Left and right handedness

[Fish Chris]

Okay, so I was born left handed, but forced to be right handed, by old school parents, who thought life would be easier for a right hander > Not understanding that your brain is wired to your body in a specific way, for VERY specific reasons !

What did it cause ? Well, my handwriting is just atrocious. My cursive is just about illegible to anybody but myself. My printing looks like it was done by a second grader.... fairly easy to read, but all caps, and very blocky (deliberate looking) which it is, because I have to think / try really hard when I write.

I literally cannot sign my name without thinking really hard.... and even so, if I sign my name 20 X's, it will look different every time !

Writing more than 2 or 3 sentences will make my hand and forearm cramp painfully.

My typing ? 1 finger pecking.

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And here's a fun one..... Sports !

Growing up, I was absolutely the worst ball thrower, catcher, or hitter, out of anybody I ever met ! I was SOOO horrible at it, that in school, if they mentioned, baseball, or soccer, or anything like that, I would literally just cringe, because it meant instant humiliation, every time. And you know kids are cruel. I got to where I would not even participate. They would call my parents in for conferences, to try to get me to play, and I would just flat out refuse. Restriction, nor anything else would work, to make me participate.

The whole thing was really traumatic for me. In fact, I'm quite sure that this is why I have ZERO competitive nature in me now. To this day, just the thought of competition, makes me uncomfortable. And I despise any sort of competitive ball sports.

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So, I turned to fishing. And became pretty good at it. Yet to even think about tournaments or fishing contests, (competing) gives me that same, negative, sick feeling in my stomach, that sports always have.

Oh, and while most experienced fishermen will use a bait casting {revolving spool} reel, for at least certain applications, I could never cast with one to save my life ! Hence the reason I use spinning reels for everything, even stuff they were not designed for.

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Art. I absolutely LOVE artwork of almost every kind ! I can blend colors to come up with different colors, in my mind, in an instant, and be almost spot on, every time !

I know how lines work with, and against each other. I know how shading helps and hurts......

All of this > Yet I can't draw a freaking stick man ! I'm telling you, I was supposed to be like Picasso ;D LOL

Instead, I found photography, where my eye sees it, and the camera paints it for me

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So anyway, I still love my parents They just didn't have a clue, about how far reaching this one, seemingly little decision, would go.

And all of this is just 1 of the many whacked out aspects that make up "Fish Chris" !

Throw in hard-core AADD, and OCD, and their you have it

Peace,

Fish

[Shad_Master]

When my son was very little, I noticed that he did almost everything left handed - he could throw a ball on a string and he was even left footed for soccer.  When he started school he was very excited to learn to write.  But he was struggling with it.  While trying to help him, I noticed that he was writing with his right hand.  I discovered that when his teacher started the lessons on writing, her first direction was "take you pencil in your right hand".  When I figured this out, I tried to get him switched, but the school recommended not changing him.  Now he is 19 years old, a high school graduate and has handwriting like what you describe.  He does everything else left handed except write.

[Raul]

It 's worse when your head is wired to your body AFU.

To aim I can only wink my right eye, I place the gun on my right shoulder wink my right eye and aim with my left eye, just ask me how many people can use my scoped rifle ? only I can as far as I know.

In fishing, okie dokie, I 'm righty and switch hands, I 've tried with lefty reels, let alone that I just can 't crank with the left hand but when trying to impart action to a bait with the rod if I do it with the right hand the bait don go where I want it to go nor does what I want it to do, that kind of good bait action impartness ain 't in the right but in the left hand.

Never been good in sports, the only sport I was good at is basketball, and like in fishing, I have to throw the ball with the right but what gives the ball the effect is the left. The only other "sport" I 'm good at is billiards and I handle the cue with the left, not only beacuse I aim with the left but the English is in the left. Try doing it with the right and can 't pocket squat.

[bass or bass ?]

I'm right handed and I'm a musician (bassist, electric and upright). I play bass right handed. When fishing I cast right handed, then switch the rod to my left hand  to reel with my right. I do this with ALL my rigs. I even converted my spinning and fly casting rigs to right hand retrieve, so I'm kinda righty/lefty when fishing. I deal cards left handed and shoot billiards left handed. I can shoot firearms with either hand.

[Lund Explorer]

I can relate Chris.  I think everyone who is naturally left handed or ambidextrous can attest to the fact that many things in life require an adjustment.

My handwriting is so bad the mailman complains.  I end up printing (in all caps) or typing almost everything.  I'm also an over-the-top writer so no pencil for me.  Sure was a lot of fun taking test with the old fill in the blank answer sheets.

