Left or Right?

6 watchers

folkieboater Feb 2021 5:56pm, 15 Feb 2021 27 posts	0 folkieboater I don’t know about the running thing, but I can say that if I jump down off something like a lock gate, where I have a total choice, i.e. nothing in the way, I will land on my left foot. My knee often reminds me of that 🤪
Sharkie Feb 2021 6:03pm, 15 Feb 2021 17,283 posts	0 Sharkie I always start with my right foot in front- ie left leg moves first. Take off leg for the long jump is my left. If I find I'm hitting the board but jumping from the wrong leg I swap to left foot front which feels slightly odd - but means I jump off the correct foot.
Velociraptor Feb 2021 6:07pm, 15 Feb 2021 51,502 posts	0 Velociraptor I do most thing with my right foot as my dominant foot. I'm not sure whether this is because it is and always has been dominant (I'm right-handed) or because my left knee is slightly less reliable due to internal derangement or because my head expects my left knee to be slightly less reliable because it knows the internal derangement is there whereas my right knee has never been scanned and therefore is assumed to be in perfect condition. I favour the first of these.
larkim Feb 2021 9:35pm, 15 Feb 2021 13,530 posts	0 larkim I find it strange that it seems like most right footed people (I e would kick with right foot) would long jump off the left.
runningmumof3boys Feb 2021 9:42pm, 15 Feb 2021 4,203 posts	0 runningmumof3boys Ok I just had a go and I think I would always have my right leg in front so take first step with my left
Sharkie Feb 2021 10:34pm, 15 Feb 2021 17,284 posts	0 Sharkie I'm left handed and jump from my left foot for high and long jump. I can hurdle with both. I kick left footed but can kick with right - I have no scientific evidence but suspect most left handed people are more likely to be able to use both sides for various sports stuff because we're used ot dealing with a right handed world.
cerid Feb 2021 10:36pm, 15 Feb 2021 492 posts	0 cerid Left foot first, yet somehow still driving with my right. 🤯
larkim Feb 2021 8:54am, 16 Feb 2021 13,531 posts	0 larkim On the beach with the kids we've tried long jumping off our "wrong" foot and it's really peculiar. Amazing how Jess Ennis managed to swap legs and be as good as she was. I'm a left for forward person for racing starts ( i.e. left toe on the line, right foot is the first to leave the ground) but I don't think I have a preference when I'm just out for a training run.
Sharkie Feb 2021 9:02am, 16 Feb 2021 17,285 posts	0 Sharkie I do think it depends on the individual. larkim. My admiration for Ms. Ennis holds no bounds (hem hem) to change at THAT level was no mean feat. But I've found it quite difficult to establish a preference. Sort of like footballers who use both feet (huge advantage for them) And you can learn. Having said that I REALLY can't throw with my right arm, and it's decidedly weaker for lifting weights.
SteveC NordRunner Feb 2021 9:54am, 16 Feb 2021 477 posts	0 SteveC NordRunner There has been a meta-analysis of studies of handedness and footedness. If you are right-handed you are rarely left-footed. The other way is relatively more common than that. «As many as 60.1% of left-handers were left-footed whereas only 3.2% of right-handers were left-footed...» See pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov