How can I get better at going left?

Question

Any drills or exercises?

Answer 1

Learn how to do everything with your left hand, to build overall dexterity. Eat with your left, write with your left, draw with your left, throw passes with your left. Anything you do well with your right, do with your left. Maybe you can do layups with both hands, but do you have all the same moves? A fancy finger roll or pump fake move? A wrist pass? Behind the back pass? Try and make any part of your game equally good with your left, including dribbling.

You could try playing games where you only go to your left, and have to finish left handed as well. Much like how you probably went right all the time when you were first learning the game (and some perhaps still do years later!).

Giving yourself options is always a good thing. Give it some time. Everyone's tendency is to use their dominant hand. I'm fortunate to be a lefty, but grow up in a world dominated by right handed people. So I learned to write with my right. So when I learn things, I have a choice, and can usually do most things with both.

If it doesn't come along the way you'd like, there are always other options. Developing a step back jumper. If you check out a lot of Jordan footage, he didn't go left much, especially late in his career. But the step back was his most lethal weapon. This still gives you more than one weapon, and that is all you really need. Finding a way to start each move in a similar manner, so the defender can't tell which you're going to do.

Answer 2

Continued dribbling and extra sets of drills w/ your left. In pick-up games concentrate on going left. Some things that I heard from the tournament from Drew Neitzal (Mich St) was that growing up hisdad made him use his off hand for everything. Brushing teeth, eating, opening doors, etc.

Answer 3

Developing the skill of going left is done by applying the same drills as going right, except it's all in reverse. So, instead of stepping with the right foot first and dribbling with the right hand, you step with the left foot and dribble with your left.

As you've probably thought out by now, this means that you'll also need to practice dribbling and performing layups with your left hand.

It's always best to develop basketball skills with your off hand because it makes it more difficult to guard you. Even if you can start going left but then always have to cross over to your right at the basket to finish, it makes it easy for your defender to anticipate and block your shot.

Larry Bird had the ability to score with either hand through layups or even jumpshots. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can shoot his sky hook with his left or right hand. As for current NBA players, Carlos Boozer has developed the skill of going strong to the basket and laying in the ball with either hand.