But I can do many things either left/right.  I could switch hit for average in baseball/softball.  I play golf primarily right but can also play left.  I kick with either foot but the right is stronger.  I got drunk once and tried bowling from the right side and will never get that drunk again.

For fishing, I cast everything with my left hand simply because I'm more accurate but can use my right hand when needed.  I reel baitcasters with the right hand, and spinning reels with the left.

The only place where I was lucky in all of this was having a Mother who insisted that the teachers allow me to use the hand I wanted to, and not the one they wanted me to use.

[ROCbass]

I consider myself pretty ambidexterous, but not completely because I do some things better with one hand than the other. I write left handed, but do almost everything else right handed. I think I was supposed to be a left handed thrower, but when I got my first tball glove they didn't have any lefties so I learned to do it with my right. I can still throw accurately left handed, but I don't have very much power. When I played lacrosse I was right hand dominant but we had to learn to play with both hands, and even now almost 5 years after I last played I can pick up a stick and do just as well with either hand. I usually cast right handed, but I've taught myself to do it left handed as well. When I was in high school I broke my left thumb and had to do all my work right handed for a while. It forced me to take my time, and my handwriting was actually neater with my right by the time the cast came off, although it took me 2-3 times as long to write something.

[Fish Chris]

Hmmmm......

I'm not sure if any of us are on the same page.... except maybe Shad_Master's son.....

If you can play basketball, you were 10 X's more coordinated than I ever was !

If you can play any instrument at all, you might be 50 X's more coordinated than me.

If you are ambidextrous, that would be great too !

I guess I'm nondextrous. I don't have any dexterity with either hand ! No, seriously !

What I'm saying is, I believe I was meant to be a "strongly dominate lefty, all the way" but by forcing me to use my right hand, it just whacked me out so bad, you'd have to be me (I guess) to understand it !

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I do have 1 interesting little story though. My work takes me around to a lot of private residences. One time I went up to a door and knocked. While I waited, I looked over and saw an old box full of trash. On the side, was printed, the word, "TAX PAPERS"....... In the most unique, odd ball, blocky, ALL CAPS handwriting > That looked so much like my own writing, I probably could not have told it apart from my own writing !!! So, when the guy came to the door, I couldn't help but mention this, and so the guy says, "Well, that's actually my oddball hand writing". I told him, I had never seen ANYBODY, with handwriting that looked exactly like mine..... and that I happened to be born left handed, but forced to be right handed..... And to my great surprise (and maybe his) he replied, "So was I" !

I still trip on that years later.

Peace,

Fish

[Bassn Blvd]

Here's how whacked I am.

I write left handed.

Throw a baseball right handed.

Play basketball left handed.

Shoot a gun left handed.

All my baitcasting reels are right handed.

Golf right.

Eat with left hand.

Wipe ars with right.

The only thing I can do with both hands is bowl. 

[Nibbles]

It 's worse when your head is wired to your body AFU.

To aim I can only wink my right eye, I place the gun on my right shoulder wink my right eye and aim with my left eye, just ask me how many people can use my scoped rifle ? only I can as far as I know.

In fishing, okie dokie, I 'm righty and switch hands, I 've tried with lefty reels, let alone that I just can 't crank with the left hand but when trying to impart action to a bait with the rod if I do it with the right hand the bait don go where I want it to go nor does what I want it to do, that kind of good bait action impartness ain 't in the right but in the left hand.

Never been good in sports, the only sport I was good at is basketball, and like in fishing, I have to throw the ball with the right but what gives the ball the effect is the left. The only other "sport" I 'm good at is billiards and I handle the cue with the left, not only beacuse I aim with the left but the English is in the left. Try doing it with the right and can 't pocket squat.

If you had a decent stroke, unintentional english wouldn't be an issue. 

[clayton86]

i do everything right handed except fish and shoot im a lefty but iv taught my self to be a righty in shooting just from 12yrs of playing paintball till i reached semi pro now in the military as an infantrymen shooting with either hand helps a ton

[lynyrdsky1]

I'm good with both hands!!! Not to rub it in haha.

I was born left handed and always have been but I'm good with my right hand as well.

[farmpond1]

I'm right handed.  When I was in little league, they kept giving me a left handed bat to use.  This explains why I was so bad.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Here's how whacked I am.

I write left handed.

Throw a baseball right handed.

Play basketball left handed.

Shoot a gun left handed.

