The "bunch of buds"...talking tennis.

[gsheiner]

Don,

Out of curiosity why did you learn to serve left handed if you threw right handed in baseball? Did you have an Uncle Toni type advising??

Also, when Don Budge taught you to serve left handed were the mechanics different from what you were naturally doing right handed from baseball?

As for golf and tennis, I have read that many tennis players are good golfers but that they often play with their other hand. For example, a right handed tennis player would be a left handed golfer. I have read as well that this is because of the mechanics of the two-handed backhand are similar to the golf swing. What are your thoughts on this?

[hockeyscout]

Don_Budge may like this, more Golfers from Canada are left handed than any country in the world. Must be from hockey, as we're all left handed as a country in Canada.

I am right handed, however, I am left handed in hockey. A hockey stick is very long and tough to control! You're top hand needs to handle the torque, and the bottom hand has to handle the weight with no torque. A kid in Canada starts to play as soon as they can walk - one years of age like we do in Canada will grab the stick with his right hand (usually the right) on the top, and the left goes to the lower part, and boom, left hander born.

What's interesting is American kids shoot right more than than us Canadians, probably because they aren't as experienced in the game as us, and think I am right, so I will shoot right when they first go to the sports store!

[bottle]

A little delving into the don_budge forum archives would find an abundance of excellent materials relating golf and tennis starting with a famous video of Ben Hogan swinging and expounding on hip turn right after he won a major tournament.

[gsheiner]

Thanks bottle but I'm still curious as to why DB learned to serve left handed after being a right handed baseball thrower.

[don_budge]

How much brain are you using? Go ask Don Budge.

Don,

Out of curiosity why did you learn to serve left handed if you threw right handed in baseball? Did you have an Uncle Toni type advising??

Also, when Don Budge taught you to serve left handed were the mechanics different from what you were naturally doing right handed from baseball?

As for golf and tennis, I have read that many tennis players are good golfers but that they often play with their other hand. For example, a right handed tennis player would be a left handed golfer. I have read as well that this is because of the mechanics of the two-handed backhand are similar to the golf swing. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks bottle but I'm still curious as to why DB learned to serve left handed after being a right handed baseball thrower.

Thanks for asking...again.

It's funny...they say that most human beings are only using 5% of their brains but if that is true I claim that I must be using 10%. hahaha!

Way back when...when I first started going to the tennis court following my mom and dad I was switching the racquet between hands for forehands. Hitting both right and left handed forehands. I remember going into the gymnasium with the man who would teach me the game of tennis and he asked me to serve against the wall and for some strange reason I serve with the utmost of natural ease with my left hand.

This was a strange revelation...since to that point I was throwing right handed. So the reason why I learned to serve left handed was only that...it was my natural inclination. As I mentioned...I threw right handed as a baseball player and shot right handed as a basketball player. Just as naturally as later in life I began to play golf right handed...when I had always batted left handed.

So I think it has something to do with my brain...as I have looked at life from both sides now. Does that make any sense? It certainly does to me.

I remember working with Don Budge on the serve. I was facing him and he was facing me. He talked about the backswing...he talked about the transition point and he talked about the forward swing and follow through. It was beautiful...looking into the mirror of my mind to see him right there in front of me explaining this stroke of service to me. I already had a really good serve and he put the finishing touches to it. They broke the mold. What a stroke of luck to have met him...a truly fine and distinguished human being. He was beyond words...he was a real genuine human being and gentleman.

Thanks for asking again...gsheiner. I truly appreciate it.

[gsheiner]

Thanks for answering DB.

Funny how the body and mind work. I grew up playing softball every day of every summer and was a good right handed hitter.

As I got a bit older, we started to play stickball , except we used real baseball bats and the school wall as a backdrop. So, now the pitch was fast and overhand and could be made to curve right to left like a slice serve.

Somehow, I began batting left handed and eventually was better hitting lefty than righty against pace. But, I was still much better right handed against slow pitch.

Similarly in tennis, my two handed backhand return is better against big serves than my forehand return. But, if the serve is slow my backhand return breaks down.

Similarly, my backhand ground stroke has always been a weakness.

At times, I've wondered if eye dominance has anything to do with this.

As for yourself, a big tall lefty server -- I'm thinking Victor Amaya who played college tennis in your part of the world.