The Quest for Ambidexterity

Step 4 Some Notes

There will be a number of activities for which you will have a choice: duplicate, or mirror? For example, when you reverse your keyboard and mouse, will you leave the button layout of the mouse as-is, or reverse it? In the case of writing, will you stick with the standard, dextercentric style of writing taught in schools, or get your DaVinci on and write mirror-style? (Of course, native southpaws may find that the traditional left-to-right method works better with the right hand.) The mirror method has going for it the fact that your brain finds it relatively easy to replicate an action performed by one hand in the other, but mirrored, as it were. You should experiment to see which method you prefer in each instance that the option presents itself.
These three techniques should be continued for as long as it takes to establish acceptable dexterity with both hands. Good luck!

[Updates]:
The inimitable Weissensteinburg has suggested writing with both hands simultaneously, your non-dominant hand mirroring the dominant. Cool! Try it! It...didn't work so well for me... Imagine drawing an object you've never seen before while blindfolded as described to you by someone who also can't see what you're drawing. That was the quality of the "letters" that were spawned from that attempt. However, it was interesting to feel how your hands desperately want to move in mirror images of each other. As another fun side-experiment, try writing the standard way with both hands simultaneously.

Comments

[emdc]

I enjoyed reading this! I'm ambidextrous & always have been. Everything I do to myself, I use my left hand but I write with my right. I have a theory that people with a double crown (2 whorls on top of the head) are more likely to be ambidextrous. I have & ask whenever I notice someone with a double crown if they're ambidextrous. I'm fairly short so I don't often see the tops of many heads!

[JamesTB13]

Hmm,....that's interesting. I'm like you, but opposite (what?), everything I do to myself I do with my right hand, but I write with my left hand. Also, a little bit of info for your Hair/-Handedness Correlation Study,......I have a double crown! Although this is an interesting thing, it makes my hair grow in nothing BUT a helmet-head.

[fortgeorge]

I'm ambidextrous and have a double crown too. =O

I can write with both hands, although my left handwriting is a little bit less refined it's still very legible and straight.

I learned how to use both because I broke my right hand, index and second finger when I was younger and had a cast and splints.

I've had people mention that my signature look different, although that was mostly when I wrote checks(if a cashier checked my ID) before getting a debit card many years ago. I would forget and use my left hand sometimes instead of my right. heh

[Mother Natures Son]

Hmmm...it'd be interesting if there were a correlation. I've never heard of that kind of distinction...hair patterns are one thing I haven't looked into much.

[finton]

I'd like to look into that for myself, but I have a rapidly growing waste area where my crown used to be! :]

[Puzzlerf]

I've always done some things with some hands and some things with both hands. But about 5 years ago I broke my right hand and just decided to be left handed till the cast was off. Still put my wallet in my left pocket, which btw is helpful in drive throughs. I was already fairly ambidextrous but now a lot more. Though I'd advise against breaking your dominant hand.

Now only if I can stop writing upside down. Seriously. =D

[Mother Natures Son]

It's amazing how smoothly one seems to switch wallet-dominance. I put mine in my left pocket every morning without thinking, now.

[tartinde]

I know this might seem like an odd question. Is there even a reason for switching wallet dominance. When I was younger it took my mother, aunt and uncle about 2 weeks to determine body side dominance. (No on thought of ambidexterity, otherwise I might be.) I'm primarily right dominant since the majority of the tasks I learned were right dominant, or right forced. When it came to the wallet though my uncle told me the wallet only goes in the left back pocket. That way when you shake someone's hand you other hand (left if you aren't following) is guarding your wallet. I haven't heard of anyone shaking hands left handed. Is it actually proper manners to only do right handed shaking? I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin so why we would have to be worried about pick pockets I don't know, but hey that's what I was taught. I thought everyone did that, until today.

[countrygiri]

If it is I'd like to know,I've just followed which ever hand they put out. I normally just use my right. That reminds me. I don't care if they're a woman! USE A NORMAL HAND SHAKE it feels so weird when men just lightly grab your hand. Just saying.

[crak-a-bottle]

I'm a teenage girl, and when I'm out with my father and some of his friends, and we meet some of their other friends, normally they all shake hands and hug me. But there's one of his friends who likes to shake my hand like I'm one of the group, and I respect him more for that.
Anybody else prefer handshakes to hugs?

[countrygiri]

Also a teen! It always depends on the situation. If I'm only an acquaintance,or I haven't seen you in years and barely remember your name,I'm going to want a handshake.But I am a huggy person in general. So I supose you could say I'm on the middle ground.

[crak-a-bottle]

being on the middle ground is probably a good thing. i'm not very huggy, so when people do go for hugs and it takes me by surprise i tend to back off and then they assume i'm being stroppy... : /   but then i still only hug close friends.

