Using the non-dominant hand. [Timo Boll] handswitch.

[olive-nguyen]

I was born a left hander, but when i was about 6-7 my grandmother said that being a leftie was "not auspicious". Hence i was forced to using my right hand. Now I write as a right hander, but my left hand still has surprising amounts of dexterity and motor skills, (party kept alive by the fact that my left arm has more strength somehow).

Recently I've started trying to play with the left hand. There was definitely a learning curve, but I was surprised to find i could get quite quality shots even with left hand. My service especially was a surprise. I have even tried my specialty RPB tomahawk serve on the left hand, and I was able to get it right a few times.

Have anyone tried playing with their non dominant hand before? Share your experiences.

 

[Tyce]

I honestly can't angle my bat right with my left hand if my life depended on it...
My grandfather had a similar story, he was a lefty but learned to write with his right hand because that's what they had to do in school. He did a lot of woodwork as a hobby later on and used a hammer, saw etc with either hand

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

ya, i practice using the other hand a little bit. i think it is a fun change, helps a little with physical imbalances due to repetitive nature of table tennis, and activates the brain differently. left-hand forehand weight transfer and stuff helps me understand more how to play right-hand backhand topspin. good way to practice with low level players as well to build control. robot and return board are fun ways to improve it too. i dont go for hand switches but maybe someday.

 

[Sedis]

Whenever I do any shadow practice, I repeat the exercise with my left hand, my form in the mirror is just as good as with my right.
I still can still hardly hit a ball with my left hand...

 

[Jslick89]

Cool topic. I'm actually left handed but athletically, i'm mixed handed. I play all paddle sports with my right hand. I throw the ball with my right hand. Shoot basketball with my right hand. In soccer (i'm retired), my left foot was more skilled and accurate, right foot was stronger. I golf equally bad with my left hand or right hand. Skateboarding, i was a goofy.

When i was 10 years old and started playing tennis at the country club...i actually started as a lefthander. but i used a 2 handed forehand and a 2 handed backhand. my coach taught me that my left handed, 2 handed backhand was very close to a right handed forehand if i switched my right hand to to the bottom of the racket handle (instead of my left) and just let go of the racket with my left hand. From there- i trained tennis right handed extensively for the next 3 years... and never looked back.

Fast forward to when i joined the club 2.75 years ago. I started at a USATT rated 800 player. I've been working my way up to now over 1700. but from time to time, just for fun, i play with my left hand. I've taken a player who is rated 1350 to the fifth game and lost by 2. I easily beat players rated 1000 lol. So i think my left handed rating is somewhere in between those two points.

I'm really good at backhand pushing with my left hand...which is good enough to beat most lower level players. can't loop any kind of backspin shots though unless i get really lucky. i've had few "rocket" level shots with my left handed backhand. I've done some pretty good forehand smashes with my left handed forehand too. i can drive rally decently with my left hand forehand...but as soon as there is any backspin or a large variance in spin on the ball, i will miss lol.

 

[_ak]

Switched to the left due injury, now I play better with it, it took several years though. Switching footwork was the most challenging, better serves also required some investment. However I was always quite ambidextrous, my left leg always was stronger and I could do many things with either hand except of handwriting.

 

[olive-nguyen]

Ooo. Nice to hear the responses! When I play tennis with my old schoolmates I
too double hand backhand and find better stroke with left hand forehand. More power and follow up stroke