Laochra Gael - Back, and to the left hand on top

Sport
1521

Nothing to do with sideline cuts but it’s also a lot easier to hold the hurley shorter and not get hooked when you hit it “backhand”

1523

I appear to have rattled you beyond belief so I’ll let you off

1524

Agreed, a momentum swinger rather than a Joe Canning 9 iron.

1526

Counter-intuitively, the right hand is the dominant hand with a left handed sideline cut and the left hand is the dominant hand with a right handed one. The other hand is essentially ballast.

1527

I wouldn’t speak too soon, you sound might have to consume them a second time.

1528

You mean right-sided striker.

Right-handed striking and right-sided striking are not the same thing.

1529

We’ll simplify it for him.

Right hand on top = Right handed hurler.

Swinging the Hurley across your body from right to left = Right sided.

Paul Codd/John Mullane etc were right handed but predominantly left sided.

Lar Corbett was left handed but predominantly right sided.

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1530

I write with my left hand but would hurl with my right hand on top. Would I be classified as a citeĂłg?

1531

No. But you probably favour left (backhand) side for striking?

John Conlon is lefthanded but hurls rhot.

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1532

Yes I was always left sided as a young lad and would have more power in a strike off it.

1533

Lar Corbett, Brendan Cummins, JJ Delaney, Eoin Larkin, Ger ‘Redser’ O’Grady and Lester Ryan are lefthanded (and lhot right-sided strikers).

Peter Barry, Diarmaid Byrnes, Jonathan Glynn, Brian Hogan and Peter Kelly are righthanded (and lhot right-sided strikers).

1534

In the truest sense, should a lhot, left handed hurlers’s “stronger” side be their left side? Similarly a rhot right handed hurler be their right side?

So even though the likes of JJ, Lar and the others you mentioned favoured their right, their left should have been their strongest? Like Paul Kelly and Jimmy Doyle?

1535

Yes, in the the classical sense of hurling style. I remember a piece a few years ago in which Shane Dowling outlined how Éamonn Cregan had strove to dissuade him, as a young hurler, from taking frees off his left (backhand) side. The idea, founded in good sense, is that a forehand freetaker (be he rhot or lhot) has better use of his body weight – and therefore more accuracy, especially from distance.

The traditional argument against ‘holding the hurl wrong’ (namely, with the weaker wrist dominant) is straightforward: predilection for backhand strokes and consequent onesidedness. I agree with the argument but there are always exceptions.

This whole topic is far more complex than I once thought. TJ Reid hurls in ‘classic’ lhot fashion, even though he is righthanded (and rightfooted).

1536

TJ Reid is right handed…? that is mind blowing actually.

1537

You have had a number of freetakers in recent memory who strike like that. Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Joe Deane, Paul Codd, Sean O’Connor (Limerick circa 2001?) , Brian Carroll (?)

I have also noticed a lot more LHOT hurlers making minor,u21 and senior teams. Maybe it’s the same proportion as before but because I am looking out for it, it looks more noticable.

Do certain counties lend themselves to certain styles? Galway always had a few LHOT wheras Wexford and Offlay would have a lot of RHOT off the left.

1538

It is.

Richie Reid and Eoin Reid are lefthanded, hurl rhot and favour their left side. Paddy Reid is righthanded, hurls rhot and favours his left side. Their uncle Richie Reid, righthanded, hurled rhot and favoured his left side.

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1539

All true, I think. Tipperary has a great ciotĂłg tradition. Offaly has a great rhot backhand tradition, as does Kilkenny.

1540

Paul Murphy and jackie Tyrell were RHOT off the left and very dominant towards their left. Murphy especially. I can’t remember either of them striking many off their right hand side. That’s not to say they were hindered by this. They were able to use their feet and body to get them into the right postion or else hand it off.

1541

BACKHANDED NATURAL LEFTHANDERS XV
Brendan Cummins/Brian Murray

Niall Corcoran? [lefthanded – but off what side did he take sidelines?]
Joey Holden
Martin Hanamy? [lefthanded?]

DĂłnal Barry
Dónal O’Grady (Limerick)? [lefthanded?]
JJ Delaney

Cian Lynch
Lester Ryan

Joe Cooney
Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher
PĂĄdraic Mahony

Jake Morris
Eoin Larkin
Lar Corbett

SUBS
Terence '‘Sambo’ McNaughton? [lefthanded – but free-taking side?
John O’Brien?
Cathal ‘Tots’ O’Connell
Ger ‘Redser’ O’Grady
Mark Schutte? [lefthanded – but free-taking side?]
Conor Whelan? [ditto]

1542

PM takes frees off his right. JT takes frees off his right and sidelines off his left.