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How to become ambidextrous in basketball
How to Train Yourself to Be Ambidextrous
If you’ve played basketball, hockey or baseball you know the importance of being able to use both of your hands for peak performance. Ambidexterity—the ability to use either hand equally well—is especially beneficial to athletes who can benefit from a quick switch of hands to move multi-directionally. Some of the biggest names in professional sports are considered ambidextrous such as Lebron James, Maria Sharapova and the late greats Kobe Bryant and Gordie Howe, but becoming ambidextrous for sport takes time and practice.
Afterall, you’ve spent your whole life up until now doing just about everything to care for yourself using either your right or left hand. If you’ve ever broken an arm and been in a cast you understand the awkward and messy struggle of trying to eat, get school work done and brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
But there are some significant advantages for athletes that take the time to develop their nondominant side. Imagine being a pitcher and you’re dealing with a batter who’s used to you being a right-handed pitcher and you suddenly switch and go left-handed. That’s going to totally throw off that batter’s predesigned approach to how they thought you’d hit the ball. Becoming ambidextrous is not a skill that can be learned overnight or even in a single offseason, but starting while you’re younger and carrying that discipline and practice through the years can have a major payoff down the road.
In this article, we’ve laid out a five-step approach to training yourself how to be ambidextrous and take your athleticism to the next level so you can shoot, throw, swing, hit, pass, pitch and catch better.
5 Steps to Becoming Ambidextrous
Ok righties wanting to be lefties and lefties wanting to be righties too, listen up! Here are 5 steps to train yourself to be equally dexterous on your nondominant side.
We realize you can’t become ambidextrous or even semi-ambidextrous in just five days but you’re fired up and motivated now, so let’s strike while the iron is hot. Follow this five-day protocol to make some considerable progress towards ambidexterity that will form habits to last a lifetime—a very good thing for your burgeoning athletic aspirations.
It should be noted that there is very little scientific research around the efficacy of teaching oneself to be ambidextrous other than real-life success stories (check out a pro volleyball player’s inspiring story below).
The only surefire way to get there is with consistent, frequent and varied practice, which is why this five-day plan will have you using your nondominant side to do just about everything but with strategic progression.
The first few steps of the plan actually don’t involve sports at all—but bear with us. The process of becoming athletically two-handed needs to be broken down into steps, which is why you’re first going to warm up with some day-to-day training first before moving on to sports.
Day 1: Start with writing
Today, you’re starting off slow with some simple pen-to-paper handwriting exercises.
Find a comfortable place to sit with a pen, pad of paper and don’t forget your humility. Start out by using your dominant hand and draw a couple of horizontal lines, some squiggly lines, a few circles, triangles and finally spell out your full name and the first 10 letters of the alphabet (A to J).
Next, swap hands and sheets of paper and repeat the same order. Be mindful of how you are wrapping your head around this exercise and manage your self talk. This is your first foray into ambidexterity so any negative self-talk you allow to wash over and take control of this exercise could bleed into the next steps of the plan.
Be patient, humble and see the humor in it! Most importantly, persevere until the end. Time permitting, do it again and compare your first try with your second. Even the faintest improvement is a positive sign.
Day 2: Grabbing and grooming
Today you’ll repeat day one’s writing exercise but you’ll also introduce grabbing and grooming with your off hand. From the moment you wake up (it helps to post a reminder note on your bathroom mirror) turn on the water, put toothpaste on your toothbrush and brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand. When bathing, turn the shower on and reach for your shampoo and soap with that hand as well. Follow suit with everything else you do, grabbing your towel, getting things out of the fridge, your backpack and so forth. If you wear a smart watch, put that on the opposite wrist too and do this for the duration of the plan.
Hold off on attempting to eat with your off hand just yet. That’s tomorrow’s challenge.
Day 3: Eating and web browsing
Get a bib out or fashion one out of paper towel because you’re going to need it. Today, in addition to repeating your writing exercise and self-care routine, you’re going to attempt the mothership of ambidexterity: feeding yourself and using your computer mouse or laptop trackpad with the opposite hand.
Today, attempt to feed yourself by grasping your spoon or fork with your off hand. If you’re stirring something or slathering butter on bread, you guessed it, use your nondominant hand. When you’re eating something that requires both a fork and knife, swap positions and see how you fair. Do this all day and notice how you improve from breakfast to dinner. Don’t attempt this switch with any sharp knives and we recommend eating in the privacy of home today.
