Another beginner mtb question from me!

Okay, I noticed that when I was riding singletrack that the tight left hand turns were very hard for me. I could never turn tight enough and had to bail on almost every one to avoid crashing or ending up way off the trail in the wood. I did better on right-hand turns (not great, but better).

Being a long-time roadie, I am used to leaning my body to turn and barely moving the handlebars at all. That doesn't seem to work on singletrack! I guess I need to turn the handlebars more, but why would it feel so much harder/scarier /impossible to the left than to the right?

I should mention that even on the road, u-turns have never been a strong skill of mine. I'm a decent cyclist, but slow-speed maneuvers in general are one of my weaknesses.

I tried to practice a tighter left-hand turn tonight on our trails at home, around a tree, and promptly fell. Nothing too serious, but I'll have a new crop of bruises. I could do the same turn (slowly and not gracefully, but upright) to the right.

I am right-handed. Does that make a difference?

Are there any specific techniques I could use to get better at this, or does it just require I keep practicing over and over until I get it?

Thanks again for all your past and future help -- I feel like I am learning to walk all over again, trying to learn to mountain bike!

Emily