FitzRoy · Aug 2, 2014

oldschoolrules said:
Switching is definitely not easy. One of the biggest challenges one might face (was and still is for me, at least) when doing so is, interestingly enough, making the necessary visual adjustments after having "trained" your eyes for so many years to judge/measure the depth and speed of the ball on groundies as well as it's height and position on the toss that are now being hit from the "wrong" side.

Yeah, I know what you mean about this. I experimented with playing left-handed for a few weeks after injuring my right arm and feeling like it might be something that would prevent me from playing regularly; I could do pretty good swings with decent form and racquet speed just standing there, but reacting to a ball just seemed impossible, it felt so hard to track the ball while trying to set up with feet and such.

I realized it would take years to relearn all the stuff I had taken for granted, so I just focused on getting my dominant arm healthy.

TeamOB · Aug 2, 2014

The only reasons I can see for switching are:

1. You are injured and physically incapable of playing with your dominant hand.

2. You don't care about competition and just wanna do it for ****s and giggles.

Other than that there is really no reason. Any "lefty advantage" is far ofset by the difficulty of switching and doing it simply because your righty technique is poor is not a good idea. It's much easier to overhaul your righty strokes then to learn lefty from scratch.

ProgressoR · Aug 2, 2014

At least your toss should improve greatly, no?

FitzRoy · Aug 2, 2014

ProgressoR said:
At least your toss should improve greatly, no?

Mine didn't when I tried it...granted it was only for about 3 weeks, but trying to toss right and serve left was a freaking nightmare for me. Even though I'm right-handed, tossing it with the right felt so foreign after years of doing it left..

oldschoolrules · Aug 3, 2014

My toss didn't - and is still sketchy after several years - but that was/is probably due to the decrease in strength and function of my right hand from the incident

boramiNYC · Aug 3, 2014

Working on symmetry of the body is always a challenging but rewarding experience. Working on the non-dominant side will help you refine your dominant side as well. Highly recommended.

I once tried to drive with the feet switched. Left foot Acc and right foot brake. Crazy in the beginning but the process and improvement was interesting.

Is switching from Right to LEFT, a smart choice?

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