Bad Shoulder => Switch to Full Right?

That's the thing- I've never played baseball. I'm sure I did as a kid in gym class but I don't remember. I think that's why my glove hand is so bad- I didn't grow up playing catch. I wasn't very athletic at all until I started playing hockey. So who knows, catching with my right might be just as bad, but since it's my dominant hand, I wonder if it would be better.

I wouldn't say it's out of the realm of possibility. I did it and I played goalie lefty for 15 years, the thing is maybe find some one you could borrow from see what you think. I went in full throttle cause of injury so I didn't have anything to lose( except money lol).

Originally Posted by Avsfreak

..Thoughts? Ideas?

I think it might be better. Probably 98% of the time, you aren't putting your bad shoulder at risk if you switch your glove hand. I don't know, there will times when you'll just have to let a shot in rather than do a Hasek-ish flop move to avoid injury.

obviously you made your choice and are happy but since the thread has evolved, i'll give my two cents; I'm naturally left-handed (ie. when i drop the gloves, i'm swinging with the left hand). I shoot right handed and play full right (catch with the right hand, stick in my dominant left hand). Now to be honest with you if I was completely ambidextrous, I'd play goal right-handed for the simple fact it's easier to get equipment that way. I tried it once for a pick up game once but found it was far too hard to maneuver the stick in my right hand (i'm a guy who likes to poke check).
When deciding about what hand a goalie should catch with, it doesn't matter how good they catch with either hand. Look at it this way; in baseball, does the hand you catch better with have any bearing on the hand you wear you glove on? No you wear your glove on your non-dominant hand because catching is much easier than throwing (which you do with your bare hand). It's the same thing in hockey, weilding the stick requires far more precision than catching.

So barring injury restrictments, the hand you hold the stick in should be your throwing hand.

Originally Posted by kwrentagoalie

obviously you made your choice and are happy but since the thread has evolved, i'll give my two cents; I'm naturally left-handed (ie. when i drop the gloves, i'm swinging with the left hand). I shoot right handed and play full right (catch with the right hand, stick in my dominant left hand). Now to be honest with you if I was completely ambidextrous, I'd play goal right-handed for the simple fact it's easier to get equipment that way. I tried it once for a pick up game once but found it was far too hard to maneuver the stick in my right hand (i'm a guy who likes to poke check).
When deciding about what hand a goalie should catch with, it doesn't matter how good they catch with either hand. Look at it this way; in baseball, does the hand you catch better with have any bearing on the hand you wear you glove on? No you wear your glove on your non-dominant hand because catching is much easier than throwing (which you do with your bare hand). It's the same thing in hockey, weilding the stick requires far more precision than catching.

So barring injury restrictments, the hand you hold the stick in should be your throwing hand.

I disagree because the way I hold a stick when I skate out is the way a full right would hold his stick and I can play the puck very well that way. I definatly see your point, but I catch everything with my right hand because its dominant and yet you are right when you say that's why in BASEBALL you would want your dominant hand for ability to throw as its the stronger hand(generally). Where as full-right plays to both my strengths, that's how I would play skating out and the rotation for playing the puck with a stick is on the bottom side of your shoulder where my shoulder can rotate and not upwards where my shoulder has limited motion and my right hand is a strong catcher. I guess its what works for everyone, and I wouldn't push anyone one way or the other but as my injury has pushed me that way its worked a lot better than I had hoped and I'm playing better than the other way, maybe because of confidence maybe for a multitude of reasons. Anyways good luck to all. Practice is the best way to improve, like I've said before my change was need not play.

Hey Avsfreak,

How's going to full right going for you? I am like kwrentagoalie. I'm left handed and I'm a catch right goalie but when I skate out I shoot right. This all goes back to my baseball training. I played baseball at a very young age before I ever played hockey. When the kids before me went up to bat they all got on the left side of home plate so I didn't know any different and did the same thing. So when started playing hockey I was just normally was a right hand shot. I think it was easy for me to switch to the goalie position from a forward because of it. Just for fun I tried playing as a catch left but it felt too weird. Also just for the fun of it I once played pick-up hockey with two catch gloves. I thought it would work out pretty good, but it sounded better than it worked.

Jim