[double.death.man]

hi, I heard that switching hands like this is bad for you. so I want to ask you guys if your dominant hand is less effective after this process. will I still be able to play guitar with my right hand?

[powerpositive1]

I have the ability to write with both hands, do any other things with both hands as well, I can write upside down, mirror, and can write 2 different sentences simultaneously with both hands, a) in straight from left to right or b)one in mirror form and one straight simultaneously however completely different sentences that goes for upside down aswell

[Mother Natures Son]

G'damn. Has it always been that way or did you have to work for it?

[powerpositive1]

I was both handed to begin with and then just like you learn to write or learn to type.you have to do it constantly to be a good typist, so get the picture.

[christophor]

I normally use my right hand. One day when I was a kid 10 or 12. I caught myself drawing a picture with my left hand once so I decided to train myself to use both. I can write, eat, pour drinks, accurately throw/catch objects and so on, with either hand. It wasn't hard to learn. Here's how I started. 1. Play ball! Pick up a tennis ball with your non-dominant hand. Toss it into the air and catch it with the same hand. The higher you throw it, the more likely you'll feel the urge to grab it with your dominant hand. Resist that urge. This is easy and you can do it whenever you have a spare moment. Play catch with your non-dominant hand. Throw and catch the ball with a friend. Throw the ball at a target with your non-dominant hand. Start out close up and then move back as you get better at it. 2. Draw - draw a stick man. draw a circle. whatever. this isn't hard to do with either hand if you resist the urge to think about what you're doing. Just do it. don't think. 3. Spoon! Eat something with a spoon. It's easier than you think. You'll start off like a robot. Consciously lifting the spoon in a very non-natural way. Before long you'll have it down. 4. Write something - Not a love letter or anything. To practice your alphabet, use the same techniques you used to learn to write in the first place. Write large capital letters, paying close attention to the form. You'll notice it's easier to write 'backwards', but you'll get the hang of it, after that jot down phone numbers or shopping list items, check things off lists etc... 5. Pour drinks. Get a pitcher or measuring cup, pour water in to a cup. It's easy to do and you'll improve your motor skills with your non-dominant hand very quickly. 6. This is just for fun. Get two dry erase markers. Walk up to the board, one in each hand and write your name with both hands at the same time. The right side will be right and the left side will be backwards, like a mirror. Interesting did-bit: We did this at a moral boosting meeting at work. It was all fun and games until I tried it. I wrote my name correctly with both hands. I couldn't make myself do the mirror image thing like everyone else. I can make either or both write forward or backwards, but not the mirror thing. Everyone thought it was cool and none of them could do it they way I did, so it's a wash. Here are some more fun tricks like that.... Work on moving each eyebrow independently. Do the split fingered Vulcan salute thingy with either hand then try splitting each finger on its own. all together, then only the pinky moves, then the ring finger etc... This next one is hard to describe, I can do it but I only know one other person who can. He showed me. I don't know anyone else who had the patience to try it for very long. Moving your hands in opposite circles... Make like you're pointing at something... Point your index fingers at each other about shoulder height in front of you. Make a circle with your left hand moving toward you. Make a circle with your right hand moving away from you. Your instincts will be to move both hands together like a football penalty or something. Doing them separately is very difficult. It took me a little while to learn it. When you have it right, your hands will pass each other in opposite directions at the top and the bottom. They won't be chasing each other. When they chase each other you're doing it wrong. When you get it right and its easy... Switch directions. Not so easy now! It's EASY for anyone to do it if you put your hands next your ears and and make the crazy person sign with both hands but in opposite directions. Apparently SEEING both hands do it is what trips people up. Don't let your friends see you practicing that way though. Well. Have fun. Try not to poke your eye out. (No. Really.) Good luck. - Chris

[lobo_pal]

Anyone here ever seen Death Note episode 8?

[Mother Natures Son]

I think I probably did...why?

[lobo_pal]

It was either 8 or 9 when he does this cool thing where he writes names on a piece of the death note with his left hand, while doing equations with his right hand, I thought that was cool.

[navintzac]

In the live action movie the directors kept that scene. It was subtle but impressive.

[lobo_pal]

I still haven't seen that, any good?

[navintzac]

The first two movies are quite good. I don't have much exposure to the manga/anime, but I have heard that the movies retain many of the qualities of the series. There is actually a third movie, L Changes the World that I haven't seen. The premise of the movie is a spoiler to the others, but it is worth watching them all!

[Bradlez92]

yeah the writers of that book/show were super on the ball with new/creative ideas for how whats his name to kill without being noticed its like coming up with a really good riddle, i suppose.

[Labot2001]

Yeah, I saw that one. DaVinci could do that too: he'd draw with one hand and write with the other.

[Ambi]

When it comes to mirror writing your left hand will always be faster than your right. I started looking up brain damage and there was a study done on mirror writing. No matter how much the volunteers tried they could never write faster or at the same speed as their left hand. It was pretty interesting. There is nowhere near enough work done on studying the human brain and how it functions.

