Handedness - Weight Transfer

[BenchBrawl]

I'm a left-handed player.I feel I was unlucky in one weird regard: My weight transfer is better if I try to shoot right-handed; it's more mobile, more powerful and more natural.It doesn't mean my shot would be better if you gave me a right-handed stick, because the control is still important for shooting and I have more control when shooting left-handed, but it's clear that my weight transfer is "disorganized" or "unnatural" from the left-side.

So in a way, I feel I would have been a better player if I had the more natural weight transfer on my good side, and I feel this is just (bad)luck because I don't think which side your weight transfer is better has anything to do with handedness in hockey.

Anybody else noticed something like this in themselves?

Edit: I tried to play Golf some time ago as a complete beginner.I didn't even know which side I should play.I tried both, and both seemed allright in practice.But I noticed that I felt more comfortable left-handed, just like hockey, but my right-handed shots had about 10 yards of extra distance, confirming my sensation.I ended playing Golf left-handed, because the short game was just much better from that side.

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[puckpilot]

It's always give take. When your dominant hand is the top hand on the stick, it makes developing proper stick handling technique easier. Ever try writing or doing anything that requires fine motor skills with your non-dominant hand?

I'm right dominant but shoot left. I'd much rather have things this way. If it was the other way around, I may have developed a better shot, but maybe I wouldn't have developed the stickhandling enough to be able to get that shot off.

Besides, practice anything enough and it will begin to feel natural.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

I'm right handed and shoot right. If I had known that RHD were so in demand now, I should've continued my career in hopes of being called up to the NHL (I'm 63 years old).
I believe I shoot right so when I started playing ball hockey as a kid, the youngest guy (me) was put in the net. It felt natural like baseball stance to be in the right handed position. And having my strong hand as my catching hand is just as good (or better) than my baseball catching hand, the left.

 

[Neutrinos]

It's always give take. When your dominant hand is the top hand on the stick, it makes developing proper stick handling technique easier. Ever try writing or doing anything that requires fine motor skills with your non-dominant hand?

I'm right dominant but shoot left. I'd much rather have things this way. If it was the other way around, I may have developed a better shot, but maybe I wouldn't have developed the stickhandling enough to be able to get that shot off.

Besides, practice anything enough and it will begin to feel natural.

As someone who is right-handed and shoots right, I don't know how that could possibly be true

 

[puckpilot]

As someone who is right-handed and shoots right, I don't know how that could possibly be true

The top hand is where most of the control comes from in stickhandling. Right hand dominant shooting left means the top hand is the dominant hand, making it easier to pick up the finer movements in stickhandling without fighting your natural tendencies.

When it's the other way around with the dominant hand being the lower one, people have the tendency to try and control the stick more with that hand instead of the proper way with the top hand.

This doesn't mean that a right dominant person shooting right can't become an elite stickhandler. It just means when they start off, they start a few steps behind the left shooting, right dominant person and have to do a bit of catch up.

It's like in skating. You have a dominant side in turns, which usually matches your handedness. With the dominant side, turns come more naturally, and you have to give the other side more attention to bring it up to speed.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

The top hand is where most of the control comes from in stickhandling. Right hand dominant shooting left means the top hand is the dominant hand, making it easier to pick up the finer movements in stickhandling without fighting your natural tendencies.

When it's the other way around with the dominant hand being the lower one, people have the tendency to try and control the stick more with that hand instead of the proper way with the top hand.

This doesn't mean that a right dominant person shooting right can't become an elite stickhandler. It just means when they start off, they start a few steps behind the left shooting, right dominant person and have to do a bit of catch up.

It's like in skating. You have a dominant side in turns, which usually matches your handedness. With the dominant side, turns come more naturally, and you have to give the other side more attention to bring it up to speed.

This is correct, but a right handed guy shooting with his right hand will most likely have more power in his shot. It just seems more natural to lean into a slap shot with your strong hand rather than your weak hand.

 

[Neutrinos]

As far as I'm concerned, the hand closest to the blade does most of the work - therefore it's where I put my dominant hand. Right in the middle of the stick where it's most balanced

Also, the closer your hand is to the blade, the more feel you'll have with the puck - so again, that's where I want my dominant hand

Not to mention the additional power behind the snapshot and slapshot

 

[puckpilot]

As far as I'm concerned, the hand closest to the blade does most of the work - therefore it's where I put my dominant hand. Right in the middle of the stick where it's most balanced

Also, the closer your hand is to the blade, the more feel you'll have with the puck - so again, that's where I want my dominant hand

If that's the way you want to do things, then that's your prerogative, but it's not proper stickhandling technique. The bottom hand is the helper hand, it's secondary to the top hand.

When stickhandling, your bottom hand should be barely gripping the stick at all. To illustrate this, one training method people uses is to take a toilet paper role, slip it over the stick, and grip it with your bottom hand. You should be able to stickhandle while holding the toilet paper roll without crushing it.

