OT. International Left Hander's Day

[Dean Hoffman]

is today. Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Obama were/are southpaws. So are musicians Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I'm going to celebrate! Just left after spending a week with my best friend, a lefty.

[Cindy Hamilton]

My left hand is dominant. But in a right-handed world I've learned to do most things right-handed.

Cindy Hamilton

[micky]

I'm probably left-handed. But my mother bragged how she put the fork next to my right hand and I started using it with my right hand. IOW, that she didn't criticize me or insist.

I wish I'd put 2 and 2 together before she died and pointed out that this is why my handwriting is so bad.

I throw and bowl with my left hand.

[Dan Espen]

Should help with pool/snooker too. Being able to use either hand is a definite advantage.

I've gotten reasonably good with my left.

[micky]

I hold the cue with my right hand, resting it on my left hand. Is that right-handed or left-handed? I can't do the other well.

[Dan Espen]

That's right handed.

Using the other hand takes practice but it's superior to using a bridge or what some people do, hold the cue behind their back. There are still cases when you need a bridge.

If you bowl and throw as a lefty, you should adapt to left handed pool shots quite well.

I don't know how much you follow pool, but there's this famous story about Ronnie O'Sullivan (the worlds best snooker player). Another player wanted him sanctioned because Ronnie took a shot against him in a match left handed. He felt insulted.

To settle the issue, Ronnie offered to play him left handed for a entire game. Ronnie won.

He's incredible to watch.

[micky]

Not that I can do the first well. It amazed me how often I scratched. Is there some mathematical reason if you dont' hit the ball right, youer'e very likely to scratch?

I don't get to play pool much anymore but I'll keep my eyes open for him, or maybe youtube.

[Ed Pawlowski]

A boy played chess with his grandfather and the boy was upset when he lost to him. So, the grandfather offered to play another game left handed and the boy proudly won.

Thirty years later if finally dawned on him.

[Dan Espen]

The harder you hit the ball the more likely it is. You're supposed to not only sink the object ball but also aim to place the cue ball for the next shot. Often that means not hitting the ball hard.

I was never good at the game but since I retired I've decided it's one of the things I want to get better at. I am getting better. One of the guys I was learning from got really mad when I started beating him.

Loads of YT videos of him. Watch the one where he gets a maximum break in 6 minutes.

In my opinion snooker is a novice pool players torture chamber. The table is larger, the balls are smaller, the pockets are even smaller and they are designed to throw the ball right back out.

Way harder than pool but Ronnie can play the game and score the maximum points possible. He's done it 15 times in tournaments. That means sinking the ball and placing the cue ball within an inch or less of where you want it 36 times.

[Dan Espen]

Thanks for the morning laugh.

[FromTheRafters]

Yes, 'english' creating the desired spin (especially backspin) on the cueball is also affective in not having the cueball follow the object ball into the same pocket. Sometime you have to hit pretty hard to get the resulting 'leave' you want.

There was no need to get violent, it's just a game. :)

[micky]

Is this boy you?

[Dan Espen]

I think you must be thinking of straight in shots. There you might want to do a stop shot (center ball) or a draw shot (lower part of the ball).

I'm still too much of a novice to be using much side english. Too hard to hit your target with side english. You have to account for deflection because the ball does not go where the cue is pointing. It goes off the the side and then curves back to the path your cue was pointing at. Side english takes a lot of experience.

You Tube has great videos on all of this and Dr. Dave is the acknowledged expert on the science of it.

Some people are more into actual competition than I am. I'm more than happy to go the the pool hall and work on perfecting my technique playing by myself.

I do play other players but I'm not really invested in whether I win or loose.

Takes all kinds to make a world.

Wish I had a table at home but I don't have a room large enough.

[Ed Pawlowski]

No, I suck at chess no matter the opponent.