[Mother Natures Son]

Indeed. Were the people studied right or left hand dominant, or ambidextrous? I find that I'm faster at mirror-writing with my right, though this is probably due to greater dexterity with that hand.

[phaedrus]

I'm slightly right-leaning ambidextrous. Sensory-wise, I'm sight primary, with _both_ my eyes are dominant (or close enough to not matter). It makes switching tasks a lot easier. I try to keep both sides evenly trained, so I switch off a lot--again, very handy for cramped quarters. One thing I've noticed, is that you don't just switch hands when you do something. When I'm doing something like cutting vegetables to make dinner, I turn the right side of my body in when I'm using my right hand. If I just switch to my left, it's incredibly awkward, since I've handicapped that side with my stance. If I step back and mirror my whole body for switching hands, the task becomes a lot easier. You do this unconsciously with a lot of tasks that you think you are just doing with your hands. So, if something feels awkward when you just switch hands, step back to a neutral stance (feet shoulder width apart, both feet even, no torque in your torso), and step in to do the task with your dominant hand. Watch your movements, step back to neutral, and step in mirroring your motions. It's an interesting thing to do, you'll see all the things you do subconsciously to complete a task. You really get to know your body and body mechanics a lot better. Also: chopsticks off-handed. I can do it. Can you?

[Mother Natures Son]

I've not actually tried that. I found that I'm startlingly proficient with them right-handed, although it's not as unconscious for me as it is for my friends who grew up using them. Good point on the stance thing.

[lnara]

Good article! A lot of what you've described are the same things that I do to keep myself ambidextrous. It's also fun when you practice using chopsticks using your non-dominant hand. I

[noxvox]

Writing lefty is great for relieving boredom in school. On a slow day, or when a lecture isn't moving to fast, you can take notes with your non-dominant hand. This assumes your writing is somewhat legible, and it may not be at first. Great instructable, btw. Ambidexterity is about 16.5% of a super power. (look it up). another tip- get writing activity books meant for youngins and write in them when watching tv. Or bring them to class and horrify teachers. The first few times I wrote for an extended period, I swear my brain started feeling differently, like it was hurt and confused that I tried something so different. :)

[Mother Natures Son]

That seems to happen to me, too. I can't imagine that your brainstem getting sore is a good thing...

[Ghelenestenar]

I have to respectfully disagree! *warning: high school student in college-level psychology class* See, when you learn an activity requiring you to move your hands or body in a significantly odd way, your brain actually grows! Your neurons grow more branches (dendrites), which lets them make more connections with other neurons. This happens when you do something like start playing the guitar, or when you move somewhere and have to learn how to get around. And I imagine when you start using your non-dominant hand. It's called "brain plasticiy"! ...Also, the straining would be in your cerebellum, which governs fine-motor movements like writing, or in the hemisphere of your brain corresponding to your non-dominant hand, not your brainstem. Um... now you know..?

[Mother Natures Son]

I am suitably contrite. However, it occurs to me that my entire premise is fallacious, since you don't have any sensory nerve-endings in your brain anyway...I think. 'Soreness' doesn't happen no matter what you do.

[Ghelenestenar]

Hah, well, there is that. But I actually do know what you mean! Sore really seems to be the best word for how it makes your brain feel, but there's probably some other word specifically for this phenomenon... Ah well.

[mr.space]

could the confusion be mistaken for pain?, i've little/ no clue when it come to brain phsiology<- and the spelling of it!

[two2the8]

Hey, great instructable! I switched to using my left hand for mousing a couple of years ago, without too much difficulty. My wrists (particularly my right) were sore from working on my computer, and one day I noticed that the numpad on the right side of my kb added about 6" to its overall width. So when I used the mouse with my right, I had to choose between centering the keys in front of me & reaching an extra 6" for the mouse, or locating the mouse 6" closer and reaching for the kb. All that extra reaching was making me sore! Simply switching to having the mouse on the left side of my kb means that I can center the keys in front of me and access the mouse easily, without the extra strain on my joints. Hooray for left hands!

[Mother Natures Son]

It is easier, isn't it? Although my primary computer is a laptop, the touchpad of which is set up asymmetrically to favor the right-hand. Since I posted this I've gotten used to it, but it's annoying.

[rachelhe]

I'm a lefty (also ambidextrous) and I fenced sabre. My coach always made me practice at least 10 minutes as a righty, that was tough for a while.

[Mother Natures Son]

Huh. I got the impression, starting out, that I would've been almost as proficient with my left hand, but after I got started the incentive to switch dropped off rapidly as I became better and better with my right--I wouldn't have stood a chance with my left. Now I really wish I'd practiced both. So much of it's down to muscle memory.