Sidearm or Driving left handed?

[ashley]

I am a strange one that is certain. As long as I have been playing, I have been driving right and putting left. I am left handed, but learned to drive right handed(and play most other sports right handed) So, do you think it would be more beneficial to learn to drive left handed, or learn a forehand, or do you think I should be trying to do both?

[DsmDisc]

I'd say pick one or the other. They have quite similar flight paths, so I see no reason to bog down your learning with two different techniques. I'm not a huge fan of throwing with both hands, only because for most people that is incredibly difficult. My suggestion is learn a forehand and call it good.

[MDP]

I am a strange one that is certain. As long as I have been playing, I have been driving right and putting left. I am left handed, but learned to drive right handed(and play most other sports right handed) So, do you think it would be more beneficial to learn to drive left handed, or learn a forehand, or do you think I should be trying to do both?

Did you play softball? If so, did you hit right or left handed? A RHFH is similar to the first part of a right handed softball swing.

When my brother's wife, who played softball in high school, went discing with us the first time, she was struggling with backhand so I showed her a sidearm shot and the first time she threw it went well over 250ft.

In terms of how useful learning offhand vs sidearm is, I think leaning to throw LHBH would provide the most unique lines when combined with RHBH but not by much. If you learn sidearm correctly and don't just OAT the hell out of an overstable disc, you can really throw almost any line.

The only shot I have trouble with sidearm is a slight hyzer. I can do big hyzers or straight/turnovers but I have trouble locking in a slight hyzer. Maybe that's just me though.

[ashley]

Went out and worked in the field today on both. I can drive left as far as I can sidearm at this point. I was watching a video on sidearm by Chris Woj on youtube last night, and I tried the grip that he was showing. It really helped my sidearm, and once I got a hang of it, I was easily driving another 40 feet than I was the day before. The most exciting part was it actually looked like a throw instead of a wobbily spike hyzer like previously.

Is it best to be using something understable on my sidearm until I get better at it? My best drive with the sidearm was with my 150 valkyrie. Every one I see throwing sidearm tends to throw super stable plastic, but does that make it the right choice?

[ashley]

I think that I will continue to work on the sidearm, I am beginning to see where I could use it on the course. However, I feel like my left hand drive has the most distance potential. I am getting it out around 150 and I know that I am not getting anywhere near the power I can out of it. I need to work on pulling through better. I think I will work on a standstill first, and then work in a run up.

[DsmDisc]

It may just be the courses that I play, but with a solid RHBH and (someday) a decent RHFH, I don't think there is any hole I need a LHBH for. If its a long throw, I can get a nice anny to end where I need it to. If the shot I need is shorter, I can use my RHFH. If I need a little go left-then-right action, I can use a hyzer flip from RHBH. It just seems like overkill to have a RHFH and an LHBH

[ashley]

It's not so much that I need a lhbh, it's just that to this point it seems to be developing a lot easier for me. I can't help but wonder if one day I will drive farther lhbh than rhbh. I have only personally known one guy that has been able to throw both equally and it was a huge advantage for him over the other guys( doesn't hurt that he was throwing over 400 both ways)

[Crosseyed0811]

It's not so much that I need a lhbh, it's just that to this point it seems to be developing a lot easier for me. I can't help but wonder if one day I will drive farther lhbh than rhbh. I have only personally known one guy that has been able to throw both equally and it was a huge advantage for him over the other guys( doesn't hurt that he was throwing over 400 both ways)

The guy who taught me the basics actually throws farther lefty than he does righty. And he's a righty. Problem is he has a lot of bad habits righty and so when he taught himself lefty he didn't get the bad habits.

[MR. WICK]

I'm in the same boat here. Drive lefty / putt righty. I'm right handed and the lhbh comes from years of baseball and batting right handed. I've been playing about 6 yrs now and not having one of these shots is really starting to hurt me. I'm pretty good with the anhyzer and turnover....a lot of times that's actually the most comfortable shot for me, just because a lot of the courses force that shot for a lefty, so I had to get good at it. It's the shorter stuff that requires a lot of touch that I am having difficulty with. I think I'm leaning more towards developing at least a short range righty backhand, flicking with the non-dominant hand just feels plain goofy, then again so does throwing righty. idk.

A lot of people I play with seem to think I would be able to get the righty backhand going easier because I already have some of that form from putting. The problem is I don't have a whole hell of a lot of time to practice these days and I kinda feel like I'm wasting it by goofing around with the opposite hand.

[ashley]

Nice to see that I'm not the only odd one here. I can't tell you how many rounds I have played where halfway through the round someone will say "wait, did you just putt that left handed?" I have actually really improved my forehand shot from about 80' in because I was forced to learn it on my home course. Every once in a while I will pull out a lefty get out of trouble shot too.

I don't see how having both in my bag, so to speak would ever hurt me, so I will probably work on both. I have yet to regret having too many options on the course.