Left Handed Little Man

Updated on May 14, 2008
M.F. asks from Southaven, MS
15 answers

I have an issue. My child is playing t-ball for the first time. He is 3. He does everything in his life left-handed. Coloring, eating, kicking ball (left foot), when he hands you something he does so with his left hand. Don't get me wrong the right one works.. he chooses to use his left.

So in t-ball we could not find a glove for left handed throwers that was his size. So he wears a right hand glove backwards. He throws straighter and farther with his left hand. He hits harder when he bats left handed. And he can read left handed batters and moves his position on the field when they come to bat (seriously.. I was shocked when I saw that last night)....

At any rate, his coach keeps trying to make him change hands with this glove, and with batting. My husband and I have told her, he is lefty. We always yell out when he comes to bat "hey coach.. lefty" and she always acts as if this is the first time we've said it...

I know some people think "old school" and think that left handed people have problems, but I am NOT against my son being lefty. That is his natural tendency and I do not plan to change it....

Any advice?

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So What Happened?

Well we found a 9" glove on sportsunlimitedinc.com. I ordered it and we are waiting. Last night at his practice his coach finally got enough of not understanding us, and asked "why does he wear a right hand glove on the wrong hand?"... so My husband explained it yet again ... and she finally gave in and started batting him left handed.

So we will see how this goes.

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D.F.

answers from Memphis on

Yep, my nephew is left handed, pitches and a great hitter. It is a great asset for a baseball player to be left-handed...agree with Sissy. :)

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K.W.

answers from Chattanooga on

Quite the opposite. I have always heard left handed people are very intelligent and do very well! Keep it up Lefty! It is all in how it is presented and received in his little mind. I know they make left handed gloves as we had left-handed players when my daugher was young and in t-ball. You might check online.
Blessings

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C.B.

answers from Knoxville on

Not only can you not change a lefty- it is bad to try! Maybe you need to sit down alone with the coach and talk to her.

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A.C.

answers from Greensboro on

my daughter used her left-hand all the time until she got to preschool (4) and started writing - now she's a righthander - doctors say that they might be using one hand and switch to the other when school starts . . .

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J.C.

answers from Nashville on

Yes, it's a right-handed world. Lefties do learn to adjust. It looks like for now, you'll have to pay extra for a lefty glove. But it won't be long before he'll be big enough to wear a normal size glove.
My son is a lefty too. He writes and eats with his left hand, and throws and kicks a ball with his right hand and foot. No, I never tried to get him to do anything with his right side. He just chose to do so, and he turned out fine. (He's 29, by the way, and it seems like just a moment ago, he was 3. :)
And the coach . . . there's no excuse for her stubborness. Have you taken her aside and asked her why she continues to disregard your instructions?

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K.H.

answers from Johnson City on

Please don't let them make him use his right hand if he is left handed.My friend years ago let her sons teacher change her son's hand and made him use his right the outcome was terrible.When he wrights a letter now he must type it because you can't read his wrighting, not even printingI too have a child the is alefty,it has been different trying to teach her to wright,etc.I lucked out ,my husband is also a lefty so he got the job.
Your child is a lefty for a reason.Have you tried Action sports on Center Street ?They do make left handed gloves ,there not so easy to find.If you can't find one there try ebay.Thanks K.

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C.G.

answers from Chattanooga on

YES!- New Coach!! (you, maybe?)
I'm a lefty (at least as strongly as it sounds like your son is), so is my sister, and so is my dad. We are rare enough, but I understand 3 of 4 in a family is pretty outrageous. Anyway, you are sooooo right to let him be the "handedness" he prefers. My dad was schooled in that "old school", literally. They tied his left arm behind his back to make him switch. All they accomplished was giving him horrible penmanship with either hand.

I was told by a tennis coach when I was about 10 that he didn't have time to train me as the only lefty in a group of about 15 and that I should switch. I hate tennis to this day...

Seriously, make a special point to express the strength of your feelings about the subject with his coach, and if she doesn't shape up, go somewhere else. Otherwise, he'll try to do it righthanded, do poorly, and lose his confidence and maybe his obvious natural skill that could give him a sport he loves. Besides, I hear lefties are getting paid pretty well in the Majors these days.....you never know?!

Good luck. And thanks for standing up for us different/little guys!

