Three Benefits of Being or Playing With a Lefty in Pickleball

Left-handed people only count for about 10 percent of the world's population.

This means creating content specifically for left-handers in pickleball is not a priority.

Sorry lefties.

We will hopefully bridge that gap a little bit. Here are three benefits of being or playing with a left-hander in pickleball.

No. 1 - The middle is a no-fly zone

Without a doubt, the top advantage of having a left-hander on your side is that the middle part of the court (down the centerline) becomes a no-fly zone. This is a huge deal because many players have built their game around the idea that the "middle solves the riddle."

When players are in danger or concerned about missing a shot, their de facto spot is in the middle of the court.

With a lefty forehand (and presumably a right-handed forehand as their partner) waiting on the other side, that middle safety net is no longer so safe.

It can be quite a shock to hit a ball to a normally safe spot only to have it sped up back at you an instant later. It takes serious thought and intention to play against two forehands in the middle of the court.

There aren't that many lefties in pro pickleball, but one of them is a top content creator. Get his thoughts on all the benefits of playing with a southpaw:

No. 2 - Your rarity works in your favor

Speaking of it being a shock to play a lefty, it's amazing how many players don't even realize they're playing against one until a few points into the match.

If you play against random people, 90 percent of your games don't include a left-handed player. If you only ever play with your group, there's a chance you never see a lefty.

That rarity is a huge advantage for them. Spots that are typically open or easily attackable, like the middle (mentioned above) or down the right sideline, are no longer safe places to hit.

Have you ever visited a Target store that's your usual Target, and everything is backward? Even the entrance is on the wrong side of the building.

That's what it can be like playing against a lefty in pickleball.

You can see Augie Ge below (far left corner in the white shirt) hit a counter from Collin Johns (near right corner) that would've been a winner against a right-hander.

No. 3 - You get to perfect one side of the court

If you ever need to understand what stacking is in pickleball you should ask a left-hander, because they are almost always expected to do it.

This is because while there is a great advantage to having two forehands in the middle, there is an equal disadvantage to having no forehands in the middle.

So, if you get a left-handed person on the left side and a right-handed person on the right side, the middle becomes a huge liability.

Left-handers are typically experts at stacking because they typically only play on the right side of the court.

This may seem uninteresting or like it could get boring, but imagine how much better you could be if you only had to learn one set of skills? Left-handers have that opportunity.

They can focus on perfecting their backhand dinks and letting any hard-hit ball toward their right shoulder (from crosscourt, especially) sail out.

So, if you are left-handed or have the privilege of playing with a left-hander, consider yourself lucky and enjoy playing the game in a completely different way.