Ambidexterity

[Geckothan]

Anyone here ambidextrous? I do most things left-handed (with the exception of playing guitar and using a computer), but I'm finding that my right hand is almost as adept as my left hand at alot of things.

I had a go at doing some right-handed writing earlier, and though it's not perfect (mainly because I haven't tried it for years and also because I can't move one of the joints in my right thumb as much as I can in my left one which means I can't hold a pen properly), I think with practice I could get it as neat as my left hand.

Ignore the crappy cursive, I haven't written in it since I was 10 My right handed version is barely legible.

Anyone other ambidextrous/wannabe-ambidextrous people want to give it a go?

 

[Gepard]

I'm a lefty; my brother was ambidextrous when he was a kid, but eventually settled into being right-handed. (Oddly, he's the better artist of the two of us.)

I've tried writing right-handed one or twice. Here's how it turned out here, before it got too shitty and I gave up:

Ambidexterity always seemed like it would be a cool skill to have, what with the variety. Then again, I've also thought being bisexual would be great for the same reason, and look where I've gotten with that.

 

[thestrangequark]

I gave it a shot, and was a lot better than I thought I'd be. The little figure I drew was particularly easier than I expected. I suppose I could've done better, too, if I'd taken more time. Of course, my success could be partially attributed to the fact that my regular handwrighting isn't that precise to begin with. I didn't feel like breaking out the scanner for this little experiment, so I just snapped a picture with my webcam:

 

[Pingfah]

My left hand handwriting is appalling, but then my normal handwriting is really bad anyway.

I occassionally take a pool shot left handed to avoid a long stretch with the rest, but only if it's really easy.

 

[JonathonWally]

I can do everything with both hands except write well, pitch a baseball (throw just fine, but can't pitch lefty) and a few other odd things, but mostly pretty ambidextrous.

 

[Deckerd]

Most competent piano players are ambidextrous.

 

[Kira's Mom]

My grandfather was ambidexterous. My mom is a righty, so was one aunt. My other aunt and uncle are lefties. Interesting how that happened!

I'm a righty. I've tried writing with my left hand, but I'm not very good at it.

 

[RoJoHen]

My left hand is fairly useless.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

I write, brush my teeth, and apply my makeup with my right hand, but I do almost everything else left-handed. I've tried to play sports right-handed, but I'm not as good. My left-handed writing is still legible, but it's slow and laborious.

 

[Kirby]

I'm naturally a lefty, and I can do things pretty much equally with both hands, however I can't throw, bat, or swing a golf club very well with my left.
When I was a little kid my grandmother taught me how to juggle, and I think that really helped my ambidexterity.

 

[TheGodBen]

Most competent piano players are ambidextrous.

I'm a lefty in most things, I can't even operate a mouse with my right hand, but when it comes to playing piano I'm better with my right hand. I'd even so so far as to say that my left hand significantly held me back when playing. The same is true of typing as well, I tend to use all my fingers on my right hand while on my left hand I tend to stick to only one or two.

 

[Mallory]

My left hand is fairly useless.

Same here. I discovered just how useless when I had a cast on my right arm from my elbow to my fingertips for eight weeks.

 

[trampledamage]

I'm left-handed, and my right hand is useless! I can't even successfully get a mug to my mouth and drink with my right hand.

The one thing I can do right-handed is use a mouse - this is because I specifically taught myself so I could move the mouse mat to the other side of the computer and make room for my left hand to write notes.

Okay, to be fair, I can also type - but I can't do anything that requires moving the hand itself particularly.

 

[backstept]

I'm a lefty but I can write legibly with my right hand, but it's slow and painful, and sometimes I form the letters totally wrong, and I can't keep a consistent spacing between letters

I do a lot of things with my right hand though . . . it's like I have better fine motor control with my left and better strength in my right

TSQ - your off-hand writing is better than my main-hand
then again I never did put much effort into penmanship

 

[Holdfast]

I've been professionally trained to be equally good at writing illegibly with either hand.

 

[Mallory]

Isn't that a freshman course in medicine?

 

[Holdfast]

Yep, the final class is learning to do a "quick signature" for charts that's barely more than a tick. Remembering not to use it for signing cheques or in other normal life situations is part of post-qualification speciality training.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Despite being right handed, I was born illegible. In fact, it's becoming worse, apparently. I think it's down to some strange extrapyramidal movement disorder, but then again that's my excuse for everything.

Interestingly, I can write with my left hand as a mirror image to my right hand's writing. Then again, I also learned the piano when I was 6, so I don't know what to believe.

 

[Kestra]

I'm a lefty; my brother was ambidextrous when he was a kid, but eventually settled into being right-handed. (Oddly, he's the better artist of the two of us.)

I've tried writing right-handed one or twice. Here's how it turned out here, before it got too shitty and I gave up:

Ambidexterity always seemed like it would be a cool skill to have, what with the variety. Then again, I've also thought being bisexual would be great for the same reason, and look where I've gotten with that.

I don't even want to post what mine looked like. Actually I injured my right hand in high school and I had to write with my left for awhile. By the time I regained used of my left hand, I had my handwriting at maybe a fifth grade level. It's probably gotten worse since then but I know it does get easier with practice if I ever was interested in regaining and improving upon the skill.

 

[trampledamage]

Interestingly, I can write with my left hand as a mirror image to my right hand's writing.

Okay, that's weird

I can do a mirror image with my left-hand of my left-hand's forwards writing - it's quite common for left-handed people. I've never heard of someone doing the mirror image with their other hand though.