Flipsidedness in pro sports

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 06 Apr 2007 08:03

In the 1990s footbag and skateboarding began to emphasize the importance of flipsidedness, which really changed the game. In basketball, the ability to dribble and shoot layups with both hands really helps you out too. But today I read an article about an NCAA Division I pitcher who pitches ambidextrously, which I thought was real cool.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/sport ... mCIZl4GLsg

Feel free to post any thoughts in here about ambidexterity in sports in this thread.

HG · Post by HG » 06 Apr 2007 19:15

That is so crazy. He could pitch 2 or 3 games every 4 or 5 days instead of one like most pitchers. And the fact that his delivery is so different between each arm is kind of puzzling.

With his right arm, its more over the top, and lefty its partially side arm. Pretty wacky.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 06 Apr 2007 20:22

OMG! At New Year's Jam we were flipside throwing footbags at each other... man, those Montrealers!!!!!!!

I find it interesting that Henry was the first to post here. His awkwardness soon developed into lefty sidearm, nut-crushing, face-smashing accuracy that night.

quadgun · Post by **quadgun** » 06 Apr 2007 20:30

He has a funnier look on his face when he throws with his right hand.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 06 Apr 2007 21:02

Well, in field Lacrosse, having a good opposite hand is about as important (If not more so) than having a good strong hand. Not so for box Lacrosse though, which I think is why Canadian's play it.

BenRea · Post by **BenRea** » 07 Apr 2007 06:13

In rowing it is important for us to know port and starboard because our coach has to move us around from seat to seat sometimes and you gotta know how to row the other side. Colleges also like it A LOT if you can do both. we call it "biswepsual"

HG · Post by HG » 07 Apr 2007 07:06

Zeke wrote:OMG! At New Year's Jam we were flipside throwing footbags at each other... man, those Montrealers!!!!!!!

I find it interesting that Henry was the first to post here. His awkwardness soon developed into lefty sidearm, nut-crushing, face-smashing accuracy that night.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 07 Apr 2007 07:50

Ive thought about this a bunch.

The fact that footbag has placed so much emphasis on symmetry in my mind has deterred me from playing one-sided sports like hockey and stuff.

When I first got interested in freestyle football and started posting on their forums I brought up the topic of both sidedness and even BSOS and it was quite unfamiliar to them. Especially since their sport derrived from a strongly one sided sport, so it didn't seem so strange.

When I play tennis I feel all wierd.

quadgun · Post by **quadgun** » 07 Apr 2007 07:54

mosher wrote:Especially since their sport derrived from a strongly one sided sport, so it didn't seem so strange.

Football is in no way a strongly one sided sport.
Yea people favor one foot over another, same as in footbag ... but many pro football players can make a pass or take a shot with both feet.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 07 Apr 2007 08:33

quadgun wrote:
mosher wrote:Especially since their sport derrived from a strongly one sided sport, so it didn't seem so strange.
Football is in no way a strongly one sided sport.
Yea people favor one foot over another, same as in footbag ... but many pro football players can make a pass or take a shot with both feet.

Yeah I understand that you have to use both feet, but they still strongly favor one for most of the muscle work.

Also, have you watched many freestyle football movies? Most of them have strong blatant preferences.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 07 Apr 2007 09:47

Being a southpaw in tennis is very weird indeed, Tom. If you're ambidextrous, you can definitely screw with your opponent's pace with the differences in the spin on the ball with whichever hand you choose. Having a left handed player go against a righty makes for a difficult game imo.

Anz · Post by **Anz** » 07 Apr 2007 11:52

I always wondered if you get more points in figure skating if you spin with your flipside, but I've never seen anyone do that... Do they even realise that they could spin both directions? Maybe it's considered unnecessary and lame...

Sounds really hard to be able to pitch with both hands in baseball

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 07 Apr 2007 15:11

Scott Hamilton was always penalized/disqualified for doing backflips in figure skating, but that's besides the point of this topic..

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 07 Apr 2007 15:43

In baseball I was a switch hitter.

junkyardjew · Post by **junkyardjew** » 07 Apr 2007 15:53

I read a study that professional soccer players have the same statistical likely hood of scoring when kicking with either foot, but most have a definite preference for their strong side and so try more often with that foot.

Also, hockey isn't as one sided as it would seem.

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 07 Apr 2007 17:17

The concept of favoring one arm to the other dates back to the middle ages. Right handedness was the norm and left-handed was to believed be a sign of the devil. If kids showed preference for their left hand they would tie it behind their back.

I think footbag is proof that by just repetition and repeated use of each leg you can develop bothsidedness.

Favoring one side is so ingrained in most main streams sports, it's almost strange to people to develop the other side. I can see it making sense in basically every sport.

It makes a ton of sense for baseball pitchers though. With the use of both arms they can pitch longer in a single game. Theoretically they would require less rest between games and have longer careers. Most pitchers have destroyed their arms by age 35. This would prolong their careers, and be much better for their health.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » 07 Apr 2007 17:33

I think I have a bit of an advantage in this respect. I'm a lefty, but since I'm the minority, I've had to learn to use a lot of objects made for people who are right handed (eg. scissors, computer mouse, some sports equipment). So although I do have one dominent side, I think it's a bit easier for me to learn flipside moves than some other people because I'm already used to learning to do things with my bad side.

Hopefully that made some sense..

junkyardjew · Post by **junkyardjew** » 08 Apr 2007 14:37

The concept of favoring one arm to the other dates back to the middle ages. Right handedness was the norm and left-handed was to believed be a sign of the devil. If kids showed preference for their left hand they would tie it behind their back.

The concept of left-handedness being related to the devil comes from the middle ages, but being right or left handed is genetic, and many cultures before the middle ages forced everyone to be right handed.

The inuit bundle their babies, and used to always let the right hand free first so that they would learn to reach and grab with it first, so they all grew up right handed.

Oh, and as a point of trivia, the word "sinister" comes from the latin for "left" - sinistral. Also, in english you can call something "gauche" which means crude, which comes from the french for left. and of course, right is right and all.

max · Post by **max** » 09 Apr 2007 23:12

I have heard that there have been many ambidextrous players in the Baseball Major League (is that what it's called?).

This has even led to some weird incidences where an ambidextrous batter would face an ambidextrous pitcher: the pitcher would switch hands to have an edge over the batter (don't know if it's better pitching lefthanded to a righthanded battter or the other way around), then the batter would also switch batting stance, the pitcher would switch again etc...

My very cursory google search did'nt bring anything up though..

Asmus · Post by **Asmus** » 10 Apr 2007 01:05

Yeah I understand that you have to use both feet, but they still strongly favor one for most of the muscle work.

Also, have you watched many freestyle football movies? Most of them have strong blatant preferences.

I made a better team in soccer because I could kick decently with both feet. Its really smart when being an attacker.

Also you have to be able to use both feets very well to be a good dribler. If you can only drible with one foot you can also only drible around on oneside and the defender will soon see this.

I think the reason that freestyle soccer doesn't have as much focus on both sidesness is because its harder to string in the begining and that its such a new sport.

In handball there are a big advantage in being lefthanded if you want to get on the team. Because right wing and right back pretty much has to be left handed or atleast it would be a big disadvance not to.