Now that you’re getting more accustomed to using your untrained hand, let’s throw your computer or laptop into the mix. With a simple settings change on your computer, you can move your mouse over to the other side to further help improve dexterity in your nondominant hand. To switch your settings go into preferences, find your mouse and change the right- or left-hand preference. If you use a trackpad, just start using it with the other hand.
Like everything else on this plan, it’ll take some time to adjust to but it’s a great next step in waking up and engaging your contralateral brain control on the other side.
Day 4: Introduce sports
Repeat everything you’ve been doing since day one of your ambidexterity training but get ready to introduce the reason you’re here in the first place: using your other hand to develop an edge in your sport.
You can start to develop motor skills on your other side any time of year but ideally you’re diving into this with a full-throttle commitment in your offseason and then showing up in the preseason with something new to bring to your game.
Today, start slow by throwing a tennis ball against a wall using only your off hand. If you have a friend to play with, start off by tossing a ball around or shooting hoops. It can be anything really, badminton, ping pong, frisbee or volleyball, but all with your nondominant hand.
Day 5: Take it one step further
Whatever your sport is, you’ll want to hone in on the movements that are the most advantageous to know how to do with both hands and break them down in order to learn the movement pattern.
Let’s take basketball as an example. If your ultimate goal is to shoot a three-pointer on your less dominant side, you need to take it in small steps. Take a ball and start by simply working on the form first. Throw the ball straight up above you and follow through with the wrist—getting that motor pattern set. Focus on the elbow extension to the wrist extension and follow-through so that your body now has to relearn that pattern on the other side.
Once you get that, the next step is to shoot underneath a basket. Stand under the basket and take those same mechanics. Once you have it set, start shooting above the rim and into the net without letting the ball touch the rim.
Next, take it a couple of feet back. And then again—same drill—repetition over repetition is going to help you develop more of that skill set and strength to go a little bit further out from the net. Walk yourself out bit by bit. Once you’ve established that motor pattern and strength, you’ll be able to eventually reach your ultimate goal of shooting a three-pointer with your nondominant side, but it’s important to remember that it’s all about taking it step-by-step, over time. Think of it like you’ve never played the sport before. You’ve now got to relearn how to use your other side and train yourself to not let your dominant side take over.
Other moves to try are layups with your off hand, movements at the bottom of the basket where you’re doing any type of post moves. Instead of always going to your right, focus on a left-handed hook shot, a left-handed jump shot or a left-handed fake and drive. Try dribbling drills with your off hand, going up and down the core. Set up pylons and go around the pylons with your off hand. Don’t let your dominant hand control anything. Tying your dominant arm behind your back is another tactic you could try.
Most importantly, check your ego because there’s no doubt you’re going to feel awkward and the ball is going to bounce somewhere else, but you’ve got to keep doing the work repetitively in order to establish the pattern and master it.
Tailor your gym routine to your goal
There are ways to strengthen and develop your nondominant side at the gym, too. Rethink how you’re strength training. Do things that are sports specific, like getting the nondominant side stronger with any type of extensions with the elbow, such as shoulder presses and do unilateral exercises that prevent you from using both sides at the same time. The dominant side will always do more work in that case.
Instead of doing a barbell wide shoulder press, do dumbbell, kettlebell or Ybell presses where the movement is individually controlled. It forces the mind to focus on each side individually, which comes back to neuromuscular adaptation—the mind and the muscle trying to connect that coordination and balance to get that movement down pat.
Bottom line
It may seem like a laborious effort but working on your ambidexterity could be all the difference between a mediocre future in sports and becoming an elite athlete. Give this five-day plan a go to develop your ambidextrous abilities and practice, practice, practice until it becomes second nature and you’ve leveled up your game.
For some real-life inspiration, watch this true story about how pro beach volleyball player Maddisson McKibbin taught himself to be ambidextrous—and incredibly victorious in his sport.
How to Become Ambidextrous for Playing Sports – ProRecAthlete
When you play sports there is always something holding each player back and that’s the lack of the ability to use both sides of their body with optimum efficiency. Some people are born ambidextrous and it has allowed them to be dangerous in both offense and defense in whatever sport they choose, but the rest of us have to find a way to become ambidextrous.
But how do we do that? Keep reading below to find out how you can retrain your body to become ambidextrous and a defensive and offensive threat in your sport of choice.
Exercise Your Weaker Side
Everyone who plays sports professionally or recreationally will tell you how critical your workout routine is. This is equally true when training your body to be ambidextrous, as in spite of working out even your entire body, there will be an undeniable discrepancy between your dominant and non-dominant sides.
