Question about left handed vs right handed shot

[gilbert11]

I had scanned the Web and found most of the answers you other posters provided but nowhere did I find it 100% definitive.  There was a lot of guesswork, even with the Canadian dominant hand on top of stick theory.

i also found ideas like “maybe they saw someone else shooting left and copied”.  Along with the Canadian idea, it was also pointed out that when we started getting exposed to European players, it was noticed that the majority of them also shot from the left side, although not to the high percentage of Canadians.

So, with the left sided theories being somewhat puzzling and the dearth of right shooting defenseman, why don’t more defenseman switch to the right side shooting to play the right side on the ice?
 

Recently I saw the TNT NHL studio crew do a demonstration of the disadvantages of a left shooting defenseman playing on the right side.  (I believe this was between periods of a Sabres game after they acquired Byran and he was playing the right side.  With the physical and fast pace of hockey, it was startling what they demonstrated.

One scenario was a left handed shooting Dman coming around the net on the right.  If he’s forechecked, his stance is open to the middle of the ice instead of the side boards.  A loss of the puck is way more dangerous.  
 

Another scenario was the left side Dman passing the puck behind the net to a left shooting right Dman.  For the right Dman to gather the puck, his back is to the side he should be carrying the puck to. It looked very awkward.  Then, after he controls the puck, he has to get his whole body, plus his stick around the net before he can pass it up the ice to the forwards.  A right shooting defenseman only has to get his stick far enough past the net in order to be able to pass the puck up the ice.  The forechecking issue also comes into play here.

[Kristian]

20 hours ago, #freejame said:

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. 

Europe is dominat hand on top, but the explanation I always heard is :

What goes into your hands first? A golf club, a baseball bat or a hockey stick?

In both golf (though not 100% as the grip is intertwined) and baseball, dominant hand goes on bottom, if pointed downwards. It’s whichever comes first, really.

Edited April 7 by Kristian

[#freejame]

2 hours ago, Kristian said:

Europe is dominat hand on top, but the explanation I always heard is :

What goes into your hands first? A golf club, a baseball bat or a hockey stick?

In both golf (though not 100% as the grip is intertwined) and baseball, dominant hand goes on bottom, if pointed downwards. It’s whichever comes first, really.

I haven’t heard this, but since I posted my answer I’ve been thinking about it more and how baseball factored in for me personally. I was swinging a bat before playing hockey, I don’t imagine young me would change his orientation because he moved the bat lower. 

[Kristian]

24 minutes ago, #freejame said:

I haven’t heard this, but since I posted my answer I’ve been thinking about it more and how baseball factored in for me personally. I was swinging a bat before playing hockey, I don’t imagine young me would change his orientation because he moved the bat lower. 

What I mean is this :

Picture yourself holding a bat waiting for the pitch. Now point the bat downwards and look at your hands. Dominant right hands is lower. Now swap the bat for a hockey stick. Voila, right handed shot.

[North Buffalo]

1 hour ago, Kristian said:

What I mean is this :

Picture yourself holding a bat waiting for the pitch. Now point the bat downwards and look at your hands. Dominant right hands is lower. Now swap the bat for a hockey stick. Voila, right handed shot.

Yeh Im not sure it makes any sense but it is the way I roll lefty hockey stick all else righty???

[Big Guava]

I would bet if a right handed kid wasn't given any instructions and just told to go shoot a puck most of them would shoot "left handed" because it feels more natural.

IMO, right handed people shoot "right handed" because they are taught that is the "correct" way, not because it feels normal.

Edited April 7 by Big Guava

[LTS]

On 4/6/2024 at 12:45 PM, SwampD said:

I think I feel the exact opposite is true.😂

I think the type of shot matters as well.

I'm becoming way too engrossed in this subject and want to know more now. 

20 hours ago, Big Guava said:

I would bet if a right handed kid wasn't given any instructions and just told to go shoot a puck most of them would shoot "left handed" because it feels more natural.

IMO, right handed people shoot "right handed" because they are taught that is the "correct" way, not because it feels normal.

I dunno.. as I said I grew up using any street hockey stick available and was shooting both left and right handed.. eventually ended up shooting right handed overall. No one taught me anything.. it just felt normal.

But then again, I did play baseball and I hit right handed.. although once again I don't think anyone said I needed to hit that way, just that's what I did. At a young age I had a big plastic bat and I swung it right handed.

 

[JoeSchmoe]

21 hours ago, Big Guava said:

I would bet if a right handed kid wasn't given any instructions and just told to go shoot a puck most of them would shoot "left handed" because it feels more natural.

IMO, right handed people shoot "right handed" because they are taught that is the "correct" way, not because it feels normal.

On my street when we were kids, we all learned to shoot on our own without our parents' instruction. I ended up left, my brother was right. We're both right handed. It was random between my friends as well.

On a similar note, I was into rowing in my teens and twenties. In the boat you have oars going out to half the rower's left (starboard side) and you have oars going out to the the other half's right (port side). Again, it was random as to what side the athletes would gravitate towards. 

Edited April 8 by JoeSchmoe

[shrader]

15 minutes ago, LTS said:

I'm becoming way too engrossed in this subject and want to know more now. 

I dunno.. as I said I grew up using any street hockey stick available and was shooting both left and right handed.. eventually ended up shooting right handed overall. No one taught me anything.. it just felt normal.