All my baitcasting reels are right handed.

Golf right.

Eat with left hand.

Wipe ars with right.

The only thing I can do with both hands is bowl.

I'm right there with you man...

Shoot a rifle or shotgun left handed but shoot my pistol and my bow right handed.

Shoot pool left handed but do all throwing right handed.

I reel left handed.

[senile1]

I'm right handed. When I was in little league, they kept giving me a left handed bat to use. This explains why I was so bad.

LOL

I was always right-handed.  In third grade I broke my right arm and I was a rough and tumble kid so I kept breaking the cast and it took over three months for it to heal.  During that time I learned to write left-handed.  After some practice, my writing was no different with my left hand than my right.  After the arm healed I switched back to writing with my right hand.

[Fishing Rhino]

Well Fish Chris, thank goodness for fishing and photography.

Here's something for you to think about.  Saw this years ago, and it might explain your difficulties. 

The left side of the brain controls the right side of your body.  The right side of the brain controls the left side of your body.  This means that only left handed people are in their right mind.

[Lund Explorer]

I'm right handed. When I was in little league, they kept giving me a left handed bat to use. This explains why I was so bad.

You used a left handed bat?

Sounds like me with my left handed metric crescent wrench!   ;D

[senile1]

I'm right handed. When I was in little league, they kept giving me a left handed bat to use. This explains why I was so bad.

You used a left handed bat?

Sounds like me with my left handed metric crescent wrench! ;D

That's not to mention the disgusting problems caused by left-handed toilet paper.

[farmpond1]

I'm right handed. When I was in little league, they kept giving me a left handed bat to use. This explains why I was so bad.

You used a left handed bat?

Sounds like me with my left handed metric crescent wrench! ;D

That's not to mention the disgusting problems caused by left-handed toilet paper.

Actually, in the middle east all toilet paper would be considered "left-handed." (Just a little trivia for those who care).

[BASSclary]

Im somewhat ambidextroius, but definately not in major motion things like sports. It sucks because in lacrosse you'll do SO much better if you can do everything with both hands. Me? I can only catch/pass/shoot well right hand dominant

[fishn hard]

My 14 year old daughter can use either hand she is left handed but she can throw a soft ball as far with her right as she can with her left and can use a left or right handed glove it makes no difference to her witch glove she takes to the game because she is accurate with ether hand and she can bat just the same left or right    

[fishn hard]

My 14 year old daughter can use either hand she is left handed but she can throw a soft ball as far with her right as she can with her left and can use a left or right handed glove it makes no difference to her witch glove she takes to the game because she is accurate with ether hand and she can bat just the same left or right    

[b.Lee]

My dad did the complete opposite. I was born righty, but he wanted me to be lefty. I do things pretty well with both. My cursive is very professional. I can draw pretty well, I can copy things pretty spot on.

Sports wise I am dominantly lefty. Although in golf, I learned righty, I can hit more accurately right handed, but hit father left handed. So I mainly hit left, and put right. Baseball I throw lefty and hit lefty. I can eat with either hand.

[endless]

Sorry to hear that Fish Chris. I'm the only lefty I know in my family.I know my mom, dad, brothers, and sister are all right handed and what to think the rest outside is too. My son we think will be both. He uses his right hand most but he will switch and use his left at times. Is it still to early to tell in a three year old?

Can you write with your left hand Fish Chris?

[tholmes]

I know where you're comin' from, Chris.

Another lefty here. When I was first starting school, I had a teacher who took it upon herself to convert me to righty, but my parents (thankfully) put that plan to rest in a hurry.

I do almost everything left-handed. Write, throw. kick...definitely left eye dominant. The only things I do right-handed are bat and play guitar. The only reason that I play guitar righty is that when I started (self-taught) I didn't know that there was any other way. Everyone I saw playing, played right-handed.

As far as fishing, after I graduated from a cane pole and bobber to a spincast reel, it just seemed natural to cast left, reel right. Baitcasters seemed to me to be designed for lefties. Back then, lefty spinning reels were pretty much limited to Mitchells, and it was tough to find the lefty versions in stores out in the southwest corner of Kansas where I grew up. Because of that, I was proficient with a baitcaster long before I ever picked up a spinning rig.

Tom

[Fish Chris]

Thanks guys.

Hey Endless, nope. Can't even start to write with my left hand.

The only thing that would tell you I was supposed to be left handed (besides my parents) is that the entire left side of my body has always been naturally stronger.... even though I do pretty much everything with my right hand.

Fish