Athletes debate the advantages of left-dominance

Photo by Now & Forever Studio

Quarterback Will Liddle is a left-handed thrower.

Curling the ball toward the right corner of the net during a match for his club team in October, senior soccer player Kevin Yu surprised the Santa Clara Sporting goalkeeper. Expecting a shot with Yu’s right foot, the goalkeeper dove the other way as Yu cooly slotted the ball into the net with his left.

Yu represents a small but still competitive minority in sports: left-side dominant players.

According to LiveScience, only about 10 percent of the world’s population is left-dominant, providing both opportunities and limits for athletes.

For Yu, being left footed comes with positives and negatives that can both enhance and hinder a soccer player’s ability to perform in-game.

In games, Yu finds that being left-footed helps him get past opponents. He finds it is much easier for him to cut the ball away from the opponent when trying to cross the ball or shoot on his left side. Assuming Yu is right-footed, defenders focus his right side, giving him an advantage.

According to Yu, recruiters at the Carnegie Mellon University team, which he will be a part of next fall, were specifically interested and found value in his left-footed ability.

In global competition, numerous soccer stars use their left dominance to gain advantages over their opponents. Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben and, of course, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi use their left-footed kicks in their game.

For Messi, his left foot has allowed him to become arguably the best player in the world as his precise control on the ball and his agility coupled with his left side of attack not only confuses opponents but makes beating them easy.

Lefties also share some advantages in football, said Lefties also share some advantages in football, said  senior quarterback Will Liddle, who has been able to use his left-handedness when throwing to his advantage.

“As a quarterback it can be helpful when left-handed because it is easier to roll out to my left,” Liddle said. “Opponents also place their best defenders on the right side as most quarterbacks are right handed which makes throwing to my left easier.”

At the same time, though, Liddle recognizes that being left-handed isn’t totally easy.  He has found it hard for coaches to offer training that will improve his left-handed game.

Being a lefty can also be an advantage in other sports such as baseball and basketball. For junior baseball pitcher Chris Auches, being left-handed has helped him a lot to stand out of the crowd.

“Being a left-handed batter helps you stand out in general as it's easier for hit and runs,” Auches said. “In hit and runs, the batter is supposed to hit the ball on the ground to the right side, [but because] most pitchers are right handed, it's easier to see the ball [as a left-handed hitter].”

When it comes to actually hitting the ball, Auches said that he is at an advantage because it is easier to bunt a ball and hit a ground ball that he can run out for a hit.

Similarly, sophomore Hanlin Sun, who plays on the school’s JV basketball team, also prefers dribbling with his left hand in games. While Sun does not believe that this contributes much in terms of his performance on the court, his left-hand dominance often surprises opposing players.

“[Playing with my left hand] catches people off guard at the start of the game,” said Sun. “Most people are right handed so they don’t expect me to go to the left as much but [opposing defenders] still catch on quickly.”

Since Sun does not believe that left-handedness doesn’t necessarily boost his performance on the court, he still focuses on practicing with his non-dominant right hand as well.

“I think playing with my right hand is one of my main focuses in terms of my personal game, because I want to be able to go both ways [on the court],” Sun said.

Left-handedness can ultimately be a great weapon, Yu said, but it’s up to the athlete to use their unique ability to their own advantage.

“I personally value [being left-footed] and although I don’t have any negatives, I see how it can hurt some,” Yu said. “For now, being left-dominant has helped me throughout life and I hope it will continue in the future.”