When training your body in the gym, your dominant side is a lot stronger than your non-dominant because you use it so much more. So you can start strengthening your other side by lifting weights every other day (you want the muscles to have time to repair themselves). Keep a tight grip so that you’re working your hand and not just your arm, like in a normal workout routine.
For sports other than soccer, you should focus on improving your weak side’s shoulders, wrists, forearms, biceps, and triceps. However, you don’t have to limit your training to just your hand and arm, nor should you.
Your non-dominant leg and foot aren’t as coordinated either and you won’t see as much improvement if you ignore them. Sports like soccer, basketball, and hockey can show how critical your footwork can be. Weakside-focused leg and foot exercises include:
Single leg balance
Single leg squats
Lunges
At home, you can continue to do lighter exercises with your non-dominant side such as using a hand grip that can adjust its resistance, and playing hacky sack with your non-dominant foot. That’s where you have a small ball filled like a bean bag that doesn’t roll and you kick it to keep it up and land on your foot, head, knee, etc. Like soccer, you don’t use your hands or arms.
Use Your Non-Dominant Side During Training and Practice
This is the most obvious thing to do in order to be ambidextrous in sports. However, when it comes to your sport training, it wouldn’t go well if you just tried to accomplish the most complicated practices and drills with a side you hardly use. Instead, break yourself into the process.
Practice Basic Drills and Routines Alone
This might be doing basic ball handling practice, namely dribbling, with your non-dominant hand for basketball. It would be easier if you had a friend to help you with the passing and catching parts.
In baseball, it comes down to practicing the correct swing movements on your weak side and using a tee to just focus on adding power to your good form, meanwhile practicing catching and throwing as you would with your dominant hand.
If you play soccer, training your weaker leg and foot may also include practicing proper kicking technique and spending more time kicking and shooting the ball.
Upgrade to the Intermediate Drills
When your coordination improves, this is the time to move on to intermediate drills. For example, in hockey, this may be doing “keepie-up,” where you bounce a small white ball on the end of your hockey stick for as long as possible. Doing this drill with your non-dominant hand will greatly improve your hand-eye coordination with your non-dominant side.
Invite a Friend to Help you Train
Having someone toss or kick a ball to you and perform the drills that are done more effectively with two people is an excellent strategy. And when you’ve gained some confidence in the other half of your body, they can start playing against you slowly.
Use Your Non-Dominant Hand in Other Activities and Chores
It won’t be enough to only use your weaker side during drills and practice, otherwise, it will take you at least 3x longer to make any real ambidextrous progress. Instead, there are a number of opportunities around your home that will allow you to keep working on the strength and coordination of your weak side. These tasks are directed toward your non-dominant hand. When doing these ambidextrous tasks, never forget to stretch
Brushing Your Teeth
Not very glamorous or interesting, but this may be the easiest thing you can do with your weak hand that you usually do with your strong one. It will still feel awkward to use your other hand and you will still improve your coordination and comfort in your range of motion.
Put on Accessories
If you wear earrings, bracelets, or necklaces, you know it takes a considerable amount of concentration and precision to put those tiny clasps together. Bracelets are especially difficult, depending on the clasp they have.
Do you know how to tie a tie? It’s even trickier when you switch the hand that does most of the work. It will prove to be a mental challenge as much as a physical one.
Tracing the Letters of the Alphabet
This is the pre-exercise before actually writing with your non-dominant hand and the hardest part is figuring out how to hold the pen or pencil. That’s why it’s useful to practice tracing letters. The easiest thing to do is to mirror how you hold a pencil in your dominant hand in your non-dominant hand.
It’s recommended that you start with the lowercase letters instead of the uppercase because they’re smaller. You’re focusing on making straight lines and clean curves with precision. Always improving your hand-eye coordination.
You’ll be back in kindergarten for a while, but if you spend 10 minutes on this each day you’ll be amazed where you’ll be in just after a week. Once you’ve conquered printed letters, cursive letters will be your next challenge.
Cooking and cleaning
At least at the end of this exercise you’ll have a reward you can eat! Start with a simple dish, like frying eggs. Use utensils in your non-dominant hand, crack the eggs against your bowl or pan with that weaker hand, and add salt and pepper, try to flip them, and serve them onto a plate with that hand. Finally, butter some toast with your non-dominant hand. You might get a little frustrated at first, but at least you won’t be hungry at the end of it.
Don’t Neglect Your Dominant Hand
The point in your training is to be able to use both hands, not just switch dominant hands. While part of your training can certainly include tying your dominant hand behind your back so that muscle memory and habit doesn’t make you use it, you still need to make sure your strong half is ready for game day as much as your weaker half.
So when you’ve accomplished strengthening your non-dominant side to equal the strong side, do your best to work them both in equal measure.
