Question re: body rotation of left-handed shooters.

[G-PIP]

Why do some left-handed players shoot with their bodies rotated – sometimes almost sideways to the basket - instead of being squared up with the basket? I was watching video of Billy Richmond and saw him do this prominently. I think Justin Edwards does it somewhat at times also, but he’s usually more square. Initially, I thought maybe it just appears that way to me since left handers are not as prevalent. But, looking at it closely, for example with Richmond, he did in fact turn his body sideways toward the basket when shooting from the perimeter – and he made the shot (of course, it’s a video highlight). I've noticed this sometimes with other left-handed shooters also, but not with right-handed shooters that I recall.

Anyway, just a question and something to divert my attention from the beat-down last night. I figured if anybody else noticed or wondered about this, or had an explanation for it, it would be the folks on this board.

 

[UK90]

I don’t know why, but it’s definitely true.

All shooters should shoot with their lead foot ahead of the other. But with lefties it’s usually much more pronounced, and as you said, often to the point where it almost looks like their bodies are facing sideways. Righties tend to have far more squared up shooting forms.

You might need some sort of brain scientist to explain why us lefties like to do it differently. But we do.

 

[G-PIP]

I don’t know why, but it’s definitely true.

All shooters should shoot with their lead foot ahead of the other. But with lefties it’s usually much more pronounced, and as you said, often to the point where it looks like their bodies are facing sideways. Righties tend to have much more squared up shooting forms.

You might need some sort of brain scientist to explain why us lefties like to do it differently. But we do.

And you're a lefty yourself, so I take this as confirmation that my eyes are not just being deceived.

 

[UK90]

And you're a lefty yourself, so I take this as confirmation that my eyes are not just being deceived.

Yep, and as a lefty, I know I did it just because that’s what felt more comfortable and how I shot better.

The worst shooting advice ever given to me was when my youth coaches told me your feet should be squared toward the basket. Didn’t take long before I realized that was coaching advice I should ignore.

 

[YardCat]

T. Prince shot from the side and straight away, if Richmond can make shots he can shoot it anyway he wants.

 

[ukfan1622]

I know why a lot of them used to write upside down but I have no clue why the shooting form is often so different. I'm not sure about squaring up on shots but I know from many decades of watching the game that drifting sideways is a shot killer and you just can't release too far right or left from your body center(from the side of the head is what I mean is wrong)-you have to have some way of lining up the center of the rim with your aim. I just don't see how anybody can release the ball from one of their ears and be accurate over the long term.

 

[G-PIP]

I know why a lot of them used to write upside down but I have no clue why the shooting form is often so different. I'm not sure about squaring up on shots but I know from many decades of watching the game that drifting sideways is a shot killer and you just can't release too far right or left from your body center(from the side of the head is what I mean is wrong)-you have to have some way of lining up the center of the rim with your aim.

Is the writing upside down so that the flow will go toward their dominant side? Just taking a guess.

 

[ukfan1622]

Is the writing upside down so that the flow will go toward their dominant side? Just taking a guess.

No, it's because they put them on desks designed for right handed people so doing it upside down was their only option without a different type desk.

 

[STL_Cat]

Lefties have prettier baseball swings, too.

Hard to understand why

 

[YardCat]

Lefties have prettier baseball swings, too.

Hard to understand why

Griffey - The smoothest

 

[Princecal]

Lefties have prettier baseball swings, too.

Hard to understand why

I was a switch hitter growing up, I was a better power hitter, right handed swing, but my average was insanely better as a lefty. Like .370 to .280(I stopped playing baseball as I got into wrestling and heavier into basketball and played some football) I can also win horse games to this day pulling out the old lefty shot, but there's nothing else in my life that I do even decently left handed besides catch a baseball because I'm right handed. It's crazy how weird the statistics and eye test are with lefty's

 

[UK90]

I just don't see how anybody can release the ball from one of their ears and be accurate over the long term.

That’s how I shot. Looked kinda sideways and my stroke began from my left ear. And it worked for me …was slow as hell and couldn’t go right …but always had a sweet shooting stroke.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I’m a lefty, but I shoot just like a right handed shooter except with my left. Mirror image. I square up and shoot. That’s how I was taught.

 

[NociHTTP]

Years ago when I played recreational hoops, I equally shot from both sides. Wasn't very good at it, but I did not have a prominent side. Being ambidextrous causes that. I write right-handed and eat left-handed, and throw a baseball from both sides. That doesn't help the conversation, but might provide some insight into what you're seeing from leftie shooters.

 

[megablue]

Lefties have prettier baseball swings, too.

Hard to understand why

Left-hinders cannot through a straight ball …

 

[megablue]

I don’t know why, but it’s definitely true.

All shooters should shoot with their lead foot ahead of the other. But with lefties it’s usually much more pronounced, and as you said, often to the point where it almost looks like their bodies are facing sideways. Righties tend to have far more squared up shooting forms.

You might need some sort of brain scientist to explain why us lefties like to do it differently. But we do.

It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere … 😎

 

[G-PIP]

I’m a lefty, but I shoot just like a right handed shooter except with my left. Mirror image. I square up and shoot. That’s how I was taught.

Which is what one would expect. I see no reason why a lefty would turn the left side of his body toward the basket when shooting, but some do.

 

[DreadLox]

Is the writing upside down so that the flow will go toward their dominant side? Just taking a guess.

We wrote upside down when writing cursive to get the letters to slant the way the examples showed.

 

[G-PIP]

We wrote upside down when writing cursive to get the letters to slant the way the examples showed.

Thanks. Apologize for my ignorance on that.

 

[DreadLox]

~60 years ago, I shot a rifle for the first and possibly the last time. We started out some distance from the target but since I missed everything, we kept getting closer and closer. I still missed. So, for safety sake, we quit. Around 3 years ago, I finally figured out why. I had sighted down the barrel with the wrong eye. My left-handedness and lack of training with a rifle and my friend's father's inattention never corrected it. I can't remember now what brought the event to mind.

 

[UK90]

~60 years ago, I shot a rifle for the first and possibly the last time. We started out some distance from the target but since I missed everything, we kept getting closer and closer. I still missed. So, for safety sake, we quit. Around 3 years ago, I finally figured out why. I had sighted down the barrel with the wrong eye. My left-handedness and lack of training with a rifle and my friend's father's inattention never corrected it. I can't remember now what brought the event to mind.

LOL. I remember making the same mistake when I first shot rifles as a kid. I bent my neck to sight with my right eye even though I was shooting from my left. Not sure why …maybe just because that’s the eye the other kids used.

Instantly became a much better shot when I fixed that.