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A.H.

answers from Davenport on

I'm left handed and I don't seem to have many problems, other than the fact that most things are made for right handed people. We learn to adjust. The coach may be just oblivious. Maybe check the internet for a left handed glove that will help your son more than anything. That may not be a lot of help. Hang in there!

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T.D.

answers from Knoxville on

This all may pass but if by chance he is a lefty than thats just who he is. Also this may not be true but every one on my husbands side of the family is wanting my son to turn ouyt as a lefty because research has shown that left handed people were smarter. Like I said that may be a myth but maybe NOT!
He is perfect anyway and you need to speak to te coach one on one so she can get it RIGHT!

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S.A.

answers from Chattanooga on

Oh my gosh! You should feel so blessed tht he is showing left-handed tendencies. My husband played college baseball and is really hoping that our 2 yr old son will be left handed. My husband is right-handed, but plays all sports ( baseball, golf, etc. ) left handed. Maybe the coach doesn't understand the benefits & advantages that a left handed player has. Please don't let her try to change him - his left-handedness just might be what earns him a college schloarship later on as it did my husband!! Good Luck!

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A.H.

answers from Birmingham on

I have 3 children myself and have been a "ballpark mom" for 10 years. One thing we learned early on in our baseball/softball experience is that some of the coaches (who are, in essence, just parents donating their time and they don't have any "coach training" per say) will sometimes try to force a child into what they envision as the typical player. My advice would be to gently pull the coach aside and explain that even though most of the batters may be right-handed, you feel that it is important to nurture your child's development and not hinder it by forcing him to do something that doesn not come naturally to him. You don't want him to think it is wrong or bad to use his left hand if that is the way he is more adept. Also, it sounds as though your little all-star has a natural talent for baseball, and if you look at statistics, left-handed batters AND pitchers have better stats than right-handed players! Being the mommy of a 16 year old daughter in her 10th year of softball, I want to tell to relish this time and these years, because before you know it, he'll be six feet tall and swinging a bat like a pro and hitting it over the fence like it's nothing at all! We only have 2 years left for her to play, and we are loving every single second! Good luck to you, and congratulate your little man every chance you get!

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R.S.

answers from Biloxi on

My husband and I are both left handed. It seems our 1 yr old is tending to favor his left hand as well. We are thrilled because we grew up in houses that had all right handed people showing us how to do things which became confusing at times. Good for you that you are going to encourage him to use his natural dominant side. There are plenty of things available on the internet for him, and new things every day. I'm not sure about the glove, but hopefully you'll find one. The only advice I can give is to make sure that you also encourage his left-brain (right side) development by having him do things that require him to use his right hand as well.

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M.B.

answers from Tuscaloosa on

Hi M.,
I have a daughter that is left handed. We knew very early because of some of the things you have noted noticing also. We had trouble finding a left handed tball glove but we did find one. We had to go to one of the sporting good stores. It wasn't as cheap as most tball gloves. Check and see if you have a hibitts or anyother sporting goods stores. I think ours came from hibitts. As far as someone trying to change your child. Mine is 10 and we face it at least a couple times a week. Everyone thinks that it's a right handed world and everything should be done right handed. My daughter is old enough that she now knows to tell them she is a lefty when they start trying to line her up on the wrong side. I will also add that don't change him but don't close your mind to him batting (in the years to come) right handed. There are lots of ball players that bat both ways and usually it is only the leftys that can pull this off. It keeps your pitcher guessing. Good luck with finding the glove.

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K.C.

answers from Jackson on

Two out of my three children are lefties. My son, who is 4, started playing tee ball this year. I was able to find him a left handed glove at Target near Dogwood. They had them for $10. Just curious, does he bat left handed too? Both my son and daughter who are left handed bat right handed better. They are switch hitters, but better from the right.

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A.S.

answers from Chattanooga on

Your definately right. There is nothing wrong with being left handed and in baseball it can be an advantage to be left handed. Most 1st basemen are left handed, your always looking for a good left handed pitcher and batter. You know the whole song and dance. I would continue to look for a left handed glove. If he is left handed then that is the glove he should wear. Make sure the coach understands that you do not want to change your child. You are accepting of him being left handed. You can teach him to be a switch hitter, but he IS LEFT HANDED. Good luck. Hopefully, he will be the lefty colleges are looking for.(Scholarship!!)

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