Conclusion
With enough regular practice and determination on your part, all of your hard work should bring great ambidextrous results in half a year. That sounds like a long time, but don’t be discouraged. Focus on how much better you’ll be at your sport, leading your team to victory, and earning plenty of scholarships for yourself! Be determined, and it will all be worth it.
Ambidextrous: right-handed and left-handed at the same time. How is it and can it be learned?
According to some studies, approximately 10% of the world's population is left-handed, i.e. in the vast majority of people, the dominant hand is the right hand [University of St Andrews, 2020]. The determination of the leading hand occurs at the age of three, when the child has already formed phrasal speech, but it is finally clear whether he is right-handed or left-handed only by the age of four.
A few decades ago, when parents saw a child eating or drawing with his left hand, they tried convulsively to retrain him to do the same with his right hand, thinking that left-handedness was a deviation. Today, with understanding of the relationship between the work of the brain and the dominant hand, this is treated differently. Moreover, there are those who deliberately try to develop ambidexterity, believing that this skill will help open up new horizons.
In this article we will tell you about what an ambidexter is, how to become one and whether it is possible to develop this ability on your own. And also find out whether ambidexterity really pushes the boundaries of the possible or is it just a trick of developing schools to attract an audience. Let's figure it out.
Who is an ambidexter?
Ambidexterity is the congenital or acquired equal development of the functions of both hands without distinguishing the dominant hand. An ambidextrous is a person who can use both hands with equal speed and efficiency. Someone perceives such people as unique individuals, but in fact, almost anyone can learn this skill if they put enough effort into it.
To better understand what is at stake, watch a fragment of the show about the amazing abilities of people:
A person is born without a "binding" to a specific hand. If you observe a child under the age of three, you will notice that he uses both his right and left hands with approximately the same frequency. In the process of development of the nervous system and psyche, responsibility is distributed between the hemispheres, and, accordingly, the dominant hand is determined. If, after four years of age, a child continues to use both hands, this is a clear sign of ambidexterity.
There are several theories to explain the appearance of "two-handedness". Here are a few of them:
The theory of incomplete lateralization: this is a situation when the brain does not timely determine which hemisphere is dominant, in connection with which a person remains at the stage when he can work with two hands. It is impossible to say exactly what is the cause of the incomplete lateralization. Someone associates this with a developmental delay, someone - with the individual characteristics of a person.
Vigen Artavazdovich Geodakyan's evolutionary theory of asymmetry: according to this theory, the right hemisphere first develops in a person, which means that the left hand is dominant. The left hemisphere "connects" during the development of speech functions. If before birth or at the time of birth, the child had hypoxia that affects the left hemisphere (it is most sensitive to oxygen levels), this increases the risk that the child will become left-handed or ambidextrous.
Theory about genetics: as a result of scientific research, it was revealed that there is a specific gene on the second chromosome Mutations occurring in this gene are the cause of left-handedness and abmidextria. The same processes explain the presence of schizophrenia in many cases [A. Arshinova, 2020].
Surely many have wondered whether it is possible to become ambidexter not from birth, or the presence of this unique ability is explained only by the power of nature, genetics and functional disorders of the body? In fact, the ability to use two hands at the same time is encouraged, among other things, by social factors and even the peculiarities of using simple household items. Often left-handers intentionally get used to working with their right hand due to the fact that:
most entrance doors in public places are located in such a way that it is more convenient to open them with the right hand;
on electric kettles, the scale that determines how much more water needs to be added is visible only if the kettle is held in the right hand;
Writing with a pen with the left hand often results in both the hand and the sheet being stained with ink;
the can opener and scissors are designed in such a way that they are more convenient to use when held in the right hand;
notebooks with thick binding or springs are inconvenient for left-handers to use [A. Rakhmovich, 2021].
Among the great people, athletes and celebrities of today, there are those who are equally good with both right and left hands. The artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci was ambidexterous: many of his works were written with his left hand from right to left. Nikola Tesla also had this ability, but he developed it on his own, although he was originally left-handed. Andrei Sakharov, one of the creators of the hydrogen bomb, was also an ambidexter.
Tennis players Maria Sharapova, Martina Navratilova and the famous American basketball player Bob Cosey have this skill among athletes. Ambidextrous are often found among people of creative professions, for example, actor Tom Cruise, singer Mireille Mathieu, musician Paul McCartney [GTRK Omsk, 2015].
