Strange 'Handidness'

[mcambridge]

Hi All,

Well this is my first post in the forum after spending a couple of weeks going through all the threads and learning more and more etc.

Now....I have a problem - I keep missing easy pots (I know everybody does it from time to time).

I play left handed, which I didn't think was too strange, untill I thought about it more - I write right handed, I eat right handed, in fact, I do everything right handed, apart from hold a cue, and shoot a rifle. During my time in the forces I was told I was 'left eye dominant'.

I have been trying to play right handed when the shot requires it, with surprisingly good results (the angle I saw on the ball, is the angle I play, and I pot)......however, if feels very wrong. It feels like I have no control over the cue.

So, in a nutshell:

Left handed feels right, good control - angles are all wrong.

Right handed feels very wrong, poor control - angles are generally good.

I know I'm hitting the cue ball straight playing left handed as I played the white up and down the table across the spots around 20 times in a row, and only 2 were slightly off course, the other 18 times the white came back to my tip.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing before? and if so, how did you combat it?

Thanks in advance

Mark

[CoachGavin]

I have coached someone else who was very similar and they played left handed although they did most other things right handed. I have also known many many players who use the rest the opposite to how they play with the cue - ie left handed with the rest and right handed with the cue

I would say do what is compfortable which would mean playing left handed. When you do decide then stick to it. You can always play about with the other later on as a party trick like ronnie o sullivan but i am sure with practice you will get good.

[KeithinFrance]

No offence meant, but this is the strangest thing I've come across in a while. I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing before. I have no advice about how to combat it, but perhaps you're ambidextrous and never knew it?

However, if your angles are the problem, I'd suggest practising more with your right hand to improve feel and control; who knows, perhaps you'll improve quickly and become better than with your left hand.

[robsonj]

I'm ambidextrous, I originally wrote right handed but was encouraged to write left handed as my writing was poor, i play pool and snooker left handed

[JoeNut]

if you're left eye dominant then apparently you should have the cue under your left eye slightly, im yet to experiment this but some people have the cue away from their chin completely and to one side of their face.

[mcambridge]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice. I'm playing again on Wednesday so will see if I am cutting the shots one way more than another. I'm also going to try and persevere with the placement of my feet.

I have also found that if I sight the shot down the cue like I am shooting a rifle, then it works better.......but you don't half look daft!

Lots to ponder on, and still lots to learn, but it's nice to have some constructive feedback!

Cheers!

[KeithinFrance]

When you play, where does the cue go in passing under your chin? Middle, on the left or on the right? Please answer for your left hand and for your right hand, as it might help!

[mcambridge]

Hi Keith,

After some jigery pokery on the kitchen worktop (which is the same height as a snooker table), I can confirm that when I play left handed the cue is in the centre of my chin, and when I play right handed the cue is under the right of my chin.

This is assuming my stance is correct, which I believe it to be from following instructional techniques etc.

cheers

Mark

[DandyA]

I personally think by far and away the most important thing is to be consistent - to keep your head (and hence eyes) in the same position over the cue on each and every shot ... and then you and your brain will learn ...

I write left-handed, I play snooker right-handed and I am right eye dominant ... I used to play centre chin but a few months ago I switched to a wee bit more over my right eye and I think it helps ...

Not massively, but rather than the "dimple" of my chin over the cue, I now consistently play with the cue maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch to the right (maybe 1cm in new money) ...

I did use to have a very nasty habit of, having assessed the line of aim whilst standing, get down on the shot and make minor adjustments but if I didn't feel comfortable, move my head slightly left or right until it did ... that's bad - if it doesn't feel right, move the butt of the cue slightly left or right - not your eyes ...

After all, we all suffer from stereopsis ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereopsis

[KeithinFrance]

Hi Keith,

After some jigery pokery on the kitchen worktop (which is the same height as a snooker table), I can confirm that when I play left handed the cue is in the centre of my chin, and when I play right handed the cue is under the right of my chin.

This is assuming my stance is correct, which I believe it to be from following instructional techniques etc.

cheers

Mark

Ok, now we know! Sorry for putting you through all the jiggery-pokery in the kitchen, but it was for a good cause!

If you are left eye dominant, you should cue with the cue on the left side of your chin! What you said indicates that you never do this. Have you tried the test to see which of your eyes is the dominant one yourself? If not, then you should try it for both your hands.
Perhaps you are left eye dominant for your left hand and right eye dominant for your right hand? The reason I say that is that your angles are wrong when you play left-handed and you cue in the middle of your chin, when you should cue on the left to allow your dominant eye to sight properly. On the other hand, when you play right-handed your angles are good and you cue from the right side! You will really need to test all this yourself to see what the results are, because it's really worth it! A lot of people cue from the middle of their chin because that's what they've been taught to do or they've copied someone when in fact they are right or left eye dominant, which means they miss a lot of pots they needn't do, just because of their "chin placement"!

Good luck! Any further q's, don't hesitate!

Keith

[mcambridge]

That's excellent advice, thanks to all that have contributed to this so far.

Keith - I shall try your methods tommorrow morning when I'm playing (practicing) again.

I have also just rang my local optician, who says that there are numerous ways to combat a dominant eye, but a couple of the easiest are to wear an eyepatch (had to do this in the forces to make my right eye to do more work), and to use a blurred contact lens.

My logic tells me that playing left handed is the way to go as it feels more comfortable etc, so.........in theory, if I covered my right eye, and had the cue to the left side of my chin, then it should help the situation.

I also have a pair of glasses that I use for night driving and computer work (very small prescription - just sharpens things up a tad), so may use those to play, and blur the right hand lens with a piece of that opaque tape (magic tape I think its called).

[KeithinFrance]

Good luck, let us know how you get on with it all! Just one thing, glasses while playing I wouldn't try. Unless you have Dennis Taylor style ones you'll just create more problems for yourself!

[wzrd]

Wikipedia reveals that pro player Barry Hawkins is right-handed outside snooker, although he plays left-handed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Hawkins

[mcambridge]

I now consistently play with the cue maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch to the right (maybe 1cm in new money) ...

that just made me chuckle - the difference between 1cm and 1/2 inch is 2.7mm........in my day job, a difference like that could mean aircraft like the Airbus A380 falling out of the sky.......

Can you tell I'm still in work mode...really need to unwind!

No offence meant, it just made me chuckle (I must live a lonely life at times!)

wzrd - cheers for that, I'll go and look it up etc

[DandyA]

that just made me chuckle - the difference between 1cm and 1/2 inch is 2.7mm........in my day job, a difference like that could mean aircraft like the Airbus A380 falling out of the sky.......

Can you tell I'm still in work mode...really need to unwind!

No offence meant, it just made me chuckle (I must live a lonely life at times!)

wzrd - cheers for that, I'll go and look it up etc

mcambridge ... in your light hearted vein and in the best of spirits, I think I am prepared to argue my case ...

I have not Googled or Wikipedia'd ... I am 51 years old ... but if I remember my schoolboy days correctly, and I may well be wrong cos it was a *long* time ago ... isn't 1 inch 2.54 cm in new money?

[edit] oops, might have got that the wrong way round - one inch could be 2.45 new money? [/edit]

so 1 cm is surely between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch as I said ... no wonder aeroplanes keep falling out the sky lol ...

mindu a friend of mine keeps insisting on trying to buy a 1/4 of ham at the fresh food in the supermarket ... the young serving person's eyes glaze over and says "you what?" ...

I keep telling him he should order 112.5 grams instead but he won't listen ...