OT: Right shot players.

[WaitingForUser]

There seems to be a severe shortage of right handed hockey players that actually shoot right. Growing up as a kid I was always taught that if you are right handed, you shoot right. Did something change along the last 20 some odd years?
As I was watching the draft this year I noticed a huge discrepancy between left and right shot prospects. Now on average among the general population right handed people are more prevalent. Are right handed players now being taught to shoot left for some reason? Or is there just more left handed people that play hockey?

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[Cloned]

Personally as a right handed person, I find I get more leverage with my hockey stick if I shoot left. It's odd.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Some people play with their dominant hand on the shaft.

.....I'll see myself out.

 

[WaitingForUser]

Some people play with their dominant hand on the shaft.

.....I'll see myself out.

Well played sir lmao

 

[shoop]

Personally as a right handed person, I find I get more leverage with my hockey stick if I shoot left. It's odd.

I shoot left handed, but do everything else right handed. (Yes, everything. )

I know a lot of people like that. Does anyone know the percentage of active NHLers who are right handers vs. left handers?

 

[Shredator]

Im a lefty and I shoot right.

I have friends that are righty and shoot right.

I have friends that are righty and shoot left.

It all seems completely random to me.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

Yea I'm right handed and shoot right but I think that's more rare than being right handed and shooting left.

 

[The Nuge]

There's not really any set way that you should play sports. I play hockey left (and am pathetic right), bat left, and yet I golf right (I can also play to like a 16 handicap left handed). It's whatever feels comfortable to you. Personally, I want my dominant hand on the top of the stick, because if you've ever only got one hand on your stick, I want it to be the one I'm better with

 

[Cloned]

There's not really any set way that you should play sports. I play hockey left (and am pathetic right), bat left, and yet I golf right (I can also play to like a 16 handicap left handed). It's whatever feels comfortable to you. Personally, I want my dominant hand on the top of the stick, because if you've ever only got one hand on your stick, I want it to be the one I'm better with

*snicker*

 

[WaitingForUser]

There's not really any set way that you should play sports. I play hockey left (and am pathetic right), bat left, and yet I golf right (I can also play to like a 16 handicap left handed). It's whatever feels comfortable to you. Personally, I want my dominant hand on the top of the stick, because if you've ever only got one hand on your stick, I want it to be the one I'm better with

This seems very plausible. I was also considering a power versus accuracy angle as well. Example JS had no power in his slap shot. But his wrister was pretty quick and accurate. ( at least in college and AHL anyway).

 

[Samus44]

There seems to be a severe shortage of right handed hockey players that actually shoot right. Growing up as a kid I was always taught that if you are right handed, you shoot right. Did something change along the last 20 some odd years?
As I was watching the draft this year I noticed a huge discrepancy between left and right shot prospects. Now on average among the general population right handed people are more prevalent. Are right handed players now being taught to shoot left for some reason? Or is there just more left handed people that play hockey?

It as nothing to do with handedness. If your a righty who shoots left having your right hand on the top of your stick actually helps you stick handle better, conversely having your dominate hand on the middle of the shaft helps with your shot and passing. This is generalizing of course. Most players tend to find it more comfortable to have their dominate hand on the top of the stick because of this far more people shoot left in hockey. As a right handed player it's pretty obvious to me, far less stock when buying sticks and i've even played on teams where i was one of the only RHS' on the team. Iirc it's something like 70% of players shoot left.

 

[Asher]

Right handed and shoot right. A lot of Canadians, my guess the majority, are right handed and shoot left though.

As an aside, Canada has more lefty golfers per capita than any country in the world. Most people assume it's because there are so many left shooters in hockey that would prefer to shoot the same way in golf.

P.S. I play golf as a righty as well.

 

[La Bamba]

I'm right handed and I shoot right, it's always felt right to me like that but most of my friends are probably left shots despite almost all of them being right handed.

 

[syz]

Right handed and shoot right. A lot of Canadians, my guess the majority, are right handed and shoot left though.

As an aside, Canada has more lefty golfers per capita than any country in the world. Most people assume it's because there are so many left shooters in hockey that would prefer to shoot the same way in golf.

P.S. I play golf as a righty as well.

Hmm, I've always thought of golf as being primarily a dominant hand thing.

I shoot left in hockey but right in golf.

Although I write with my left but consider myself right-handed, so maybe I'm just weird.

 

[oilinblood]

Some people play with their dominant hand on the shaft.

.....I'll see myself out.

lol

well played indeed because that is exactly true....and true

 

[oilinblood]

Hmm, I've always thought of golf as being primarily a dominant hand thing.

I shoot left in hockey but right in golf.

Although I write with my left but consider myself right-handed, so maybe I'm just weird.

I trained with a right stick as a kid. I'm right handed. broke a stick and scored with a lefty grabbed from the bench. liked the left more. used during practices and eventually gave up the right sticks for lefts. baseball...batted either way. throwing with either hand. had a good arm for football...definitely cant throw anywhere close with my left as I can with my right

golf... something about the swing. just cant do left handed. tried...feels horrible. for some reason golf I am not ambiturner

if it means anything...in the gym my left arm has always been stronger and is always something I have to keep in mind in workouts.
left side always seems to feel easier to do any lifting. yet I'm right handed and should be stronger on my right side.


a couple other things...when I played with a right stick it felt weird to defend with one hand on the stick. Using a left shot stick it felt like a complete different world. Shooting right my backhand always felt weird...shooting left its just an instant natural smooth motion to toss up a backhand. its so much smoother.

id say my passing and shots were same right or left. for my backhand, defending...and even skating (holding the stick with one hand and skating hard) was much smoother and natural left handed (using right as strong control hand).

