Do I Shoot Left or Right?

by Dan Torretta - 7/6/2026

Do I shoot left or right?

If you’ve never played a stick sport before you likely have never thought about which way you shoot. Let this serve as a guide to help you make an informed decision.

In floorball, your shooting side refers to which side of your body the blade sits on. A left shot means the blade is on your left side; a right shot means it's on your right. This also determines which hand sits at the top of the stick (your control hand) versus lower on the shaft (your power hand).

Left shot: Right hand on top, Left hand lower
Right shot: Left hand on top, Right hand lower

It sounds counter-intuitive, but for our purposes left and right refer to which side of the body the stick is on, not which hand is where.

For an experienced hockey player this will be easy because it’s no different. Simply pick the same side you use in hockey. For field hockey players it may seem obvious to choose righty because that’s the way you’re forced to play that sport, but it’s worth trying a lefty stick just to see if you’re a natural lefty before committing to what you already know.

A common misconception for new players is “I’m right-handed, therefore I shoot right.” This is not necessarily true. Your writing hand doesn’t determine which way you hold a floorball stick. Take my wife and me for example. I’m left-handed, she’s right-handed. We both shoot lefty. Neither of us is wrong based on our writing hand, it’s just what feels natural to us.

Before you overthink it, pick up a broom or shovel and hold it like you're about to sweep the floor or dig a hole. Don't think. Just grab it. Look at your hands. Whichever hand landed on top is almost certainly your control hand. Left hand on top means you shoot right. Right hand on top means you shoot left. Most people get it right instinctively on the first grab.

Here is a short video to help you decide.

If you have the opportunity to borrow other players’ sticks, use it to play around and see which feels more comfortable. In most cases one way clearly feels more natural than the other. If you’re using a righty stick and keep switching your grip to shoot from the left, you’re a lefty.

Another important thing to remember is whichever hand you have on top NEVER LEAVES THE STICK. No matter what the situation is, your top hand should not let go. This isn’t a hard rule in the rulebook, it’s simply not efficient to be switching back and forth during the high-speed play of the game. If you find yourself doing this and reaching out with your bottom hand that’s a good sign you’re holding your stick the wrong way.

If you truly can’t decide because both lefty and righty sticks feel equal, just pick one and go with it. Floorball blades attach to the shaft with two small screws, so worst case you swap in an opposite-side blade for a fraction of what a new stick costs.

A Brief Note About Straight Blade Sticks

A first timer might feel more comfortable starting with a straight blade stick before deciding which way they shoot. Resist that urge.

Straight blade sticks are a great tool for organizers to use when they have multiple people using the same sticks week in and week out, so no one is using the wrong side stick.

They are NOT a good tool for an individual to buy because they don’t know which way they shoot.

If you’re using a straight blade stick, you’re likely switching back and forth rather than getting comfortable with one side (or equally important, deciding one side feels uncomfortable). You also get very little performance out of the stick because there’s no curve whatsoever. The curve on the blade helps you both control the ball and get powerful, accurate shots.

Leave the straight blade sticks to community programs and schools.

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