But then again, I did play baseball and I hit right handed.. although once again I don't think anyone said I needed to hit that way, just that's what I did. At a young age I had a big plastic bat and I swung it right handed.

 

And an American kid is pretty likely to be playing baseball before starting hockey… or any other sport for that matter. So then you pick up a hockey stick and just have to move one hand slightly. The Canadian kid is probably starting out with hockey before anything. The Europeans? I really don’t know, but I’m thinking it’s a safe bet that there isn’t much baseball influence there. 

[SwampD]

3 hours ago, LTS said:

I'm becoming way too engrossed in this subject and want to know more now. 

I dunno.. as I said I grew up using any street hockey stick available and was shooting both left and right handed.. eventually ended up shooting right handed overall. No one taught me anything.. it just felt normal.

But then again, I did play baseball and I hit right handed.. although once again I don't think anyone said I needed to hit that way, just that's what I did. At a young age I had a big plastic bat and I swung it right handed.

 

Batting right makes sense to me, as well as golfing right because the dominant hand is doing fine adjustments in both cases.

As far as hockey shots (it’s so nice out, I just grabbed a stick to try it to make sure I wasn’t talkin out my azz), the lower hand on a wrister is really just the fulcrum moving forward. The power comes from the top hand snapping back quickly. With a slap shot, both hands kinda work together in the same direction, more like baseball.

Makes me think it’s a style think almost. I’d rather have great sneaky wrister than a huge slapper. Way more opportunity to use it.

Edited April 8 by SwampD

[ska-T Chitown]

I am surprised none of the "still playing at a high level" folks have chimed in. I grew up slapping a tennis ball around in my driveway in some hand-me-down old school roller skates, so how I learned is very irrelevant (but follows the baseball analogy closely).

I asked a couple of guys this morning at rat (shinny) who had played some college puck - they emphasized the exact opposite of a lot of the thinking I am seeing here - dominant hand on top allows for better stick handling and puck control. While stick handling, your bottom hand is supposed to be fairly open and loose, all the rotation of the stick (and thus the blade) comes from you top hand. Naturally, if you want to emphasize stick handling and puck control in your development programs, you would encourage the kids to play dominant hand at the top of the stick.

Since the world is roughly 90% righties and he NHL is only 70% lefties, there is obviously a fair amount of players who did not follow the 'current wisdom'. 🤷‍♀️

[LTS]

5 hours ago, shrader said:

And an American kid is pretty likely to be playing baseball before starting hockey… or any other sport for that matter. So then you pick up a hockey stick and just have to move one hand slightly. The Canadian kid is probably starting out with hockey before anything. The Europeans? I really don’t know, but I’m thinking it’s a safe bet that there isn’t much baseball influence there. 

Certainly..

2 hours ago, SwampD said:

Batting right makes sense to me, as well as golfing right because the dominant hand is doing fine adjustments in both cases.

As far as hockey shots (it’s so nice out, I just grabbed a stick to try it to make sure I wasn’t talkin out my azz), the lower hand on a wrister is really just the fulcrum moving forward. The power comes from the top hand snapping back quickly. With a slap shot, both hands kinda work together in the same direction, more like baseball.

Makes me think it’s a style think almost. I’d rather have great sneaky wrister than a huge slapper. Way more opportunity to use it.

I just got off the ice last night.. but I did not pay attention to why I was shooting a certain way.  I have to analyze it more. 

2 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

I am surprised none of the "still playing at a high level" folks have chimed in. I grew up slapping a tennis ball around in my driveway in some hand-me-down old school roller skates, so how I learned is very irrelevant (but follows the baseball analogy closely).

I asked a couple of guys this morning at rat (shinny) who had played some college puck - they emphasized the exact opposite of a lot of the thinking I am seeing here - dominant hand on top allows for better stick handling and puck control. While stick handling, your bottom hand is supposed to be fairly open and loose, all the rotation of the stick (and thus the blade) comes from you top hand. Naturally, if you want to emphasize stick handling and puck control in your development programs, you would encourage the kids to play dominant hand at the top of the stick.

Since the world is roughly 90% righties and he NHL is only 70% lefties, there is obviously a fair amount of players who did not follow the 'current wisdom'. 🤷‍♀️

Or maybe that 20% difference are really left handed people.. they just don't know it?  Perhaps I am left handed.  Hmmmm.. I use my right hand for everything though..

I trust what you (they) are saying.  Now I am going to be in the driveway tonight shooting pucks for awhile.

Edited April 8 by LTS

[French Collection]

Right handed Canadian.

First sport was hockey, played left handed, not sure why.

Next came baseball, left handed batter.

Last sport is golf and left handed as well. Finding equipment was a challenge years ago but there is a good selection now. I recall reading that golfers were discouraged from playing LH.

I cannot play any of these right handed with any real coordination.

[pi2000]

Dexterity hand should be at the top of the stick as that's where you roll your wrist when stick-handling... bottom hand should be loose letting the stick rotate.

[ska-T Chitown]

2 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Dexterity hand should be at the top of the stick as that's where you roll your wrist when stick-handling... bottom hand should be loose letting the stick rotate.

It's about time the actual hockey players show up in this skill thread, lol!

[shrader]

My 2 year old is a righty. He’s never seen me hold a hockey stick. Today he picked one up and held it righty. He has seen me with a golf club though so that could be it. 

Edited April 11 by shrader