Train yourself to be ambidextrous

 by Lithium Rain
lefthand.bmp
Have you ever wanted to be able to use both hands equally well?
Afraid of what would happen if your dominant hand broke?
I will show you how to become ambidextrous!

Any input from people who have already successfully done this would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Step 1: Day one

I am righthanded, so I will be attempting to become a lefty as well. Obviously, lefthanded people will be trying to become righties.

Today, practice your handwriting. Write your name and the alphabet, along with a few straight lines and a few circles or curves (useful for cursive as well as printing...letters are just lines and curves after all!), with your non dominant hand. Do it with your dominant hand first. See how pretty you write? This is the benchmark. This is how well you will write with your other hand when we're done.

If you're like me, on this the first day, your straight lines will look like bacon strips. Not to worry, you'll get better the more you practice.

Along with handwriting, try to do a few things consistently with your left hand. You want to be able to shave/put on makeup with your nondominant hand eventually, but for now, just put on your foundation with your left hand, or just shave one or two strokes.
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akarimco says: Mar 16, 2013. 9:35 PM
My problem is that I'm already semi-ambidextrous; I'm left-handed, but I do many things right-handed. I prefer my mouse in my right hand, I bowl right-handed, and I tend to operate knobs/levers/etc with my right hand. I guess for someone like me I would have to pay more attention to which hand I use for what and then try and swap it. I am definitely terrible at writing and eating with my right hand, so perhaps those should be my main focus. I'm not particularly interested in being able to do these things ambidextrously, but I am interested in the effect it will have on the brain.
Axl Axialis says: Mar 15, 2013. 6:38 AM
This is great!!! I can write with both hands 90% equally and even my left hand is even better when I slow down. However, every time I try to increase my writing speed, it becomes extremely distinctive!
twohanded1488 says: Feb 20, 2013. 1:51 AM
I'm naturally right-handed but I have over the years developed quite a high degree of ambidexterity. What I have learned from my experience is that the fastest and the best way of developing this ability is to start right away with exercises that utilize both hands simultaneously AND independently. The exercise that fills these criteria and the one I strongly believe to be the most effective and practical is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzk0AlxJ-IM

Start with two tennis rackets or table tennis rackets and gradually move on to smaller and smaller rackets/hammers. It's endlessly challenging and will rewire your brain like no other.
popmomcorn says: Jan 4, 2012. 5:26 PM
so when i was in preschool until kindergarten i would continuously switch hands while holding a pencil. they got fed up and forced me to pick. i chose right, not really because it felt better, but it was the first word that came to mind. my handwriting is very poor, i am worse at any kind of sport than anyone. both my mother and grand mother are left handed, i think i am too. what do you guys think?
Axl Axialis in reply to popmomcornJan 19, 2013. 6:07 AM
I think it depends. The percentage of a child to be left-handed who has both mother and father lefties is approximately 26% only. You don't have to be worried much about this
colorful761 in reply to popmomcornJan 27, 2012. 6:14 PM
Since you are starting from the beginning, it still may be difficult, but i do think you should try writing lefthanded. it makes sense.
Axl Axialis says: Jan 19, 2013. 6:00 AM
oh, thanks very much! By the way, I'm always forbidden by my parents. They asked: 'What's wrong with you? Is there anything with your right hand?' How should I persuade them to stop prohibiting me? This is my greatest challenge!
Axl Axialis says: Jan 18, 2013. 6:21 AM
I'd tried some of the work before reading the instruction. I'm no longer right-handed - mixed-handed in fact. However, things have gone so awkward some how for me. Every household, pen, pencil, etc. are specially designed for the righties. Is there a shop that sell things for the lefties (not for the ambi)? I want to perform with different tools
Lithium Rain (author) in reply to Axl AxialisJan 18, 2013. 2:59 PM
I bet Amazon has those. There may also be other projects on Instructables to make or modify household items to better serve a leftie.
bravo6347 says: Jan 11, 2013. 2:17 PM
dude make one two become right handed :/
Lithium Rain (author) in reply to bravo6347Jan 18, 2013. 2:52 PM
Yeah...this was written forever ago, and I should have written "dominant" hand (rather than assuming a right-handed reader, which is statistically more likely, but still unwarranted). I'll fix it later.
KitCatJaide says: Mar 23, 2012. 10:04 AM
I am only 13 so this should be easier for me to do. Thank you for this because I'm really looking forward to becoming ambidexterous. What I find that helps is to buy a few cheap handwriting books, one in printing and one in cursive. They're filled with practice sheets and helpful hints on how to learn to write, so it really helps a lot. Thanks again! :)
gustavosb says: Jan 22, 2012. 7:16 AM
My mother is left-handed so when I was little I copied her, but as I started to meet other people I started using my right hand too. Unfortunately when I learned to write I stopped using my left hand. I still can do many things ambidextruosly, but not writting properly. My left hand writting looks like a toddler's.

