New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will always be famous for the one-handed catch he made against the Dallas Cowboys in his rookie season, with his right hand.
Now, Beckham wants to be just as proficient in using his left hand as he is with his right, and his stated goal is to become ambidextrous.
“My left didn’t feel the same as my right so I’m trying to become ambidextrous,” he said, via The Wall Street Journal. “It’s something I’ve been trying recently, to get my left hand intact with the rest of my body. This was finding a way to be better.”
To tackle this challenge, Beckham is reportedly performing daily tasks such as brushing his teeth (three times a day), shooting baskets, kicking, and swinging a baseball bat all left-handed/footed to train his non-dominant side.
While ODB’s actions might sound questionable to some, a study performed by the University of Adelaide in Australia found that when people worked with their non-dominant hand on a regular basis, there was eventually improvement at dexterity. The Wall Street Journal spoke to a sports medicine doctor who said that doing daily tasks with your non-dominant hand helps build a connection between the nerves, muscles and the brain.
Having two hands that are equally proficient would undoubtedly be helpful to wide receivers who sometimes have to defer to their non-dominant hand, depending on the angle of a pass.
With Beckham attempting to master his left hand strength and dexterity, we may soon see him making some jaw-dropping catches as a southpaw.
Although, we must note that Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin would prefer Beckham use two hands at all times.
“Two hands, please,” Coughlin said during training camp. “Two hands on the ball, thank you very much. Ball security as well.”
Apparently, OBJ might just have to test out his new ambidexterity when Coughlin isn’t looking.