Non-dominant skill work: why you should start using both hands early

Youth lacrosse coaches have a tendency in coaching, especially outside of the hot spots in New England, and it involves the non-dominant hand. In high skill sports like lacrosse, I can only assume it stems from the desire to keep things simple and build confidence in athletes before expanding their play to both hands. Coaches want to give their kids the chance to get the hang of things before challenging them to work on something they know will be a struggle.

I say the struggle is good and young athletes are particularly suited for the challenge. While their brains may not be designed for strategy or game IQ, they are made for motor pattern integration. Their mirror neurons are firing full throttle. It will never again be easier for them to improve their non-dominant hand than right now, when they are learning to cradle and scoop with their strong hand as well. On top of that, old habits die hard. If you choose to focus on dominant hand development and forego the opportunity to build a more well-rounded athlete, you make it harder for them to fix weaknesses in the future. Basketball coaches learned this long ago. It’s better to start with good fundamentals, even if the pace is slow, than go back and make corrections later.

Be patient. Play the long game. At the younger age groups, design your skill drills to force work on both sides and pause often to ensure athletes are using the hand that is most advantageous in team drills - however horrendous their passing and cradling may be. While you might not see the rewards on game day for your third grade team, the growth of your athletes and the level of play for the older teams in your program will be exponential.