Author Topic: Give your other hand a break  (Read 1756 times)

ash0kgiri

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Give your other hand a break
« on: September 01, 2016, 01:43:01 PM »
Hello,

Im doing an ambitious project for a dear friend of mine and Im burning the midnight oil for the last 4 days.
Blame it on my oblique grip or style of writing. I did something which actually made me wonder 'why not'
So after writing for continuous hours as I'm a right handed I handled over my oblique to my left hand. And I thought I should write.
It was a mess, but i loved the idea of what if you sort of give a break to your working hand and between the break train your other hand.

It was really fun. I knew what I wanted to achieve but like a beginner I couldn't achieve because my other hand couldn't perform because of lack of practise. But Imagine you training your other hand with the same motivation as you trained yourself as a beginner.

I have attached my first drill. And if you realise all of us would be almost on the same page with the non working hand. The very idea excites me.

Hope to see more of your drills. So lets give our working hand a much deserved break.

Regards,
Ashok

Offline Bianca M

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2016, 02:13:33 PM »
This is great.  Every once in a while, I give it a shot with my left (non-dominant) hand for amusement.  I switch to a straight holder when I do that.  I think I may have posted an attempt here a while back in another thread.

ash0kgiri

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2016, 02:19:00 PM »
Hi @Biance,

Totally unaware of this. But I would love to see your post :D

Offline Bianca M

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2016, 02:45:03 PM »
Ashok- it was a while ago, and so buried that I can't find it!!  But maybe I'll give my left hand a whirl later and post.  As long as you promise not to laugh too hard.

ash0kgiri

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2016, 03:33:58 PM »
Haha. Promise. Oops.

Offline Inked botanicals

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2016, 03:39:55 PM »
Ok, you can laugh now. But don't say I did not try. At least it is readable  ::)
Alba.

Instagram: @inked_botanicals

ash0kgiri

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2016, 04:30:53 PM »
Hi @Inked botanicals,

This is really nice compared to my first day of managing straight down strokes. But been a little optimistic, I would really like to see the progress after couple of months or weeks. So more than a fun topic. It would be a real challenge to train your own hand which is so not in sync with your right hand.

- Ashok

Offline Inked botanicals

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2016, 04:56:58 PM »
Hi @Inked botanicals,

This is really nice compared to my first day of managing straight down strokes. But been a little optimistic, I would really like to see the progress after couple of months or weeks. So more than a fun topic. It would be a real challenge to train your own hand which is so not in sync with your right hand.

- Ashok

It is a real challenge as you say! For me at least it is very difficult to use my left hand in writing. The cursive part was just for fun out of curiosity, but the normal handwriting is kind of trained... I'll explain better.

When I was a child at school, one of my classmates broke his dominant arm, so he could not write. He had to train his left hand and he was very sad about it. So our teacher made some extracurricular activities for all of us. For all the year we had some time to practice writing with our non dominant hand. The main goal was writing readable things, nothing fancy. Just be prepared in case any of us break an arm again. It was hard. But at the end we all could write things quite fast, not pretty, but readable. After that year I kept on writing something from time to time to avoid forgetting, but it has been quite long!  Your project made me remember it, so I needed to try it out. I had forgotten how hard it was!

I am sure you'll see some progress in some time! Maybe I try practicing a little more too, but not dip pen. A normal ballpoint pen is hard enough for me. I tend to make the letterforms mirrored as they are. It is exhausting for me. But I have a little problem with left and right in my everyday life. It takes me like a second extra to think which is which. I do not drive also. I am a little frightened because of that. So don't let my very bad attempt to use my left "trained" hand ruin it for you!
Alba.

Instagram: @inked_botanicals

Offline JohnK

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #8 on: September 01, 2016, 09:22:16 PM »
There are interesting comments on this topic in The New Spencerian Compendium of Penmanship by P. R. Spencer's sons.  In Lesson III, on page 12 of the edition I am using, there is a discussion of Ambidextrous Writing.  In addition to the benefits of reducing the liability from the loss of the use of the writing hand (including the malady identified as "penman's paralysis"), the claim is made that one actually improves in the use of the dominant hand by the effort to write with the other hand.

The support for this claim seems to be that "ambidextrous writing calls into action alternately both lobes of the brain, equalizing the power of the mind in in the direction and government of both hands.  Even the initiatory effort to write with the left hand increases the power of the will in its supremacy over the muscles, as may readily be perceived by the greater ease and freedom with which the right hand is made to execute when it resumes the use of the pen."

I have written with both hands, and enjoy the experience, but unfortunately I don't think I can claim much direct improvement in my writing from having made that effort!

ash0kgiri

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #9 on: September 01, 2016, 10:26:24 PM »
When I was a child at school, one of my classmates broke his dominant arm, so he could not write.

Hi @Inked botanicals
That very thought also hit my head, but hats off to your teacher who had thought of this in advance, as a kid I used to do anything and everything without worrying about hurting myself and so is with all of us. I remember a kid in my class who used to write with both hand effortlessly and with the same speed as the other without change in letters. You would wonder which is his non dominant hand. He was that good.

But now when you look back the very thought gives you goosebumps, especially when you have just started learning calligraphy.
Ha, so lets see if your non dominant hand can do even better :D

- Ashok
« Last Edit: September 01, 2016, 10:33:21 PM by ash0kgiri »

ash0kgiri

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Re: Give your other hand a break
« Reply #10 on: September 01, 2016, 10:40:11 PM »
The support for this claim seems to be that "ambidextrous writing calls into action alternately both lobes of the brain, equalizing the power of the mind in in the direction and government of both hands.

Hi @JohnK,

Wow. Thanks for sharing this. I never could have imagined about this been covered one of the Spencerian books. And assuming the claim made would be true. I would want to give it a further try for sure. If the rivarly between both hands is going to benefit the other then why not. I kinda like this game.  ;)

- Ashok