There are many Ambidextrous among the Seyids, Levites, Kohanim, politicians of our time and sheikhs in the United Arab Emirates. To determine your tendency to two-handedness, it is enough to pass the ambidextrous test of Vladimir Pugach, Doctor of Medical Sciences. Look closely at the girl and determine, in which direction she rotates:
If it seems to you that the girl is rotating to the left, then your right hemisphere dominates (you are left-handed). If it spins to the right, then you are most likely right-handed. In ambidexters, when the head is tilted in the corresponding direction, the girl rotates either to the left or to the right [V. Pugach, 2022].
Of course, the fact that there are many ambidexters among celebrities and great people is captivating, but it is not worth developing the ability to use both hands equally effectively, relying only on the example of famous people. It is important to weigh the pros and cons here. We propose to consider in more detail what is the benefit of owning this skill and whether such a skill can harm a person.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of ambidexters?
Ambidexterity implies the absence of a dominant side, not only with regards to the hands, but also to any organ. Ambidextrous do not have a sighting eye or a pushing leg like left-handers or right-handers. The combination of intuition and logic allows them to quickly analyze events, but at the same time it is difficult for them to separate feelings from rational thoughts.
Children in whom ambidexterity is clearly traced, already at an early age, are distinguished by activity. It is important to be able to direct their energy in the right direction, otherwise the child will be capricious and show excessive emotionality. The nervous system in such children is depleted faster, they are more vulnerable than right-handers or left-handers. According to psychologists, the most difficult period for an ambidexter child is adolescence. At 11-14 years of age, there may be problems with academic performance, anxiety and increased fatigue. The correct distribution of the load and the alternation of different types of activities will help to cope with them.
Strengths of ambidexters:
both hemispheres of the brain are involved in the process;
they have well-developed volitional qualities;
such people can successfully realize themselves both in the creative and in the natural sciences [I. Kutyanova, 2020].
Despite all the advantages, two-handedness can affect a person in different ways. For example, in some cases, ambidexterity is the cause of speech impairment, the appearance of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This is due to the fact that the constant work of both hemispheres leads the brain to overwork, in which the hemispheres cannot fully rest in turn [Yu. Florenskaya, 2006].
To assess the degree of influence of functional asymmetry on the formation of a person's personality, scientists conducted a psychological assessment of ambidexters at the age of 25-45 years. The control groups were right-handers and left-handers. As a result, it was found that the group of ambidexters, in comparison with the group of right-handers, was characterized by increased anxiety, self-doubt, high reflectivity, sensitivity, attention to their health and the desire to avoid failures.
Unlike left-handers, ambidexters are more dreamy, less disciplined, and more often than not, they follow their desires. Left-handers are easier to adapt to changes, while ambidexters experience difficulties in regulating their behavior in a group and have low self-esteem [A. Boyko, 2018].
Despite the shortcomings of two-handedness, it is not necessary to retrain an ambidexter child and force him to use predominantly one hand. Today, only in Muslim countries is it important that the right hand be the leading one, because. the left hand of the Eastern peoples is considered dirty (it is used when performing hygiene procedures).
If your child is one of those who use both the right and left hand in work, you need to accept his unique ability, be more patient with his absent-mindedness, help him realize his creative potential. Pay attention to whether the baby has a penchant for music: those who own both hands learn to play musical instruments more easily than others [A. Rakhovich, 2021].
Ambidexterity helps to develop logical and imaginative thinking by connecting the right and left hemispheres to the work at the same time. According to experts, this helps not only to realize oneself in creativity, but also to navigate better than others in various situations, to analyze them from different angles. The level of development of an ambidexter child is much higher than that of children who have a dominant hand.
It is important to note that not all experts share the opinion that ambidexterity has a positive effect on the functioning of the brain. In particular, the cognitive scientist Michael Corballis argues that the hemispheres cannot interchange each other, and explains their separation by the need for each of them to specialize in separate functions. In particular, the left hemisphere is responsible for language processing, while the right hemisphere is responsible for the analysis of non-verbal actions. Attempts to disrupt the evolutionary setting, according to the expert, can lead to psychological illness [M. Corballis, 2018].
Before developing this ability in yourself or your child, it is worth weighing all the pros and cons. It is important to understand why you are doing this. Learning two-handedness is comparable to the process of mastering the twine: if the body is not initially inclined to flexibility, each physical exercise will be violence [L. Galeeva, 2018].
So how do you become ambidextrous, whether you're right-handed or left-handed? Is it possible to learn this on your own or is it impossible to do without the help of professionals? Let's talk about this further.