Written only using my left hand : D
chucho5243 says: Dec 19, 2011. 4:38 PM
My friend and I are* going to keep trying
chucho5243 says: Dec 19, 2011. 4:37 PM
lol i tryed day 1 and its horrible: but i think its intresting that you can train your brain to do this kind of thing. im going to keep trying untill i succeed with this! my friend and I is going to keep trying :D
MagicalToasterz says: Nov 10, 2011. 4:26 AM
Thanks so much for this! Finally a USEFUL guide. I've been looking for this kind of guide for months. I think/hope that I'll be able to do this pretty good, because I'm only 10 and I guess that means I'm less used to my right hand. Thanks again!!
P.S. I made an account JUST to say thanks onto this tut =D
FenrisLokison says: Nov 6, 2011. 9:58 AM
I am in the same boat as blodefood (earlier comment), in that I too am pretty much ambi as well and do the hand switching thing too, although I never actually noticed myself doing it until my cousin asked if I was left handed or right handed after watching me switch hands with the knife and fork at dinner. His girlfriend piped up and said "no, he uses both hands I've been watching him" which was a surprise to me at the age of 20. Depending on what I'm doing I'll either use one hand or the other or either. Most of my family are ambi so it's probably genetic.

The Chinese Martial art of Wing Chun Kung Fu is great for teaching lefties and righties to be more ambidextrous as it trains both sides equally ( hands and feet ).

Being ambi can be confusing in some cases too, I can remember being asked if I was goofy footed when surfing ( i can surf either way ) and didn't understand what the heck they were talking about as it doesn't make a difference if you use both ways (lol).

Your Tip: Don't eat in public with your left hand until you've practiced a bit. Things could get messy. Also can be messy in another way in some cultures where using the left hand is considered taboo. In Some cultures for example offering to shake hands with your left hand can be considered an insult and get you into trouble.

Thats by the by tho.

Nice instructable by the way.

Lithium Rain (author) in reply to FenrisLokisonNov 9, 2011. 7:25 PM
GREAT tip about not eating in public until you've mastered it (as I learned, haha). Thanks for the compliment! :)
smithy813 says: May 22, 2008. 2:47 PM
switching the mouse over isn't rely practical. I am left-handed, and quite a few kids in my class are as well, and most of us just use a regular mouse on the regular side (right) although I do use the touch pad on my laptop with both, (depends what I need to do with the other, i usually use a mouse though) (sometimes, i have my left hand on the touch pad and the right on the mouse, for extra fast pointer action)
mykeled123 in reply to smithy813Oct 26, 2011. 2:22 PM
I had the same problem growing up, but I adapted to using the mouse like that. A few years after becoming a natural at it, I realized that most operating systems give you the option of switching the buttons. I'm thankful for my oblivion to that; otherwise, I would've never learned. xD Started at about seven years using IBM OS/2 Warp, then Windows 95, 98, XP, Vista, and now 7. Coding software and designing websites ...with my left hand. :)
finton in reply to smithy813Jun 25, 2011. 5:16 PM
I guess what lefties have to do in learning to use a right-handed mouse is the same as us righties learning to use our left hand, as I did for RSI relief purposes: http://www.instructables.com/id/Become-an-ambidextrous-computer-mouse-user/. I can sympathise with lefties living in a rightie world!
I see other commenters here have done the same thing.
beehard44 in reply to smithy813Feb 26, 2010. 5:26 AM
if ya wanna do that on a pc, get 2 USB mice then just connect and have fun!
Lithium Rain (author) in reply to smithy813May 22, 2008. 4:19 PM
Sure it's practical. Just not at a computer you have to share with a ton of righties. ;)
mikedoth in reply to Lithium RainSep 8, 2008. 9:07 PM
Yeah I scared some networking guys at work a couple weeks ago when I (as I do often) switched the mouse to the left side. Watching people's reactions is priceless.
afarmiloe says: Jun 18, 2011. 2:49 AM
I just found this page, and I am interested. I am going to try this, not just for writing, but for my juggling. I am learning six balls and it is really hard on my left hand as it starts to drift away from my right. Yay!
siafulinux says: Jun 14, 2011. 7:18 PM
I am now able to write with my left hand. It's useful for me at work, but it's something I've always wanted to do. It has gone from a complete mess to what my right hand writing looks like when I'm in a rush and is completely legible.

