Sports and the Left-Hander

FIGURE 8.8. Jai alai, field hockey, and polo players. 

Safety does not seem to be the primary reason why left-handed play is not permitted in field hockey. With a very large field (100 X 60 yards for the outdoor game), there would seem to be plenty of space for the 22 players (11 on each side) to avoid each other s stick. However, there are no left-handed sticks, and hitting the ball with the back rounded side of the stick is not allowed, so you must strike the ball from the right side. Of course, left-handers can play this game they simply are required to play from the same side as right-handers do (see Sidebar 8.B). 

Playing from the Left Side. The Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) was established in 1924 to formalize the rules of field hockey. Although the rules don t explicitly forbid playing the game left-handed (FIH Rules of Hockey, 2004) they have effectively excluded left-handed playing by specifying that 

The stick consists of a straight handle with a curved head. The lower part of the stick s left-hand (plapng side) is smooth and flat. The back of the stick (right-hand side or nonplaying side) is smooth and rounded for the entire length of the stick. The ball must be played with the flat side of the stick. 

Some of these handed sports situations have been analyzed from a scientific perspective. For example, researchers have analyzed the number and scoring efficiency of left-handed batting during the World Cup for cricket in 2003 [3]. Overall, 24% of the batters were left-handed, but remarkably almost 50% of the batters of the more successful teams were 

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