Starting to plat again: But this time I want to shoot RIGHT! Any reason I shouldn't?

[terrible dee]

As the title infers, I'm starting to play again.

I ended up playing a week or so ago, it wasn't planned, but an opportunity came up, I figured "What the hell?"
And it ended up being SO MUCH FUN!! I had a BLAST and am going to be doing more of it.

Low-level, pick-up, will join my friend's men's league team after I get my sea legs in a couple of weeks, nothing seriously competitive (aside from having to deal with "Those" guys) so keep in mind, I'm not trying to "Live the dream" just have more fun...

I'm right-handed, I play right side defense. When I played back in the day (hadn't played in 10 years until last week) I shot left because....I don't know, that's what everyone said I was supposed to do,

My natural inclination is to shoot right, I suppose the conventional reasoning behind shooting with the dominant hand on top is what convinced me to shoot left originally: Have the dominant hand controlling the stick when skating backward and defending (Although I never really understood why I can't do the same thing while shooting right? Is it just to save that .005 10ths of a second it takes to move my right hand up and down the stick? {Insert joke here})

I want to shoot right, I play on the right side and I'm right-handed,

Is there any REALLY good reason why I shouldn't?

Thanks

Click to read more...

 

[terrible dee]

Don't have time to edit the thread title right now, I will when I'm able...until then "PLAT" nice with each other.

 

[puckpilot]

Use what ever hand you that feels natural to you. I'm right hand dominant but shoot left. My brother is left hand dominant but shoots right. BUT I have plenty of teammates that are right hand dominant and shoot right. There is no right or wrong to it.

Check out this article on handedness in hockey. It's quite interesting how geography plays a role in things.
Righty or Lefty: What you don’t know about shooting a puck in the NHL - NY Daily News

From what I've heard, in the long run, there really isn't any difference in having your dominant on top or not. What happens is there will be advantages at first, like having a bit of a head start in a race, but those advantages decrease with time, and of course, practice, until they mean nothing.

Mario shot right Wayne shot left, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but from pictures of them signing autographs, it appears they're both right hand dominant.

 

[PiggySmalls]

I’m left handed and use a left stick. But other than batting in baseball, using utensils, and writing I do everything else with my right hand.

In the early 90’s when I started to play organized hockey here in the US, my coach asked what hand I write with and when I told him left, he immediately told my parents to buy me a left stick. This practice was not uncommon, between the coaches and parents too many assumed that what side of the plate they stood should correlate with which stick they should use.

Looking back I wish I started with a right stick, I’m so much better with it when it comes to stickhandling. But my shot sucks with it. When my son was old enough to begin having an interest in hockey. He got a straight blade until I knew which stick felt comfortable for him. He plays with a left stick and is right handed.

So my whole point is just pick which ever feels more comfortable and practice, practice, practice.

 

[terrible dee]

I’m left handed and use a left stick. But other than batting in baseball, using utensils, and writing I do everything else with my right hand.

In the early 90’s when I started to play organized hockey here in the US, my coach asked what hand I write with and when I told him left, he immediately told my parents to buy me a left stick. This practice was not uncommon, between the coaches and parents too many assumed that what side of the plate they stood should correlate with which stick they should use.

Looking back I wish I started with a right stick, I’m so much better with it when it comes to stickhandling. But my shot sucks with it. When my son was old enough to begin having an interest in hockey. He got a straight blade until I knew which stick felt comfortable for him. He plays with a left stick and is right handed.

So my whole point is just pick which ever feels more comfortable and practice, practice, practice.

Hmm, so you wish you HAD played "dominate high" and feel you stick handling that way but your shot not so much?

THAT I can certainly relate to and is the only reason I would shoot left today, I feel like for some reason I keep the puck straight in front of me more naturally when shooting left, on the right, it seems like I tend to carry the puck a little more to the right, and yes my shot sucks on the left as well but I'm not really a shooter, I get a lot of my enjoyment from trying to "connect the dots" and make plays happen, its my favorite part of the game.

But at the end of the day, your advice seems to match what most people say, which is go with whatever side feels best, and I feel my passing accuracy is better with the dominant hand low.

Thanks for sharing your experience

 

[terrible dee]

Use what ever hand you that feels natural to you. I'm right hand dominant but shoot left. My brother is left hand dominant but shoots right. BUT I have plenty of teammates that are right hand dominant and shoot right. There is no right or wrong to it.

Check out this article on handedness in hockey. It's quite interesting how geography plays a role in things.
Righty or Lefty: What you don’t know about shooting a puck in the NHL - NY Daily News

From what I've heard, in the long run, there really isn't any difference in having your dominant on top or not. What happens is there will be advantages at first, like having a bit of a head start in a race, but those advantages decrease with time, and of course, practice, until they mean nothing.

Mario shot right Wayne shot left, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but from pictures of them signing autographs, it appears they're both right hand dominant.

