Comments on Tropic of Hockey: Sticks.

Hey, great post. I just wanted to add that while O...

2009-03-10T17:49:00.000+08:00

Hey, great post. I just wanted to add that while Ovechkin shoots right, it's likely because he is left-hand dominant. In the video at http://vimeo.com/3515855 he throws a football (poorly) with his left hand.

I like the write up - i was wondering the same thi...

2009-01-20T13:33:00.000+08:00

I like the write up - i was wondering the same thing myself (about right and left handed shooters and why some people chose one way & others the other). I'm a right handed shooter, and have been since i was a kid. I didn't pick up a stick until probably a little later (maybe 7 or 8??) just in gym class but as far as i can remember, the right stick always seemed more natural. I'm a right handed person (presently) but was born left handed and so when taking up new sports i actually have to try both ways to see which one feels better. I do a lot of things left handed (ie. archery, pool, climbing a rope) but i also do a lot of things right handed (baseball, soccer - right is dominant). My sister is a right handed through and through and she's a left handed shooter so who knows. But if you can follow up on that piece that would be great!!

i've played various sports over the years, basketb...

2008-02-27T07:39:00.000+08:00

i've played various sports over the years, basketball, baseball, soccer, golf and of coarse hockey. oddly enough, my dominant hand in each sport is my right, but in hockey, i've always been a lefty shooter.

Makes a lot of sense. I started playing hockey at ...

2007-11-12T12:06:00.000+08:00

Makes a lot of sense. I started playing hockey at about age 7 or 8 and I'm a rightie whereas my cousins who are a couple years younger than I am and started at the same time are lefties.

Enjoyed that piece, something to chew on for bit f...

2007-08-03T01:12:00.000+08:00

Enjoyed that piece, something to chew on for bit for sure. I'd be interested if you followed that up.
RoliLover

Yeah, there seems to be something to that theory I...

2007-06-14T02:48:00.000+08:00

Yeah, there seems to be something to that theory I guess.

I don't think there's a "right" and "wrong" way to shoot, it doesn't appear that one way is better than the other, that link to the USA hockey magazine I included had a bit on the benefits of shooting from each side.

I went to a driving range here the other day. Every single person golfed right. And there were at least fifty people there. I don't know what that means exactly, but it's interesting, I think.

I still plan on emailing one or two of the stick manufacturers and seeing if they'll share their data on percentages of shots sold in different areas of the US. I just have to get around to it.....

I'm from Boston, but I grew up in a hockey-obsesse...

2007-05-21T22:50:00.000+08:00

I'm from Boston, but I grew up in a hockey-obsessed family where we were taught that the right ("Canadian") way to hold a stick was the opposite of our dominant hand. Therefore my older sister and I were both lefty shots, and my left-handed little sister shoots right. However, we were usually the only lefties on our teams, because most Americans (at least girls) just assume that you shoot the same way as your dominant hand, like hitting in baseball. I don't know which way is "right", but in general the people here that know hockey well shoot the opposite of their dominant hand.