How to become ambidexter right-handed and left-handed: exercises
In 1903, John Jackson, headmaster of a grammar school in Belfast, founded a movement that promoted ambidexterity. He and his followers were sure that both hemispheres of the brain are independent of each other, and right-handedness can reveal only half of a person's potential. John Jackson wrote that each hand should be autonomous when doing any work, whether it is simultaneously writing a letter or playing the piano, and this should not affect the level of concentration [The Guardian, 2021].
Although there is currently little evidence to support the impact of ambidexterity on brain function, the ability to use both hands equally effectively has become one of the popular skills of modern man. Vasily Kasyanov, an Internet marketer, says in an interview that he became ambidextrous due to the fact that he once accidentally signed with the opposite hand when the leading hand was occupied. More precisely, this incident prompted him to study this issue.
He has been mastering this skill for about a year. Being right-handed, Vasily began to read literature for left-handers, joined thematic Internet communities and studied the scientific works of neurophysiologists and doctors. The main change that he felt after a year of training is that his gestures have changed and now not only both hands, but the whole body are actively working for him [V. Kasyanov, 2018].
It is possible to stimulate the work of both hemispheres of the brain without breaking away from everyday activities. Start at simple and accessible exercises:
Try to perform all household activities with the opposite hand. For example, train yourself to eat with an unusual hand. At first, this approach can be inconvenient, but in the future it will become commonplace.
Now that you are confidently holding the spoon in your opposite hand, it's time to start cooking with that hand and performing hygiene tasks.
Draw patterns or geometric shapes with both hands at the same time. Don't expect perfect results from yourself if you haven't done it before. The main thing is that in the end the drawings are understandable.
Increase physical activity on the non-dominant hand. Often, the clumsiness of doing work with this hand is due to poorly developed muscles. Exercise with dumbbells, expander to increase muscle strength [A. Rakhovich, 2021].
Responsible approach and consistency are important in the development of muscles. Throw the ball with your secondary hand at a specific target and try to catch it with the same hand. Play tennis with her, lift dumbbells, control the mouse or press the spacebar on the keyboard.
Writing is also an excellent tool for developing the secondary hand. It is important to approach this process patiently, haste will be inappropriate here. Start with letters: learn to write lowercase and uppercase letters first, and then move on to writing words and sentences. If you have difficulty with this exercise, start by outlining the letters in magazines or newspapers. To better understand the technique of working with the opposite hand, observe the one who has this hand as the leading one [E. Belokonova, 2021].
You can develop ambidexterity in yourself with the help of needlework: try to embroider first with one hand and then with the other. Engage in playing a musical instrument, where two hands should be involved at the same time. Juggling is also great for engaging both hemispheres of the brain.
As mentioned earlier, ambidexterity can manifest itself in early childhood, and this is not a reason to start retraining a child. It is important to approach the issue of raising a child, taking into account its characteristics. In particular, such children are characterized by hyperactivity, and it cannot be suppressed by prohibitions and screams. In this case, you need to direct the child’s energy in the right direction, distract him with useful work, which will eventually teach him self-control.
Support the child's multitasking: let him not just draw a picture, but come up with a story for it. Be prepared for the fact that such children may not be interested in the school curriculum, so feel free to load the young ambidexter with interesting and versatile tasks.
If the baby, on the other hand, has not yet decided on a hand by the age appropriate for this, it is necessary to develop both hands, while observing behavior, neurology and speech, and correct the deviations that have appeared in time if they occur. If you intentionally want to make an ambidexter out of a child, then you should start as early as possible. By the way, school copybooks can come in handy in this: start training your secondary hand with the image of sticks and letters.
The development of ambidexterity requires the creation of new neural connections, which occurs in the process of performing non-standard actions for a person. For example, if you're used to taking the same route to work, force yourself to bring something new along the way each time.
If your traditional breakfast is oatmeal, reinvent yourself and treat yourself to a new treat every morning. Also train yourself to open doors with the opposite hand. In simple terms, turn off the autopilot in your actions: in this way you “start up” the brain and, over time, decisions that are non-standard for you will become conscious.
Films in a foreign language with subtitles will help to become ambidexterous: when watching them, as a rule, a person compares the text and pronunciation of the characters, simultaneously remembering the picture and delving into the plot [A. Zhuravin, 2018].
And some more tips:
Remember that learning should bring pleasure, not discomfort. It is important to increase the pace gradually, and not dramatically increase the load on the secondary hand.
Alternate training and rest, especially at the beginning, but do not miss the opportunity to exercise as often as possible.
Any action, whether it is writing a letter or preparing food with an unusual hand for you, must be approached confidently, in a calm state and in a good mood.
