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Right-handed left-handed rest players

Postby SnookerEd25 » 25 Apr 2016 Read

As a leftie myself, I was always intrigued in the 80s by Tony Meo, a left-hander, switching to his right hand when using the rest. Then, Dean Reynolds came along & did the same; watching Mark Allen & Judd Trump yesterday and today, I noticed they do the same. Why is this? Are there any lefties out there who do the same & can explain it. I've never seen a right-handed player switch to the left and, as you probably gathered, I've been watching Snooker for an awful long time...

Re: Right-handed left-handed rest players

Postby Holden Chinaski » 25 Apr 2016 Read

Something that's not snooker related, but what blows my mind, is that Mark Knopfler, famous Dire Straits guitarist, is left handed but plays the guitar right handed! Robert Fripp, King Crimson guitarist, does this as well!

One advantage is that left handed guitars are more expensive and harder to find. And turning a right handed guitar upside down like Jimi Hendrix did comes with some disadvantages as well...

As a guitarist myself, it blows my mind that these guys can play right handed while being left handed!
Last edited by Holden Chinaski on 25 Apr 2016, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Right-handed left-handed rest players

Postby Holden Chinaski » 25 Apr 2016 Read

SnookerEd25 wrote:As a leftie myself, I was always intrigued in the 80s by Tony Meo, a left-hander, switching to his right hand when using the rest. Then, Dean Reynolds came along & did the same; watching Mark Allen & Judd Trump yesterday and today, I noticed they do the same. Why is this? Are there any lefties out there who do the same & can explain it. I've never seen a right-handed player switch to the left and, as you probably gathered, I've been watching Snooker for an awful long time...

Barry hawkins is left handed but plays with the rest using his right hand as well... Lefties do strange things sometimes..

Re: Right-handed left-handed rest players

Postby Holden Chinaski » 25 Apr 2016 Read

I think I might have found the answer to why these lefties use the rest right handed.

From Wikipedia:

"Hawkins is left-handed but if he has to use the rest, he switches the cue to his right hand for better handling. Additionally, it allows him to aim better because his right eye is his objective eye."

So the answer may be that it allows them to look over the cue with their dominant eye...?

Re: Right-handed left-handed rest players

Postby Iranu » 26 Apr 2016 Read

Holden Chinaski wrote:Something that's not snooker related, but what blows my mind, is that Mark Knopfler, famous Dire Straits guitarist, is left handed but plays the guitar right handed! Robert Fripp, King Crimson guitarist, does this as well!

One advantage is that left handed guitars are more expensive and harder to find. And turning a right handed guitar upside down like Jimi Hendrix did comes with some disadvantages as well...

As a guitarist myself, it blows my mind that these guys can play right handed while being left handed!

Noel Gallagher too. I guess a part of it is monkey-see-monkey-do.

Re: Right-handed left-handed rest players

Postby Sickpotter » 26 Apr 2016 Read

Seems a common behavior for lefties who aren't lefties at anything else but cue sports.

I play equally well with the rest left or right handed but only play snooker left handed. Of course I'm an abysmal rest player so not much to take from that ;-)

Interestingly enough I've been playing quite a few right handed shots of late and seem to be getting the hang of it. Unfortunately it's driven by my dislike of the rest rather than any real desire to play right handed but it does add some entertainment to practice.
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