 

[Nunymare]

Although I write with my left but consider myself right-handed, so maybe I'm just weird.

I'm pretty much the other way around

 

[oilinblood]

also LOTS of guys I know started with right sticks. I think parents for the most part buy the right sticks because their kids are right handed. eventually some kids, like me, figure they are better left shooting. I know a lot of players who shoot left but started with right shot sticks as their first sticks.

 

[Samus44]

also LOTS of guys I know started with right sticks. I think parents for the most part buy the right sticks because their kids are right handed. eventually some kids, like me, figure they are better left shooting. I know a lot of players who shoot left but started with right shot sticks as their first sticks.

My Dad just got us to hold the stick how we feel comfortable a few times and went from there. My brother did end up switching to a lefty after holding it as a righty at first but that was pretty quick. Pretty tough to guess what a kid is going to be without him even trying it out.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

There seems to be a severe shortage of right handed hockey players that actually shoot right. Growing up as a kid I was always taught that if you are right handed, you shoot right. Did something change along the last 20 some odd years?
As I was watching the draft this year I noticed a huge discrepancy between left and right shot prospects. Now on average among the general population right handed people are more prevalent. Are right handed players now being taught to shoot left for some reason? Or is there just more left handed people that play hockey?

I actually got a right stick when I was a little kid because I was right handed but my coach said that I should be a leftie after watching me play a little bit. I don't think there's much of a correlation between overall handedness and hockey handedness. Overall handedness is 90-10 in favour of right. In hockey, handedness is 55-45 in favour of left.

The one time there's an exception to that is if there are other sports involved, particularly things like baseball and golf. I swing right in both baseball and golf. I feel like if I had trained in those sports at a young age I might have been more likely to shoot right in hockey too.

 

[Up the Irons]

Puck Daddy had a great theory: years ago, you got your first hockey at about 3 or 4 years old when your dad gave it to you. Your dominant was already determined, so he gave a right handed stick.

Now, kids get those mini sticks when they are babies. they grab the end with their dominant hand, then years later they put the other hand mid-shift.

 

[oilinblood]

My Dad just got us to hold the stick how we feel comfortable a few times and went from there. My brother did end up switching to a lefty after holding it as a righty at first but that was pretty quick. Pretty tough to guess what a kid is going to be without him even trying it out.

It seems obvious now but when you are a kid and just starting...its awkward with both hands. I mean its not like i could raise the puck when i was four. You basically hack the thing. I watch my friends kids play and i think the same thing...they could probably learn both sides and not be worse off. They already are building the muscle memory foundation of the shot and pass motion.

I had that development on the right. It did feel strange to use a left for a bit but i also had success right away.

Shooting pool is same way for me...and shooting a rifle. Its not the shot that is difficult but the lean...the leaning throws me off because i am used to the other way. For golf its the latter part of the swing where i really lose control swinging left.

Its strange

When i play pool i never do that "behind the back" crap. I switch andshoot left. Normally have to lean in two orthree times and reset my stance before each lean but i lean like im shooting a gun so it has to be perfect. Takes two or three or sometimes four leans and resets before i feel comfy and take the shot.

Pretty solid with left but definitely muddies the mind a bit at first. Never been natural with shooting left in pool

Also if it matters i always loved a low lie stick...like 3/3.5 lie very little curve. And used a longer stick than most in length to player height ratio
If i pulled the stick in close i could get some crazy torque. As a kid i used to do a very short version of a toe drag type move just to get the long, low lie, whip...flex that blade down hard then let the torque do the shot. Everyone is different. Lies of 3/3.5 were hard to find generically.

When comps became perfected...i was in heaven. Sooooo much torque and you could track down the flex you wanted. World of possibilities

I also didnt like a raised nose much...and preferred a very slight twist to my blade where my top was pulled a bit forward. Pretty flat for curve too. Lots of stick bending in my youth to get things fine tuned
I always wondered what sakic had as a lie.

 

[Ferocian]

Also if it matters i always loved a low lie stick...like 3/3.5 lie very little curve. And used a longer stick than most in length to player height ratio
If i pulled the stick in close i could get some crazy torque. As a kid i used to do a very short version of a toe drag type move just to get the long, low lie, whip...flex that blade down hard then let the torque do the shot. Everyone is different. Lies of 3/3.5 were hard to find generically.

When comps became perfected...i was in heaven. Sooooo much torque and you could track down the flex you wanted. World of possibilities

I also didnt like a raised nose much...and preferred a very slight twist to my blade where my top was pulled a bit forward. Pretty flat for curve too. Lots of stick bending in my youth to get things fine tuned
I always wondered what sakic had as a lie.

What do you do to change the lie of your stick and curve of your blade? I hate how every blade has a 6-7 lie and an open faced blade. Seriously, the sticks in stores are pretty much all the exact same stick with a different paint job.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Puck Daddy had a great theory: years ago, you got your first hockey at about 3 or 4 years old when your dad gave it to you. Your dominant was already determined, so he gave a right handed stick.

Now, kids get those mini sticks when they are babies. they grab the end with their dominant hand, then years later they put the other hand mid-shift.

interesting theory...makes sense since I'm left-handed yet shoot a hockey stick right-handed...same with Golf and baseball

yet most of my friends are righties and shoot right...who knows lol

 

[CornKicker]

the team i coached last year had 12/16 players shoot left

i shoot right my brother dad uncles grandpa all shoot right.....my kids all shoot left. theyre mom shoot right