Get yourself a diary where you will mark your successes with the hand that you develop. After a while, it will be interesting for you to look at your notes and compare how you wrote on the first day of training and how you write now.
In the development of ambidexterity, it is important not only to devote time to the secondary hand, but also not to forget about the dominant hand, otherwise it will gradually weaken, so alternate exercises and more often involve both hands at the same time.
Resume
Man is a unique system that adjusts itself not only during fetal development, but throughout life. Its possibilities are endless, and recently more and more people have begun to wonder what skills and abilities a person must have in order to succeed. One skill that promotes spatial awareness, multitasking, creativity, and even talent discovery is the ability to use both hands equally effectively.
Of course, it cannot be said unequivocally that ambidexterity does not carry any negative consequences, so if you decide to become an ambidexter, approach the matter as responsibly, consistently and consciously as possible. Listen to yourself more often and do not miss the signals of the body, which may indicate that it is time to reduce the load or rebuild the learning system.
Secondary hand exercises and simultaneous work with two hands will help you achieve your goal, the main thing here is discipline and self-motivation. And to make the process as effective and exciting as possible, we recommend that you look at our online program "The Best Self-Education Techniques", where you will learn how to set goals, get rid of laziness, procrastination, learn how to apply various learning techniques and learn much more.
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Keywords:1LLL
Play with your left hand!
The author of the idea is Gennady Shapiro
And Petya, such a goof, bent down slowly, He threw the snowball with the wrong hand. Everyone laughs: left-handed. Petya's left hand wants to be the main one, He can't handle her, he can't deal with her.
(Agniya Barto)
Checkers players can be conditionally divided into 3 groups: the vast majority move the checkers, and therefore, switch the clock - with the right hand, the smaller part - with the left , insignificant, but the most successful part - play with both hands depending on the color and position of the clock - if white, then the clock is usually on the left, then play with the left hand; if black, in this case, the clock, as a rule, is on the right, then it is played with the right hand.
Let's take a closer look at these 3 groups.
1. Right handed
Outstanding representatives of are Georgiev, Valneris, Kolesov, Dashkov.
About 85-90 percent of people in the world are considered right-handed, therefore there are much more right-handed people in checkers.
An interesting study was experimentally conducted by the classic right-handed international grandmaster Evgeny Vatutin, who calculated that when the clock is under a convenient right hand, time is saved on average up to 1 minute for an average duel of 50-60 moves. In games with shortened time control - especially in super blitz when playing for the remaining time - this "trifle" is often decisive.
2. Left handed
Outstanding representatives of are Wirsma, Bomstra, Grunendijk, Sipma, Heusdens, Theissen, Belosheev, Shkatula, Motrichko, Sarshaeva.
About 10-15 percent of people in the world are left-handed - men among them are more common than women. On the territory of the former USSR, due to traditions in education, when left-handers were often retrained and ridiculed (see the epigraph), the percentage of left-handers is somewhat less (8-12 percent).
In checkers, according to Gennady Shapiro, as in many other sports (table tennis, fencing, boxing, etc.), the percentage of left-handers among the most successful checkers players is higher than the average in everyday life.
In my opinion, the often successful game of left-handed drafts players against right-handers lies precisely in habit - left-handers often trained with right-handers and nothing can surprise them.
Right-handed checkers players (especially young, impressionable ones with a mobile psyche) are often distracted (often unconsciously) by external factors, noting in which hand the opponent holds the pen, how he moves the checker, how he writes down the game and switches the clock - all this reduces concentration at the board and increases the risk of right-handers make a gross mistake with a left-hander.
I mean, it's all about psychology. In checkers, if you do not dissipate attention on “trifles”, left-handed people do not have any special advantage over right-handed people. Of course, it must be remembered that if it is more convenient for right-handers to play in black, when the clock is under the right hand, then for left-handers, on the contrary, in white, when the clock can be switched by the working left hand.
P.S. A unique fact was noted by journalists during the World Drafts Championship 2015 in the Netherlands. All 5 athletes representing Holland were LEFT-HANDED . If Balyakin is a left-hander retrained in childhood to be right-handed, then Grunendijk, Bomstra, Sipma, Heusdens are classic left-handed drafts players.
3. Ambidextrous
Outstanding representatives of - Chizhov, Shvartsman, Shaybakov.
According to statistics, about 1 percent of children from birth are ambidexters, when there is no leading hand and equality is pronounced in the functional development of both hands.
In some sports (basketball, volleyball, handball, etc.), ambidexterity often has a different background - it is specially trained to be more diverse in attack and defense.
