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Why Do Left-Handers Excel at Certain Elite Sports But Not Others? (theguardian.com)

Posted by msmash on from the unravelling-mysteries dept.

Nicola Davis, writing for The Guardian: From cricketer Wasim Akram to baseball pitcher Clayton Kershaw and table tennis star Ding Ning, the world of sport has no shortage of left-handed players. But now researchers say they've worked out why lefties are overrepresented in some elite sports but not others. The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, suggests that being left-handed is a particular advantage in interactive sports where time pressures are particularly severe, such as table tennis and cricket -- possibly because their moves are less familiar to their mostly right-handed opponents, who do not have time to adjust. "The data suggests that the heavier the time constraints are operating in a sport, the larger the proportion of left-handers," said the study's author, Dr Florian Loffing of the University of Oldenburg in Germany. "We are less used to playing lefties, and [so] might end up in not developing the optimal strategies to compete with them." While it is thought that about 10-13 percent of the population is left-handed, it has long been noted that in certain interactive sports there is often a surprisingly high proportion of left-handers playing at elite levels.

15 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by damn_registrars · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is why left-handed pitchers are so valuable. Baseball players grow up mostly batting against right-handed pitchers, and the movement of a pitch from a left-handed pitchers is almost the mirror image of what they are used to.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by Falconhell · · Score: 2

      The same with left arm fast bowlers, like Wasim Akram in cricket. That man could bowl!.

    2. Re:Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      The same with left handed fencers. The angles of attack and distance is different. Those right handed fencers that do not practice against left handed fencers are often caught unaware.

    3. Re:Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by sjames · · Score: 2

      There's also something about the reletive position of the batter. That's why switch hitters generally bat left when a lefty is on the mound.

    4. Re:Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by vux984 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I disagree. I mean the theory is sound, but it somewhat falls apart because even though only 10% of people are left handed, because they do so well and are so desirable in these positions / sports they are heavily over represented in them, and the overrepresentation is going to dilute the effectiveness.

      I mean around 30%+ of baseball pitchers are left handed.
      Half of the top fencers in the world are left handed.

      The 'unfamiliarity' advantage of being left handed might be high when its a 90/10 split... but when every other match up is vs a lefty its not a 'mirror image of what you are used to' it becomes 'what you are used to'.

    5. Re:Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by bloodhawk · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The reality is whiel they may be disproportionate at the top they are NOT that way where most people learn, practise or play the majority of their matches. Even in Fencing where they are around half at the top, you still will not practise with or fight nearly half your matches with lefties. They are an oddity and uncomfortable to compete against even in sports where they are in significant numbers at the top.

    6. Re:Any baseball player or fan could tell you that by vux984 · · Score: 2

      Really? I fenced for a few years, and even at the very beginner amateur hobby level I was at -- we had a disproportionate representation of lefties. Probably 20%+ at least.

      And likewise, even the junior baseball league I was in when I was around 12 already had coaches eager for left hand pitchers. (I only played for one year, and although I was a lefty, I was lousy at baseball. I'd played soccer for years prior and wanted a change... maybe if I'd played baseball all the way up it would have been different but... who knows.)

      I stopped playing baseball before high school, but I've got to beleive with the way varsity and college sports gets that they'd be scouring the student rolls for lefties to take those positions.

      " They are an oddity and uncomfortable to compete against even in sports where they are in significant numbers at the top."

      Even if that were true, as you get closer to the top... they are no longer an oddity, and I can't see why you wouldn't get comfortable with it.

      Its not really an "oddity" when every 3rd starting pitcher is left handed. After a few years in the major leagues... it shouldn't be the least bit 'odd and uncomfortable' any more. And like I said I wouldn't be surprised if that's already trending in bush leagues too, given I saw coaches seeking left handed pitchers in middle school...

  2. Chess by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Has anyone done a study on how well left handed people play chess?

    Let's make a new rule. If you're left handed, your starting position has the king and queen on swapped squares. Then we can see if lefties have a natural advantage there too.

  3. Fencing comes to mind by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    Inigo Montoya: You are wonderful.

    Man in Black: Thank you; I've worked hard to become so.

    Inigo Montoya: I admit it, you are better than I am.

    Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?

    Inigo Montoya: Because I know something you don't know.

    Man in Black: And what is that?

    Inigo Montoya: I am not left-handed.

    [switches sword to his other hand, and begins to fight far more successfully]

    Man in Black: You are amazing.

    Inigo Montoya: I ought to be, after 20 years.

    Man in Black: Oh, there's something I ought to tell you.

    Inigo Montoya: Tell me.

    Man in Black: I'm not left-handed either.

    [switches his own sword to his other hand, suddenly driving Inigo back]

    1. Re:Fencing comes to mind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      As a long time practitioner of modern fencing, I can confirm that the findings of this article were quite obvious. I hope the study has enough scientific rigour to bring something on top of that.

  4. Evil lefties by Major_Disorder · · Score: 4, Funny

    It is because they are all evil. So, because they are evil, they will cheat to win.
    Obviously some sports are harder to cheat at than others, so those sports do not show a left handed bias.

    --
    First law of people: People are generally stupid.
  5. lefties vs lefties by BlueStraggler · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's pretty obvious what the left-handed advantage is when you have sports where lefties can compete directly against other lefties. In my own sport of fencing, lefties enjoy disproportionate success (close to 50% of world champions are left handed), and they are widely regarded as difficult opponents. But pit two lefties against each other and you will often get a shitshow of awkward, hesitant, and poorly-executed techniques, despite the fact that the tactical situation is identical to right-vs-right, the most common and well-understood scenario in the sport.

    The reason is easy to understand - everyone, regardless of handedness, gets 85% of their practice against right-handers. Lefties are, quite simply, weird, even to other lefties. We don't get enough practice with them, we don't get the time to develop highly-trained "favourite moves" with them, and we don't ever enjoy the comfort and ease of familiarity. Our cognitive load is increased, and our reaction time is slower.

    Unless you're lucky enough to have a left-handed coach, or a disproportionate number of lefties in your club to practice with. Or you simply stick with the sport long enough that the 15% of lefties you meet eventually adds up to a lot of experience.

  6. Laterality by g01d4 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Surprised the study didn't extend to include left/right footedness in football (aka soccer) and maybe kick boxing. Laterality isn't limited to hands.

  7. But what about left handed politicians? by burhop · · Score: 2

    Is being a US president an "elite sport"?

    Gerald Ford.
    Ronald Reagan.
    George H.W. Bush.
    Bill Clinton.
    Barack Obama

    All lefties.

    Donald Trump is right handed. If you see him using his left hand, it is just Alec Baldwin again.

    1. Re: But what about left handed politicians? by burhop · · Score: 2

      Out of how many presidents? Seems to be in line with the population percentage mentioned in the article.

      That is 5 of the last 8. There are more but it gets weird if you go too far back. Being left-handed was considered bad or evil so people were often forced to switch. My wife owned and taught in a preschool and even today has had an occasional parent ask her not let their child write with their left hand (she nicely tells them 'no').