Right-handed or Left-handed? Please help.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'm fully right handed, except when practicing material arts.

Then I'm equally good (or bad, I leave that open to debate...) both left and right. I can grab, kick, punch and throw both left and right, can wield a quarterstaff and sword (Katana) using left or right grip, and can wield two swords or sticks (if not too heavy) at once. (My avatar on the left was not created out of some random idea )

I am very impressed!

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'm fully right handed, except when practicing material arts.

Then I'm equally good (or bad, I leave that open to debate...) both left and right. I can grab, kick, punch and throw both left and right, can wield a quarterstaff and sword (Katana) using left or right grip, and can wield two swords or sticks (if not too heavy) at once. (My avatar on the left was not created out of some random idea )

If I'd take a fork into my left hand, I'd probably stick it into my own eye while eating, and writing with my left hand is a no go. You can't even discern any letters, let alone read stuff.

Oddly - I fight lefty and definitely better / faster/ stronger lefty - BUT I so far have used weapons in my right hand. Next up in my list to learn is the Katana - might just start lefty on that one and see how it goes.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I'm fully right handed, except when practicing material arts.

Then I'm equally good (or bad, I leave that open to debate...) both left and right. I can grab, kick, punch and throw both left and right, can wield a quarterstaff and sword (Katana) using left or right grip, and can wield two swords or sticks (if not too heavy) at once. (My avatar on the left was not created out of some random idea )

If I'd take a fork into my left hand, I'd probably stick it into my own eye while eating, and writing with my left hand is a no go. You can't even discern any letters, let alone read stuff.

I'm with you, but left-handed. Oddly enough, my right shuffle side kick is faster and has more power than my left, but for all other kicks and punches, both are about the same. I have equal efficiency with nuchaku, sai, and tonfa with either hand, but if I put manriki-gusari in my right hand for any length of time, I'd better be wearing head protection! And I can't throw bō shuriken, the hira shuriken ,or shaken with my right hand. Well, I 'can' throw them, but not stand much chance of hitting anything unless they are sitting in my lap.


Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

92 people responding and 25% being left-handed. I have to believe that this is actually getting to be a valid indication that we readers have almost twice the numbers, percentage-wise, of left handed people than the general public!


Stitchawl

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

I am very impressed!

Thanks

To be fully honest, "I can" maybe should have been "I could". Because of my job, travel times and extra courses, I don't train *nearly* as much as I used to in my teens and twenties. I can still do everything I wrote, but it's a fact that my physical condition, speed and accuracy are all a lot less compared to 7-8 years ago. That's because I'm training maybe 2-4 times a month, where I used to train 3-4 times a week. Nowadays, my trainings are so few that I don't actually qualify to test for new dan grades.

Ah well, that's what happens when you grow from schoolboy / student to a full time working man I suppose

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I'm with you, but left-handed. Oddly enough, my right shuffle side kick is faster and has more power than my left, but for all other kicks and punches, both are about the same. I have equal efficiency with nuchaku, sai, and tonfa with either hand, but if I put manriki-gusari in my right hand for any length of time, I'd better be wearing head protection! And I can't throw bō shuriken, the hira shuriken ,or shaken with my right hand. Well, I 'can' throw them, but not stand much chance of hitting anything unless they are sitting in my lap.

You may have noticed that both weapons (staff and sword) are two handed, and dual wielding two blades or sticks requires two hands and coordination between the weapons. That works fine. However, if you take my right hand weapon away, my left hand one becomes useless, as it is only ever used to "follow" the right hand one. If there's only one, then I must switch it to my right hand, or be able to hold it with both hands.

[BearMountainBooks]

I am very left-handed. If I am throwing a star with a my right and you are anywhere within 360 degrees of me, look out. That thing could literally go ANYWHERE. I once took out an entire row of trashcans that was 10 yards to the left of the target...same with darts. They don't make those dart boards large enough for my right hand lack of coordination.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

92 people responding and 25% being left-handed. I have to believe that this is actually getting to be a valid indication that we readers have almost twice the numbers, percentage-wise, of left handed people than the general public!


Stitchawl

Thats a very sinister outcome!

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Thats a very sinister outcome!

[jersysman]

Could be that there are more left-handers among the technically inclined than in the general population.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Thats a very sinister outcome!

Boo! Hiss!

Originally Posted by jersysman

Could be that there are more left-handers among the technically inclined than in the general population.

The stats for technical fields show a lower-than-average number of lefties. Almost the exact opposite of those for the creative arts.


Stitchawl

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

...The stats for technical fields show a lower-than-average number of lefties. Almost the exact opposite of those for the creative arts....

And high political office, it seems. If you include the ambidextrous Reagan, whom rumor has it was born a leftie but forced by his parents and teachers to learn to use his right, then five of our last seven presidents were lefties, including our current president.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

And high political office, it seems. If you include the ambidextrous Reagan, whom rumor has it was born a leftie but forced by his parents and teachers to learn to use his right, then five of our last seven presidents were lefties, including our current president.

As is Chewbacca the Wookie. Let us not forget that one doesn't need to be human to have a dominant hand. Monkeys also test positive for having a preference for one side or the other.


Stitchawl

[Freeshadow]

Another left-sider here.
Writing righthanded (learned) because of left eye dominance. My handwriting is therefore dead ugly.
Funny fact: When I try to write left (let us ignore the absolute lack of quality) without heavy focusing on the task I write from inside to outside - the same way it is done with the right hand. As a side effect the glyphs come out mirrored automatically.
Fact 2: AFAIR DaVinci wrote his journal in mirror-script.

Rest if fully left dominant.

Additional data:
Mental strengths: linguistic
Weaknesses: mathematical in the most strict understanding of it: while I might be able to deduct the equation needed to solve a problem (if I know the rules of course) I cannot solve it (unless it is really basic stuff) Give me something with powers, brackets, variables etc. and my brain bleeds.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

As is Chewbacca the Wookie. Let us not forget that one doesn't need to be human to have a dominant hand. Monkeys also test positive for having a preference for one side or the other.


Stitchawl

as are horses and dogs. getting a horse to change lead when they don't want to can be quite an.... experience

[amward]

I'm right handed but have noticed that while I'm right for strength I will sometimes use my left for finer motor things, then back to right for really fine. One of my sons is right handed, but as a kid ate and set the table left. At sport he throws right but bats left . My father was almost ambidextrous.

I'm also pretty creative and very musical. Go figure.