Not to mention the additional power behind the snapshot and slapshot

You generate more power in your shots from using your legs, transferring your weight, and learning to flex your stick properly than you would from the difference gained in strength from your dominant hand vs your non-dominant one.

If all you're using is your arms to shoot, then sure, you may have a better shot this way when compared to yourself, but it's not proper technique, and that strength difference could be made up by simply hitting the gym and working on your non-dominant side.

 

[Neutrinos]

If that's the way you want to do things, then that's your prerogative, but it's not proper stickhandling technique. The bottom hand is the helper hand, it's secondary to the top hand.

When stickhandling, your bottom hand should be barely gripping the stick at all. To illustrate this, one training method people uses is to take a toilet paper role, slip it over the stick, and grip it with your bottom hand. You should be able to stickhandle while holding the toilet paper roll without crushing it.



You generate more power in your shots from using your legs, transferring your weight, and learning to flex your stick properly than you would from the difference gained in strength from your dominant hand vs your non-dominant one.

If all you're using is your arms to shoot, then sure, you may have a better shot this way when compared to yourself, but it's not proper technique, and that strength difference could be made up by simply hitting the gym and working on your non-dominant side.

According to who?

 

[puckpilot]

According to who?

Everyone.

If you want a list of sources just use google or YouTube and search "propper stick handling technique" because the information is there in plain sight. All you have to do is look.

The fact that you haven't already done so instead of trying to argue with me makes me scratch my head.

 

[Neutrinos]

Everyone.

If you want a list of sources just use google or YouTube and search "propper stick handling technique" because the information is there in plain sight. All you have to do is look.

The fact that you haven't already done so instead of trying to argue with me makes me scratch my head.

Make sure you use your left hand, otherwise you're using improper scratching technique


But in all seriousness, if you were buying your kid's first stick - and he was right-handed - would you just buy him one with a left-handed curve?

Or maybe, just maybe, would you take him to the store to see which handed stick feels most natural to him?

 

[puckpilot]

But in all seriousness, if you were buying your kid's first stick - and he was right-handed - would you just buy him one with a left-handed curve?

Or maybe, just maybe, would you take him to the store to see which handed stick feels most natural to him?

I'm not sure what this has to do with proper stickhandling technique. Are we on to a different subject? Because I'm suddenly unsure of what point you're trying to make with your posts.

As I said in my very first post, it's give and take which side a person starts on. There will be pros and there will be cons, and what ever Con you end up with, practice enough and it won't matter.

 

[Neutrinos]

I'm not sure what this has to do with proper stickhandling technique. Are we on to a different subject? Because I'm suddenly unsure of what point you're trying to make with your posts.

As I said in my very first post, it's give and take which side a person starts on. There will be pros and there will be cons, and what ever Con you end up with, practice enough and it won't matter.

Rather than write about your uncertainty regarding the point I'm trying to make, why not just answer the simple question and see how I follow things up?

 

[puckpilot]

Rather than write about your uncertainty regarding the point I'm trying to make, why not just answer the simple question and see how I follow things up?

And instead of tap dancing around and trying to muddy the waters, why don't you just spell it out and make your point, if you have a point to make at all, instead of playing coy?

 

[ek93]

I'm not sure where you guys are from, but that could have an impact on this argument.

Down here in the states, I've noticed that most people place their dominant hand lower on the stick. I grew up playing baseball before I started playing hockey, and I'm right-handed, so when I picked up a hockey stick, it felt more natural to hold it like a baseball bat. So I've shot righty all my life. I think that's part of the reason why the decision to hold your dominant hand lower is so popular here.

My grandpa is Canadian, right-handed but shoots left. Always told me that I'm playing backwards. Generally speaking, I feel that it's the norm for your dominant hand to be placed on top of the stick, to have better control stick handling. With that being said, as one poster pointed out already, if you do something enough, it'll feel natural. I can't pick up a lefty stick and stickhandle to save my life. But I always wonder how I would've been different as a player if I had my right hand high on the stick.

In any event, just do what's comfortable for you. There's plenty of righties who shoot left, lefties who shoot right, righties who play LW, lefties who play RW, etc. It's all preference.

 

[puckpilot]

I'm not sure where you guys are from, but that could have an impact on this argument.

FYI there is a geographical component to shot handedness. Canadians are more likely to be lefties and Americans are more likely to be righties. Here's an interesting article on it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/sports/olympics/16lefty.html

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

One observation that could be made is that most of the best stickhandlers in the NHL have their dominant hand at the top, while most of the sharpshooters have their dominant hand at the bottom. There are a few exceptions in both categories, like Lemieux for stickhandlers and Ovechkin for sharpshooters.

 

[Neutrinos]

I'm not sure where you guys are from, but that could have an impact on this argument.

Down here in the states, I've noticed that most people place their dominant hand lower on the stick. I grew up playing baseball before I started playing hockey, and I'm right-handed, so when I picked up a hockey stick, it felt more natural to hold it like a baseball bat. So I've shot righty all my life. I think that's part of the reason why the decision to hold your dominant hand lower is so popular here.

Same here