Thank you! That's just the type of experience I was hoping to hear about, so I think I'll stay right,

But one question, when you say "head start in a race" do you mean that when reaching for a loose puck it will take me a second longer to get my stick in the optimal position? and in a 50/50 fight for that puck I may be a hair slower than whoever I'm trying to beat to it?

At any rate, thanks for the advice, I'm just going to keep shooting right until I feel like I have a reason not too.

Some part of me wonders if the whole "dominant hand high" thing wasn't a result of some coaches overthinking the game at some point?

The only thing that concerns me is the sentiment (which I kind of sense already) that dominate high might be better for stick handling and dominate low better for shooting, I don't shoot much as I have the most fun when I'm able to make a play, so I'm ALWAYS looking to pass (so much so that people get mad at me) and that inclination means being able to hold on to the puck until someone gets open..bah! I'm overthinking it! I'll take the advice I've gotten here and keep on shooting right.

Thanks!

 

[Spirit of 67]

I shoot right.
Bat right.
Golf right.
Write right.
And, according to my wife, think I'm always right.

 

[BruinDust]

I shoot right.
Bat right.
Golf right.
Write right.
And, according to my wife, think I'm always right.

I shoot left, bat left, golf left, write right, am right-handed. So even though were the same handiness (right) we shoot/bat/golf the opposite way.

So to answer the OPs question, there is no correct answer. Do whichever feels most natural or comfortable. All depends on how your brain is wired. Some people are very ambidextrous (like Gordie Howe or a switch-hitter in MLB), somewhat ambidextrous, or like me, not at all ambidextrous. If you've played before shooting left, but are now considering shooting right, your likely somewhat ambidextrous, so it simply comes down to comfort.

 

[puckpilot]

But one question, when you say "head start in a race" do you mean that when reaching for a loose puck it will take me a second longer to get my stick in the optimal position? and in a 50/50 fight for that puck I may be a hair slower than whoever I'm trying to beat to it?

Sorry, what I meant by that is if you have two players just starting hockey, player-A and player-B. Let's say player-A has their dominant hand on top and B on the bottom. At the beginning, player-A may be a slightly better stickhandler and player-B a slightly better shooter, but in the long run, with practice, the differences become meaningless.

I'm dominant hand on top. I've always had a crappy shot. A few years ago, I started to work on it. I studied technique. I started to use sticks that had flexes that were better suited to my size, and I practised my arse off.

Now, I'm definitely still no Ovi, and I'm still a pass first guy, but I can shoot as well as anyone at my level, regardless of where their dominant hand is.

And just for interest sake. I golf left, I bat right, though I can bat left.

Though, funny thing is, I often get asked if I'm a left handed because I deal cards with my left hand.

 

[HansonBro]

This comes up sooo many times

 

[krax]

It is much more complex than just the handedness. Dominant eye, dominant leg etc.
As for the original question: in a beer league, I prefer playing on the odd side of the rink. I shoot left, but like the better shooting angle when entering the zone on the right side. Plus it gives me more options for moving around the D. I mostly play D nowadays. Odd side gives me better vision for the first pass. One of my favorite moves is to skate to the left and once I am there I’ll cross ice pass to the right wing. Your coach doesn’t want to see that in a competitive league but it’s very effective in beer leagues.

 

[TGWL]

As the title infers, I'm starting to play again.

I ended up playing a week or so ago, it wasn't planned, but an opportunity came up, I figured "What the hell?"
And it ended up being SO MUCH FUN!! I had a BLAST and am going to be doing more of it.

Low-level, pick-up, will join my friend's men's league team after I get my sea legs in a couple of weeks, nothing seriously competitive (aside from having to deal with "Those" guys) so keep in mind, I'm not trying to "Live the dream" just have more fun...

I'm right-handed, I play right side defense. When I played back in the day (hadn't played in 10 years until last week) I shot left because....I don't know, that's what everyone said I was supposed to do,

My natural inclination is to shoot right, I suppose the conventional reasoning behind shooting with the dominant hand on top is what convinced me to shoot left originally: Have the dominant hand controlling the stick when skating backward and defending (Although I never really understood why I can't do the same thing while shooting right? Is it just to save that .005 10ths of a second it takes to move my right hand up and down the stick? {Insert joke here})

I want to shoot right, I play on the right side and I'm right-handed,

Is there any REALLY good reason why I shouldn't?

Thanks

There's cons and pros for both. Do you want to defend better in your own zone and especially by the boards, or move/carry the puck more? Do you want to take more one-timers or keep the puck in zone more?

If you're just playing a lower level for fun, I think I'd stick with what you already comfortable with. I'm right handed, I shoot right, and I play the left side on the wing, or defense. Carrying and shooting the puck is much easier. Taking the puck off the boards is not easier.

 

[NDiesel]

I'm right hand dominant and shoot right. It's all preference. Stick handling is way easier than shooting for me so I might be an outlier as well because that is the one benefit I'm told from having your dominant hand on top