Michelangelo (1475-1564) was a multi-faceted genius like Leonardo da Vinci. He often painted with both hands. When one got tired, he switched to the other. British artist, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873) could draw with both hands simultaneously -- a horse's head with one hand and a stag's head with the other. He taught drawing and etching to Queen Victoria who was a lefty that became ambidextrous.
Fleming, Einstein and Tesla were all ambidextrous. Benjamin Franklin was also ambidextrous and signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with his left hand. U.S. 20th president, James Garfield was a well educated backwoodsman born in a log cabin. Although he could write with either hand with equal ease, he could also write Greek with his left hand and Latin with his right hand simultaneously! Harry Kahne demonstrated his mental dexterity in 1922 by performing several mental operations simultaneously. While one hand was writing mirror language, the other hand intermingled upside down and backward letters.
How to Be An Ambidextrous:
- Practice with everything you do. Hold your glass with your non-dominant hand, open your door, hammer a nail, brush your teeth, shave, etc. Switch your mouse buttons, too. Try to remember to use your opposite hand with the small things.
- Give yourself the same patience you'd give a child learning how to do open a can of soup, unlock the door, and so on.
- Start doing things in tandem: Swirl 2 glasses of water with both hands simultaneously. Throw 2 wads of paper at the same time, catch 2 balls, "wax on, wax off." Feel what it's like to use both hands at the same time. Strive towards achieving balance in your arms and hands.
- Start writing or drawing with both hands. Tack down some paper and start drawing butterflies, vases, symmetrical objects, write words, letters, shapes, or whatnot. Although your writing will be awful at first, write a couple lines every day from the start.
- Write Zig-Zag/Like a DotMatrix: To take this all to the next level, write from left-to-right (normal direction) with your right hand, and from right-to-left with your left, writing backwards sentences that look correct when held up to a mirror. This is useful because righties are used to writing "from thumb to pinkie", and may write more naturally with their left hand while writing backwards.
- Learn juggling. Three and four balls. A great way to train your weaker arm.
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ReplyDeleteWhat is the origin of the term "Penwald ambidextrous"? Who, or what, was this named after?
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