In checkers, trained ambidexterity is of great importance - especially in the conditions of blitz and super blitz, which are so popular now, because it not only saves time, but also increases the speed of assessing the situation and making a decision.
Ideally, we should all strive to become ambidexters, who, depending on the position of the clock, have a trained ability to perform motor actions with the right and left hands with equal efficiency, also gaining a psychological and emotional advantage over "one-handed" opponents.
The conclusion suggests itself - right-handers should train in light blitz the left hand (and at the same time the right hemisphere of our brain ), and left-handers - the right hand (respectively, the left hemisphere of the brain ), in order to ideally become ambidextrous, who have many advantages in comparison with pronounced left-handed and right-handed drafts players.
Follow this five-day protocol to make some considerable progress towards ambidexterity that will form habits to last a lifetime—a very good thing for your burgeoning athletic aspirations. 
From the moment you wake up (it helps to post a reminder note on your bathroom mirror) turn on the water, put toothpaste on your toothbrush and brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand. When bathing, turn the shower on and reach for your shampoo and soap with that hand as well. Follow suit with everything else you do, grabbing your towel, getting things out of the fridge, your backpack and so forth. If you wear a smart watch, put that on the opposite wrist too and do this for the duration of the plan. 
If you’re stirring something or slathering butter on bread, you guessed it, use your nondominant hand. When you’re eating something that requires both a fork and knife, swap positions and see how you fair. Do this all day and notice how you improve from breakfast to dinner. Don’t attempt this switch with any sharp knives and we recommend eating in the privacy of home today. 
Think of it like you’ve never played the sport before. You’ve now got to relearn how to use your other side and train yourself to not let your dominant side take over.
Rethink how you’re strength training. Do things that are sports specific, like getting the nondominant side stronger with any type of extensions with the elbow, such as shoulder presses and do unilateral exercises that prevent you from using both sides at the same time. The dominant side will always do more work in that case. 
That’s where you have a small ball filled like a bean bag that doesn’t roll and you kick it to keep it up and land on your foot, head, knee, etc. Like soccer, you don’t use your hands or arms.
Instead, there are a number of opportunities around your home that will allow you to keep working on the strength and coordination of your weak side. These tasks are directed toward your non-dominant hand. When doing these ambidextrous tasks, never forget to stretch
Finally, butter some toast with your non-dominant hand. You might get a little frustrated at first, but at least you won’t be hungry at the end of it.
And also find out whether ambidexterity really pushes the boundaries of the possible or is it just a trick of developing schools to attract an audience. Let's figure it out. 
In the process of development of the nervous system and psyche, responsibility is distributed between the hemispheres, and, accordingly, the dominant hand is determined. If, after four years of age, a child continues to use both hands, this is a clear sign of ambidexterity. 
The left hemisphere "connects" during the development of speech functions. If before birth or at the time of birth, the child had hypoxia that affects the left hemisphere (it is most sensitive to oxygen levels), this increases the risk that the child will become left-handed or ambidextrous. 
Often left-handers intentionally get used to working with their right hand due to the fact that: 
Nikola Tesla also had this ability, but he developed it on his own, although he was originally left-handed. Andrei Sakharov, one of the creators of the hydrogen bomb, was also an ambidexter. 
If it spins to the right, then you are most likely right-handed. In ambidexters, when the head is tilted in the corresponding direction, the girl rotates either to the left or to the right [V. Pugach, 2022]. 
Left-handers are easier to adapt to changes, while ambidexters experience difficulties in regulating their behavior in a group and have low self-esteem [A. Boyko, 2018]. 
According to experts, this helps not only to realize oneself in creativity, but also to navigate better than others in various situations, to analyze them from different angles. The level of development of an ambidexter child is much higher than that of children who have a dominant hand. 
It is important to understand why you are doing this. Learning two-handedness is comparable to the process of mastering the twine: if the body is not initially inclined to flexibility, each physical exercise will be violence [L. Galeeva, 2018]. 
Start at simple and accessible exercises: 
Play tennis with her, lift dumbbells, control the mouse or press the spacebar on the keyboard. 
It is important to approach the issue of raising a child, taking into account its characteristics. In particular, such children are characterized by hyperactivity, and it cannot be suppressed by prohibitions and screams. In this case, you need to direct the child’s energy in the right direction, distract him with useful work, which will eventually teach him self-control. 
By the way, school copybooks can come in handy in this: start training your secondary hand with the image of sticks and letters. 
Zhuravin, 2018]. 
On the territory of the former USSR, due to traditions in education, when left-handers were often retrained and ridiculed (see the epigraph), the percentage of left-handers is somewhat less (8-12 percent). 
