Question about left handed vs right handed shot

[gilbert11]

I’m curious as to why there are more NHL players that shoot left handed vs right handed.  I looked at the Sabres roster and for 20 skaters I checked, 14 of them are a left handed shot vs 6 right handed.    That’s 70% left handed.  The estimated percentage of left handed people is only 10%.

What’s so different about shooting with a hockey stick vs swinging a bat or golf club?   Except for switch hitters in baseball, it’s usually that right handed people swing a bat from the right side and the same with golf clubs.

The first time I picked up a hockey stick, it was natural to hold it to the right side.

So, are hockey players from Bizarro World or is there a legit reason to shoot from the left side?

[North Buffalo]

Just now, gilbert11 said:

I’m curious as to why there are more NHL players that shoot left handed vs right handed.  I looked at the Sabres roster and for 20 skaters I checked, 14 of them are a left handed shot vs 6 right handed.    That’s 70% left handed.  The estimated percentage of left handed people is only 10%.

What’s so different about shooting with a hockey stick vs swinging a bat or golf club?   Except for switch hitters in baseball, it’s usually that right handed people swing a bat from the right side and the same with golf clubs.

The first time I picked up a hockey stick, it was natural to hold it to the right side.

So, are hockey players from Bizarro World or is there a legit reason to shoot from the left side?

Dominant hand at top of the stick?  Im not sure, I was handed a left handed stick when I was young and it felt comfortable yet I do everything else righty including golf and batting so im just not sure

[#freejame]

Canadians put their dominate hand on top. Americans put their dominate hand on bottom. I’m not sure what Europe does. This was always the explanation I was given. 

[JoeSchmoe]

I don't think there's much correlation between hockey handedness and normal handedness. Kids just do whatever feels good, and it's kind of random.

[Big Guava]

Well I know I'm not an NHL player but I am a right handed person who has always shot left handed and it feels way more comfortable that way to me.

When we used to play pickup hockey people always asked me if I was left handed and I was like nope, I just always have shot this way and it feels normal to me.

Edited April 6 by Big Guava

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I don't think there's much correlation between hockey handedness and normal handedness. Kids just do whatever feels good, and it's kind of random.

I disagree and always find it weird that so many right handed people shoot right. A lot of hockey is played with only one hand on the stick. Why would you use your non-dominant hand for that?

[Pimlach]

I play hockey with left shot, but I swing a golf club right, a baseball bat right, and write with a pencil in right hand. 
 

Hand me a broom, I sweep left.   I tried hockey on right but realized I shot better left. 

Edited April 6 by Pimlach

[SwampD]

5 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I play hockey with left shot, but I swing a golf club right, a baseball bat right, and write with a pencil in right had. 
 

Hand me a broom, I sweep left.   I tried hockey on right but realized I shot better left. 

But I vacuum righty.

[Pimlach]

7 minutes ago, SwampD said:

But I vacuum righty.

Dominant right hand on top. Makes sense 

[7+6=13]

11 minutes ago, SwampD said:

But I vacuum righty.

No politics, please. 

[Rico7]

I'm right handed and shoot right. Most of the guys I played with that were right handed, shot left. Shooting right always felt natural to me. 

[shrader]

55 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I play hockey with left shot, but I swing a golf club right, a baseball bat right, and write with a pencil in right hand. 
 

Hand me a broom, I sweep left.   I tried hockey on right but realized I shot better left. 

How about a rake? That’s one where I feel like I’m taking a faceoff sometimes and I have to flip the bottom hand over. 

[kas23]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

I disagree and always find it weird that so many right handed people shoot right. A lot of hockey is played with only one hand on the stick. Why would you use your non-dominant hand for that?

The one-handed comment is probably the key here. If you are going to play with one hand, it’s going to be the dominant hand and it’s going to be at the top of the stick for reach. So, dominant hand is at the top. 

[SabreFinn]

On my sons team there are not even one player playing right, they are all left. I just put a stick in his hand and let him play the way that is more natural for him. But I think it is easy to learn a kid one way or the other and since most players here play left, I think I could have improved his chanses to make a career by putting a right stick in his hands and learned him play with that. But I am sure he would not make a living out of hockey either way.

[TheAud]

I never thought about the dominant hand on top aspect of it. I guess as a basketball player who was striving to be as ambidextrous as possible (Short of shooting jump shots left handed) that logic wouldn’t have occurred to me. But I was mainly just a street hockey player.

i always felt the naturalness of being right handed and shooting right due to the similarities of using the torso to generate torque and speed like one does in swinging a bat or a club. But again, I played a ton of organized baseball and no organized hockey.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

How about a rake? That’s one where I feel like I’m taking a faceoff sometimes and I have to flip the bottom hand over. 

Rake?   Like the broom, left handed, until I get tired and then I switch.  

