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Right and left sided free takers in hurling

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Ger Canning often says that, in hurling, a free from the left wing suits a right sided free taker and vice versa. This implies that the right sided striker can draw or hook the ball from right to left. In my opinion, the opposite is the case. It is easier for a right sided striker to fade the ball from left to right. This would cause a free from the left wing to go across the face of the goals. In summary, frees from the left wing suit a left sided striker. Frees from the right wing suit a right sided striker. I would welcome opinions from experienced free takers. tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 15/08/2016 10:25:14 1901143 Link
I think you're right. Not that I ever took the frees at goal, but the sliotar curls to the right when you strike from the right side in my experience. Suas Sios (None) - Posts: 1550 - 15/08/2016 12:47:02 1901229 Link
I see your logic and it makes sense, but I hit frees off my left and always preferred freed from left hand side of pitch, aim for the near post and it'll float in nicely Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1909 - 15/08/2016 13:28:20 1901246 Link
that should have said the far post Bon (Kildare)* - Posts: 1909 - 15/08/2016 13:29:47 1901249 Link
Agree with original post. What ger canning knows about free taking id say could be written on the back of a folded stamp. It is nearly impossible for a right handed free taker to hit the ball from right to left without a wind. As an experienced free taker I don't tend to care which side they are on, I haven't noticed a difference in success rate from one side of the field or the other all i know is that a free taken right handed will not curl from right to left 890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1278 - 15/08/2016 16:31:47 1901362 Link
Replying To tommy58: "Ger Canning often says that, in hurling, a free from the left wing suits a right sided free taker and vice versa. This implies that the right sided striker can draw or hook the ball from right to left. In my opinion, the opposite is the case. It is easier for a right sided striker to fade the ball from left to right. This would cause a free from the left wing to go across the face of the goals. In summary, frees from the left wing suit a left sided striker. Frees from the right wing suit a right sided striker. I would welcome opinions from experienced free takers." Spot on Tommy. If you strike from your right hand side, your frees will curl from left to right. This applies to a right handed or indeed a left handed taking frees off their right hand side a la P Mahony. 1914 (Clare) - Posts: 92 - 15/08/2016 16:56:55 1901379 Link
Replying To tommy58: "Ger Canning often says that, in hurling, a free from the left wing suits a right sided free taker and vice versa. This implies that the right sided striker can draw or hook the ball from right to left. In my opinion, the opposite is the case. It is easier for a right sided striker to fade the ball from left to right. This would cause a free from the left wing to go across the face of the goals. In summary, frees from the left wing suit a left sided striker. Frees from the right wing suit a right sided striker. I would welcome opinions from experienced free takers." I would agree I was a left-sided free taker and I found taking a free on the far right very difficult. But it is as you say, that is the way the left/right sided players naturally hit the ball. Left sided hurlers tend to put a bit more spin on the ball purely by the way they strike the ball. But a left sided player will always tell you (if coaches care to ever ask) that they prefer to play on the left and visa versa for right sided players. Modern free takers tend to practise free taking right across the pitch, but i agree with you. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 15/08/2016 22:09:13 1901521 Link
Replying To Bon: "I see your logic and it makes sense, but I hit frees off my left and always preferred freed from left hand side of pitch, aim for the near post and it'll float in nicely" I think that's exactly what he's saying, bon. Lefties find it easier shooting from the left, righties from the right. Despite what Ger Canning might think! ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 16/08/2016 03:24:41 1901567 Link
Replying To 890202: "Agree with original post. What ger canning knows about free taking id say could be written on the back of a folded stamp. It is nearly impossible for a right handed free taker to hit the ball from right to left without a wind. As an experienced free taker I don't tend to care which side they are on, I haven't noticed a difference in success rate from one side of the field or the other all i know is that a free taken right handed will not curl from right to left" Exactly - from a right-handed perspective, if you're taking a free (or even striking the ball from open play for that matter), you will almost always put a clockwise spin on the ball. If the ball is spinning clockwise it will only ever go from left to right. The only way a strike on the right hand side will go from right to left is if the striker put some sort of top spin on the strike - but I don't know why any hurler would want to do that as it's much harder to do and you wouldn't get half the distance on your strike. ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 16/08/2016 03:44:57 1901568 Link
Thanks for the replies. As a follow-on, When striking a 40 m pass, should you rely on backspin only to keep the trajectory straight and easier for the recipient to read rather than use excessive sideways movement of the stick across the ball which would generate a curved flight making it more difficult to judge and control? tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 17/08/2016 12:00:33 1902221 Link
I was a full back tommy.....so I never mastered a 40 yard pass and don't start confusing me with talk of backspin and topspin ffs! bumpernut (Antrim) - Posts: 1852 - 17/08/2016 12:37:20 1902245 Link
In today's camogie final, Marty Morrissey considered that Denise Gaule preferred taking frees from the right wing as, being a left-sided striker, she could aim for the far left post and 'draw' the ball from left to right. By contrast, I was reading a 1960's book by Tony Wall, Tipperary, who stated that, when going for a goal from a 21 yard free. a left-sided striker could fade the ball from right to left to make its trajectory more difficult for defenders to read. I wouldn't claim to know more about hurling (or camogie) than either Marty or Tony, but Tony's view matches my observation.. tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 11/09/2016 19:55:12 1912862 Link
Replying To tommy58: "In today's camogie final, Marty Morrissey considered that Denise Gaule preferred taking frees from the right wing as, being a left-sided striker, she could aim for the far left post and 'draw' the ball from left to right. By contrast, I was reading a 1960's book by Tony Wall, Tipperary, who stated that, when going for a goal from a 21 yard free. a left-sided striker could fade the ball from right to left to make its trajectory more difficult for defenders to read. I wouldn't claim to know more about hurling (or camogie) than either Marty or Tony, but Tony's view matches my observation.." "In today's camogie final, Marty Morrissey considered that Denise Gaule preferred taking frees from the right wing as, being a left-sided striker, she could aim for the far left post and 'draw' the ball from left to right." What Marty is saying might be true as left sided players by their nature put more spin on the ball than right sided players. It is not an easy trick to master - controlling that spin, but left sided players who master it tend to have a deadly accuracy. arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 11/09/2016 20:13:01 1912872 Link
Replying To arock: ""In today's camogie final, Marty Morrissey considered that Denise Gaule preferred taking frees from the right wing as, being a left-sided striker, she could aim for the far left post and 'draw' the ball from left to right." What Marty is saying might be true as left sided players by their nature put more spin on the ball than right sided players. It is not an easy trick to master - controlling that spin, but left sided players who master it tend to have a deadly accuracy." Striking off your right hand side makes the ball spin from left to right. The reason is simple - you are moving the hurley across your body, this imparting spin. That goes for a right hander off their right side or indeed for a left hander off their right. 1914 (Clare) - Posts: 92 - 11/09/2016 21:49:41 1912932 Link