What I found helps a lot is to draw little circles, first looping it from left to right and then right to left or visa versa. I do a series of these across a page, about the size of letters and numbers when writing with my dominant hand.

Then I draw lines vertically through them. With the first circle I may go down, then the second circle I would go up and so on, alternating as I go. Then I start a second series of lines going horizontally. I may start going left to right and on the next circle right to left, etc.

What I end up with is a page of circles and crosses going through them. This helps with "drawing" the shapes to get nice rounded letters and straight up and down strokes with the non-dominant hand.

Of course I also do the alphabet and now also, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog".

It's taken months for me to get to this point, but I only thought of the circles and lines about 1 month ago. Hope this helps some other ambi seekers. :)
blodefood says: May 7, 2011. 9:23 PM
While I consider myself to be right handed, I have always been rather ambi. My grade four teacher yelled at me for cutting one side of a circle out of paper and switching the scissors to the other to finish the other side. That was in the "old days" when it was considered weird to do that and was strongly discouraged.

People who are ADD ADHD tend to be more ambi. Switching hands is good brain exercise. It is like learning a second or third language creating new pathways in the brain.
a_traceur says: Sep 2, 2009. 5:47 PM
The only problem with writing lefty is you smudge the paper with your pinky as you write from the right to the left of the paper.
Ballistaman in reply to a_traceurDec 19, 2010. 1:47 PM
Go Leonardo and write backwards from right to left... It looks awesome, and fun to learn to read/write.
Lithium Rain (author) in reply to a_traceurSep 2, 2009. 7:14 PM
Yeah :\ (Although that's not a big problem if you use a pencil as opposed to a sharpie)
geodez in reply to Lithium RainJul 13, 2010. 3:05 PM
No, if you press a little bit too hard you will chip the graphite and make little tiny grains of it and those make little lines over under and through your words.
guineapigmaster138 in reply to geodezOct 25, 2010. 6:08 AM
Well it's not as hard if you were born a lefty-righties just need practice so they won't end up doing that.
geodez in reply to guineapigmaster138Nov 3, 2010. 3:55 PM
Yes.
yerjoking says: Jul 2, 2008. 10:21 AM
Lol, I am right-handed, and (no offence to you) but your left handed writing is neater than my right, for some unknown reason I cannot write neatly, do you have any help for me?
12V in reply to yerjokingSep 17, 2010. 11:48 AM
me too!
after using my right hand for nine years and never my left-
after trying to learn to write with my left for 4 hours my left is better than my right!

when using your left hand hold the pen 2-4cm above the point and tilt the paper so it is almost parallel with your forearm. (helps you to see what you are writing!)
geodez in reply to yerjokingJul 13, 2010. 2:57 PM
The same thing happens to me, but my writing per hand is equal.
Lithium Rain (author) in reply to yerjokingJul 2, 2008. 5:32 PM
Well, I just took my time and went slowly, I would suggest going to the dollar store and getting a little kid's handwriting book (I know ours sells them all the time) and practicing in that. :)
de_llamaman in reply to Lithium RainMar 2, 2009. 11:02 AM
im dislexic and have been forced thru those handwriting books for years and theyve not helped, what can you suggest for this?
beehard44 in reply to de_llamamanFeb 26, 2010. 5:23 AM
(removed by author or community request)
geodez in reply to beehard44Jul 13, 2010. 2:58 PM
MEDICAL HELP! It is a DISORDER! Not a Disease!
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