looking at the latest MD world rankings, in the top 10 I see 4 RH/LH combinations: 1) CY/FHF 2) CTF/LWW 3) RB/AC 4) KKK/TBH is it a coincidence that the best smashers in the world's top pairings are the lefties? also, on a separate note, when was the last time we saw a top 10 pair with 2 left handers?
yes, as a lefty myself i find it easier to smash but thats just me... anyways.. I believe i read something about the left side of the brain reacts quicker then the right side so that might be the advantage? who knows
i actually find it really hard to play against lefties becaue they're so much more "rare". Me being right handed hit to their left thinking it's their back hand but it's their forehand..... i need to think extra when playing them and it's just annoying. One lefty i play against in my school, smash isn't faster but just more steep
The feather shuttle rotates while in motion due to the direction the feathers are put in, so playing sliced shots would make a difference. However, I think it's just a coincidence that the left handers you mentioned are better smashers.
i dont think its the feathers off a lefty's racket, its more likely for me to believe that the angle of the shots hit by righties to the lefty helps with the smash however i do notice that lefties can bend the wrist further after smashing so more snap?
Cross dominance Actually, it's the right hemisphere of the brain that controls the muscles and senses of the left side of the body. While the left brain is generally considered linear, sequential, rational & logical, the right hemisphere is the holistic, creative, intuitive side. The right side of the brain is also considered to be more fluid, spontaneous and possesses greater spatial abilitities. According to one source: Research on both split-brain and normal subjects since the 1960s has confirmed that both hemispheres of the brain use high-level cognitive modes. That of the left brain is verbal and analytic, while right brain thought processes are rapid, complex, whole-pattern, spatial, and specialized for visual imagery and musical ability. Note that pseudoscience have greatly exaggerated the importance of these generalizations of laterlization. However if there is any real significance to these traits, it might suggest that lefties (right brain) might have an athletic advantage due to the spatial superiority and the rapid thought processes of the right hemisphere. Brain hemispheres: faculty.washington.edu/chudler/split.html brain.web-us.com/brain/right_left_brain_characteristics.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateralization_of_brain_function Eye dominance: Another factor to consider is eye dominance. Just as most of us have a dominant (preferred) hand/arm, we also have a dominant eye. The dominant eye provides us with the visual perspective that the brain selects as its dominant view. If our brain did not pick one vew over the other, then we might tend to see our world with a confusing double-vision. Your dominant eye is not necessarily the one with better visual acuity. The dominant eye is the on you would when shooting ( the eye that you'd use to look thru a rifle scope. (Extend either hand, as if to shoot something, directly in front of your nose & close 1 eye. The eye that you leave open to line up a distant target is probably your dominant eye). Some ppl are cross-dominant -- they are right-handed but left-eyed or vice versa. This type of cross-dominance can be detrimental for shooting pool (billiards) or guns. However, baseball or cricket batters that are cross-dominant often have a distinct advantage since their dominant eye is more in line with the oncoming pitch. This is possibly also true for a badminton player hitting a smash -- a lefty with a dominant right eye could have an advantage in judging (& playing) the incoming shuttle. Cross-dominance: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-dominance Lefty axioms: Only lefties are in their right mind. Everyone is born right-handed ... only the gifted can overcome it.
that's a big coincidence then ... ... but you could be right. my knowledge of badminton doesn't go back far enough to determine if this was the case in the past as well, but i thought it'd make an interesting observation nonetheless.
I agree that the construction of a feather shuttle favors a lefty hitting a standard slice (or a righty hitting a reverse slice). However, I'm not so sure that any such advantage exists for a squarely-hit (flat) smash from a lefty.
lefties are chosen because of their rariety, not thier hitting power. when smashing, contact is with the base of the cork, so it doesn't matter what hand it is hit from. when slicing, it is faster, but we're talking about smashing not slicing.
FHF and CTF's hitting power is definitely not something to be messed with. true, TBH and AC have slightly less power, but very effective indeed. i guess some of the comments here are true though, most people aren't used to playing against lefties, so the angles that they generate and the style of smashing does come as a surprise sometimes. this does throw people off, and in the international circuit, if your return is even an inch further above the net than you want it to be, you're gonna get punished.
Agree with the throwing people off bit! When I started playing against a lefty I was sure as heck muddled up as to which side of the court I should be attacking to gain a better advantage (i.e. backhand side). However, since then I have been playing against a lefty quite regularly, so unfortunately when I switch to a right handed guys after playing against a lefty I'm pretty much bamboozled - takes a few points before I'm able to get used to it !!
I'm a lefty and i hate playing other lefties it drive me to distraction. Also i don't like playing doubles with other left handers is i have only done it a few times.
Players change position so fast on court in doubles. Especially in men's doubles. I was told that, the reason of pairing up a lefty and a righty is trying to avoid their opponents to attack intentionally on only one side. Coz it's more difficult for opponents to predict which side would be the back hand side when playing.
So I guess I have a nice little advantage of being left-handed and cross-dominant? sweet, maybe thats why I have the best smash in my age group around were I live.
Maybe, this is another reason why Taufik trained his backhand to be so damn powerful I will work harder on mine I've noticed, it seems lefties just do not like playing against other lefties? lol or with them
