Why

[Tom Flint]

Why is someone called a left hander when batting but a left armer when bowling?

 

[TheJediBrah]

You bat with your hands and bowl with your arms

That was easy

 

[SteveNZ]

You bat with your hands and bowl with your arms

That was easy

I haven't played for a while but I remember bowling with my hand?

Fair question. You bowl right armed/left armed so I get that part (other arm is not involved directly in contact with the ball) but you don't bat with your right hand - in fact as a 'right hander' that's a part of your body that at times you don't want much involvement from at all. Or at least it was before T20 (when the term was born)

 

[TheJediBrah]

That's a whole different question and it's been discussed to death (the right/left hand batting nomenclature)

 

[Tom Flint]

You bat with your hands and bowl with your arms

That was easy

Huh? I hold the ball in my hand when I bowl it. How do you do it?

 

[TheJediBrah]

Huh? I hold the ball in my hand when I bowl it. How do you do it?

You wave your whole arm around to bowl. Unless you're playing a very extravagant shot you don't wave your arms around anywhere near as much when batting. Batting being termed "handed" and bowling being termed "armed" make perfect sense, even though you use your hands in some capacity while bowling and use your arms in some capacity while batting.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I’m not sure whether the OP is questioning the validity of the description or seeking out how they historically came into being. Either way, the Googly is much more troubling.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Chinaman even more troubling

 

[Engle]

"Chinaman" is no longer acceptable after being deemed racially offensive. Replaced by SLW - Slow Left Wrist

 

[cnerd123]

Why is someone called a left hander when batting but a left armer when bowling?

I think it is because in the early days of batting everyone only batted with their dominant hand as the bottom hand. Batting techniques were primitive. The majority still do. So since how you take your stance is tied to your handedness, you're a right-handed batsman.

Throwing is an action that works with the arm, so when people talk about words associated with throwing they'll usually use arm. Correct me if wrong, but don't they use 'right arm' to describe how use throw a javelin, shot put, pitch in softball/baseball, etc? I guess it all originates from that.

 

[Victor Ian]

batsmen should be classified as regular stance or goofy footer.

 

[honestbharani]

goofy footer.

I blame Chanderpaul.


Or, Chandran Paul, as my dad calls him.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Why is someone called a left hander when batting but a left armer when bowling?

Handling a bat
Throwing arm

 

[indiaholic]

Handling a bat
Throwing arm

Uh armed with a bat and handling the balls...Wait..

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Uh armed with a bat and handling the balls...Wait..

You’re on to something hehe