By Mike Cohen
Park visitors take a second glance after watching a middle-aged man with dated attire and two rackets whack a tennis ball off the practice walls at Veterans and Lindberg parks in Culver City.
Gripping a racket in each hand, Roger Garland performs entertaining practice routines to the delight of passers-by. His shots have the spin, power and finesse of a polished player as he effortlessly changes grips for whichever stroke he needs to hit. He can serve with either hand.
The ambidextrous tennis player says he has average athletic ability and notes that most people have more natural ability than he possesses with their opposite hand.
“I developed this skill through years of dedicated training. I was determined that I could accomplish this,” said Garland, a local high school teacher.
As a teenager, the Brooklyn native taught himself to throw baseballs and Frisbees and play ping-pong with his left hand. He has become an ambidextrous bowler, equipped with a specially drilled ball with six holes (three for each hand).
“Sometimes I bowl my left hand against my right hand,” he said.
He also taught himself to hit golf balls from both sides.
“All this is a lot of fun,” he said.
After taking up tennis in his late teens, Roger switched from using a two-handed backhand to a one-handed backhand to strengthen his game.
“This was a challenge. You are reluctant to make major changes to your game once you have been playing a certain way for a period of time, especially as an adult,” he said.
Garland injured his right shoulder at age 25, prompting him to develop a lefty forehand. Months later when his right shoulder healed, he returned to right-handed play. Taking on a greater challenge a few years later, he developed proficiency in serving left-handed and hitting backhands from the left side.
He helps other players who ask him for advice when they see him practice but finds that many players put limits on themselves, which he refuses to accept.
“If I can learn to play this well with my opposite hand, then anyone can learn to play good tennis with their natural hand.”
Garland hopes his ambidextrous tennis ability will be filmed for television commercials, but for now he puts on a show for all to see every time he practices at the local parks.
frank diamond Says:
Fri, Sep 03 2010 11:25 AMHe is very good. Need to make a video of him. Put it to the YouTube.
See more people his talent