I can actually remember being confused about left or right in our driveway, shooting a rubber ball into the garage door with my first hockey stick, a Northland.   I just did it either way until I settled on left.  No one helped me with the decision or taught me a thing about it.  But I remember feeling a little confusion on deciding this since as I was right handed. 

I got that stick at a Buffalo Bisons game, in the original configuration Aud (pre-balcony), it was free on "stick night".    

 

 

 

Edited April 6 by Pimlach

[ska-T Chitown]

I feel like I read somewhere that the Canadian and European development programs used to make fun of the Americans for trading control (dominant hand on top) for power (dominant hand low). After decades of getting wiped by the Canadians and Euros, USA hockey gave in. From memory, Patty Kane was one of the first wave of American kids taught this way. (This is the internet so I reserve all rights to be completely 100% wrong about anything I just typed ... but it feels true).

 

**OH - I also have a really great book about the 1980 Olympic team (The Boys of Winter) and the Russians played dominant hand on top because they did not take slap shots ... they did not take slap shots because they did not have very many sticks and did not want to break them. There is a part where they talk about how at every tournament, the Russian team would ask the other teams if they could have a few sticks after the tournament.

Edited April 6 by ska-T Chitown

[LTS]

It's interesting.  Growing up I could use a left or right stick in street hockey.  Really no difference.  I eventually settled into right handed.  Perhaps because I played baseball and also swung that way?  No idea.

However, as I see it, the top hand is a pivot hand and the precision of where a stick goes is done with the bottom hand.  I can swing a stick one handed all day long either either hand, but if I want control, the bottom hand is where it's at.

 

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

It's interesting.  Growing up I could use a left or right stick in street hockey.  Really no difference.  I eventually settled into right handed.  Perhaps because I played baseball and also swung that way?  No idea.

However, as I see it, the top hand is a pivot hand and the precision of where a stick goes is done with the bottom hand.  I can swing a stick one handed all day long either either hand, but if I want control, the bottom hand is where it's at.

 

I think I feel the exact opposite is true.😂

I think the type of shot matters as well.

[FrenchConnection44]

I have always wondered about this as well. Thanks for asking the question. 

I was always pretty ambidextrous (or amphibious ;)). Could throw a ball left or right (used to mimic Ken Stabler and Mickey Lolich or Steve Carlton), dribble, etc. could hit a baseball lefty. I’ve tried both, but I’m right handed and always felt more comfortable shooting righty. I never felt any advantage for stick handling or even one handed play using my dominant hand on top. But perhaps that’s because my left is fairly strong. I felt my shot had more power from the right side. Wrist or slap. Especially with my right leg back. 

However, I am also a goofy footer on a surfboard and skateboarding and felt more balance with my right foot forward  I see a similarity with the hockey stick  🤷🏼‍♂️

I am sure there are plenty of righty players who are right handed and they don’t have much trouble. Mackinnon, Panarin, Pastrnak, Nylander, Point, Makar, Hyman. All righties. I doubt all those are natural lefties. I suspect as someone said there was a philosophy that the dominant hand should be righty. But given the above I suspect there isn’t a significant advantage. 

There are a couple of athletes in other sports who play opposite dominant hand. Phil Mickelson is a lefty golfer but is right handed. He just mimicked his dad (who was righty) and that’s how he went. Tua, interestingly enough, is right handed but started out throwing lefty. But I think those are rare. 

[K-9]

I use my non-dominant hand in a backhanded fashion. This way it feels like somebody else is doing it. 😂

[PerreaultForever]

You get more strength and control when your dominant hand is higher on the stick. Your shot has control from the right hand (dominant hand for this discussion) but your strength comes from the extension on the left side of the body. Think of it like in a fight, you might throw more right hand punches but that left hook can be lethal if you put your body into it properly. 

Pretty sure it also evolved for the ability to throw a bodycheck leading from the right and with your right shoulder (you free up your dominant hand in close as well without losing your stick right away in close contact or a scrum). If you are throwing a check from your stick blade side you have a good chance of crosschecking, getting your stick in the feet of the opponent or even breaking the blade. Most solid body checks are going to be thrown from the dominant (non stick) side of the body. 

[bunomatic]

11 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

Dominant hand at top of the stick?  Im not sure, I was handed a left handed stick when I was young and it felt comfortable yet I do everything else righty including golf and batting so im just not sure

You and I both. I always thought it was weird I was left in hockey but right in golf and batting but maybe its more common afterall. 

[DarthEbriate]

As a lefty, I feel lost if I try to shoot right-handed with a stick (lacrosse, hockey).
I bat left though I dabbled as a switch. But golfing, shooting a basketball, kicking/punting have to be righty, which probably has more to do with how I was taught than feel.

Edit: Of course, having my right hand cut off and replaced by a cyborg component has caused much confusion. 

Edited April 6 by DarthEbriate
Humor

[BillsShredder83]

if you sit on your left hand till it goes numb............ wait............ what lol