Is your lefty really a lefty???

[shagpal]

I kick and throw left. write, eat, bat right.

they want umpires to punch our with our right hand, but I'm a lefty, and I wanna punch left, but am slowly adjusting to punching out right.

I think you use the stronger hand, unless convention dictates otherwise. writing in western languages is definitely a right handed persons world, but in asia (chinese for instance), it's better to write left (writing left to right on the page), so it really just depends.

but the best way is to have the player throw without a glove, and see which hand she prefers to throw with. forget about what looks more natural for now. clumsy is fine, it's what hand she instinctively uses without having to think. the natural look will develop later on, just let them throw with the first hand they choose without thinking, and that is their natural hand. then later on, offer both gloves, and let the player pick, and develop their own preference.

 

[Jojo]

To be honest, I feel like it is really a personal preference. I'm a right handed person, but I do a lot of things the way a left handed person would do. I knit the way that is preferred by left handed people, I hold my knife in my left hand when cutting something like steak, etc. Our

I'm the same way, I have an older sister that was a left who practically raised me. She didn't know any better and when she taught me things she taught me the lefty way. Tying my shoes, opening jars, eating. Back in the old days we had those desk mounted pencil sharpeners in school. Well my sister had one at home mounted upside down on the kitchen cabinet so she could use, I thought that was how all pencil sharpeners were until I went to school.
I almost cried the first day I went up the teachers desk to sharpen my pencil and couldn't do it.
Maybe the girl really isn't left handed, are her parents? Maybe they just encourage the leftness so she's more unique....? Especially in sports, they make think it gives her an advantage.
I had a friend who switched his DD to a lefty hitter at 10. He only did it because he thought she would benefit being closer to first base, she did become a very good hitter but try and switch her back to righty and she couldn't do it.
If she needs to switch to righty, now while she is young is the best time---then teach her to pitch with both hands! ; )

 

[jinjet95]

When my son was small, he did everything with both hands equally well (or badly, depending on the skill). When he was ready to start kindergarten I told him to pick a hand to learn to write with, I didn't care which, just pick one. He picked the right hand. His handwriting is so atrocious, we've always wondered if he picked the wrong one. He throws right-handed, but eats left handed. He can shoot pool with either hand equally well. Maybe this little girl is ambidextrous and won't do all things with the same hand.

 

[Coachmom]

This is an interesting conversation. I currently coach a 12U rec ball team and I have a 13yo girl on the team that says she is a lefty. She has no skills at softball and has not improved since the start of the season.
Her hand eye coordination is not there, has never gotten a hit, she cannot catch unless you throw the ball gently and exactly into her glove. If she has to move at all she will miss the ball.
Because of this, I have wondered if this kid is a true lefty.
I may have her try switching for one practice to see if there is any difference. It definitely couldn't hurt at this point.

 

[Coach Al]

I just started working with my 9 YO granddaughter last week and remembered I posted on this thread. She never played before so my work is cut out for me. She writes with her right hand and I found out she also throws righty. When I showed her how to bat she look terrible from the right side. I turned her around to the other side and she was nailing the ball! As everyone else has said, don't assume anything and don't be afraid to try it from the southside.

 

[Lozza]

Our second string pitcher can pitch both right and left but bats exclusivly right handed. Its hysterical watching her pitch one dig left, then coming out the next and pitching right. It throws the other teams off COMPLETLY.

 

[coach D'E]

I do not know if this will help in determining what is the dominate side, but I'll tell you an old school way that I do it in other sports. I coach wrestling at the high school level and girls soccer at the Jr. high level. In both sports it is very important to see what side of a player's lower body will react faster and be more dominate during play. What I do is have the player stand straight up with thier arms pointing straight dowm. The hands are against the hips. I than have them close thier eyes. From the back, I push them. I use both of my hands and give them a quick push around the shoulder blades. They will always lead and land with their dominate leg first. Maybe this will help with a dominated side at hip rotation during the swing. Just a thought.

 

[KAT]

my daugter eats and writes left handed, everything else she does right handed. Throws a ball, shoots a ball, bats,