Analysis: Figuring out what type of laterality a player possesses could benefit coaching, training, talent identification and selection
What do James O'Donoghue, Colm Cooper and Declan O’Sullivan have in common with Diego Maradona, Mo Salah and Lionel Messi? To explain, let's first take a look at what laterality is.
An exciting aspect of research is the unexpected discoveries that can emerge along the way. This was precisely the case with the first study of my PhD. The study examined the extent to which players used their non-dominant side in 121 male and female inter-county Gaelic football games. While analysing these games, it quickly became evident that most players were predominantly one-sided in their skills. However, other intriguing anomalies surfaced during the analysis. These anomalies were not only surprising but also significant enough to warrant a dedicated paper of their own.
What is laterality?
Laterality refers to whether a person prefers their left or right, hand or foot for specific skills. Players were classified as:
● Unilateral: Favouring one side for all tasks.
● Bilateral: Equally adept on both sides.
● Mixed handed/footed: Using one side for one skill and the other side for a different skill (e.g. left foot for kicking and passing, right foot for soloing).
● Crossed lateral: Opposite sides for the hands and feet being dominant (e.g., right hand and left foot).
What were the findings?
1. Most male and female county players are unilateral
The majority of both male and female players consistently favoured one side of their body across all four skills. Right-sided dominance was most common, with no player being bilateral for all four skills analysed (kick pass, hand pass, solo, hop).
2. Laterality profiles are more diverse than expected
To illustrate the complexity of laterality, we present two graphs focused solely on passing skills, one for the male sample and one for the female sample. These graphs depict the percentage of dominant side use for the hand pass (y-axis) and kick pass (x-axis). The x and y axes are divided into three ranges: 0–40% indicates left-sidedness, 40–60% represents bilaterality, and 60–100% signifies right-sidedness.
While the majority of players in both genders are clearly unilateral right (top-right quadrant), attention should be drawn to the other quadrants, particularly in the male sample. For example:
- A player located in the top-left quadrant (cross-lateral) was right-handed for the hand pass but left-footed for the kick pass.
- A player in the bottom-right quadrant (also cross-lateral) was left-handed for the hand pass but right-footed for the kick pass.
- Players classified as partially bilateral appear in rectangles bordering the bilateral range, indicating they were bilateral for one skill (e.g., hand pass) but unilateral for the other (e.g., kick pass).
It's important to note that these graphs only represent laterality profiles for passing skills. Separate graphs were necessary to analyse other skill combinations, such as foot-based skills (solo, kick pass), hand-based skills (hop, hand pass), and carrying skills (hop, solo). Together, these graphs highlight the nuanced and varied nature of laterality in Gaelic football.
3. Left-sided players are less lateralised
Left-sided players used their dominant side less frequently compared to their right-sided counterparts for all four skills analysed. This finding aligns with broader research suggesting that left-handed individuals may naturally have a greater ability in using both sides of their body.
Within Gaelic football the increased levels of bilaterality seen in left-sided players is not widely known amongst coaches and players (Dillon et al., 2024). The implication of left-handed and left-footed players being more bilateral than their right-sided counterparts centres around expectations from coaches and potential talent identification. These findings suggest that coaches may find it easier to develop bilaterality amongst left sided players, and it may be beneficial to have different expectations for the rate of progress of left and right sided players.
Differences in the physical structure of the brain has been postulated as a reason why left sided individuals are less lateralised than their right-sided counterparts. More specifically, the corpus collosum, which is the main fibre tract connecting the right and the left cerebral hemisphere and has more than 350 million fibres (Westerhausen et al., 2004). One sidedness is associated with smaller corpus callosum size (Luders et al., 2010). A corpus callosum is thought to allow for faster and more accurate movements (Tran & Voracek, 2016). In practical terms, it means that left sided players may be able to transmit messages to their non-dominant side more efficiently than their right sided counterparts.
4. Gender differences are minimal
Overall, there were no major differences between male and female players in their laterality profiles. However, in carrying skills (hop and solo), males were slightly more likely to use both sides for one of the skills, while females relied more heavily on their dominant side.
Why are these findings important?
- Understanding a player's laterality profile according to skill can help coaches tailor their training to the individual player’s need and gives the player less opportunity to 'hide.’
- Analysing the laterality profiles of opponents can provide valuable insights in opposition players. For example, knowing that a player strongly favours their right side for kicking but their left hand for hand passing might influence how a team defends against them.
- Left-sided players may find it easier to develop bilaterality, so coaches might need to adjust their expectations accordingly.
Talent identification
Recognising the potential for bilaterality in left-sided players and crossed lateral players could influence development squad selection. If a player is borderline in terms of not being selected, but left sided or crossed lateral, it would be prudent to keep such a player in the system. After all, a study on left footedness in Dutch soccer found that being left footed increases the probability of selection in Dutch national youth soccer teams.
By the way, the answer to the question at the start of the article? All these players are left footed and right handed. This means they are termed cross lateral and may have cerebral advantages. Watch out for crossed lateral players next time your team is training. I would imagine there will be at least one!
This research was supported by the Irish Research Council (Research Ireland) Postgraduate Award Scheme.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
