ambidexterity?

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Out of general interest, how long and heavy are these swords you claim to fight with?

 

What Heck I'll reply. Am I Ambidextrous?... not really. When it comes to writing, (as in the old fashioned way with a pen/pencil and paper) I use my right hand. That applies to baseball as in pitching or American Football, as in Q.B'ing.

Sure I can dribble a basketball with my left hand, and even shoot with my left hand, but I'm primarily right handed.

Now when it comes to hockey, I play left handed, as I use a lefty stick. Playing with a righty feels totally uncomfortable. I'd say I'm a switch hitter, but Shralp* already covered that.

*I've head that term Shralp before, for those too lazy to check out the link...

shralp - Another surfing word that describes ripping, tearing and hot-dogging all over the waves.

http://www.skullyrecords.com/surfslang.htm

[ September 07, 2002, 16:02: Message edited by: Thorongil ]

 

Okay, I don't fight with swords, but since I ranted and babbled about fighting with two swords, I guess I have to reply. A sword that you wouldn't be able to fight with would probably be a medieval longsword, an eastern curved sword, or probably even a short sword. The first two are maybe around 4 feet for modern design, IIRC. The short sword, I'm guessing 2-3 feet. The rapier would probably what one fences with. A dagger or knife is pretty easy to visualize in size.

Okay, I don't know that much about swords. I'm just making educated guesses on how hard it is to fight with two swords, and I do know a few things about eastern swords, and maybe a few things about western-style swords. So anyone who contradicts me on this topic is probably right.

[ September 08, 2002, 04:46: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

I'm not going to proclaim myself a master swordsman or anything, but I have some experience with eastern swords, and even a little with western swords. Plus I've been fencing for four years, and doing it well. My friends and have tried and done a decent job duplicating western long and short swords with, shall we say, less dangerous materials. In my experience, I could beat anyone foolish enough to weild two swords of equal length with a longsword and shortsword easily. When it comes to something as small as a dagger it isn't so hard, but anything larger tends to get tangled up unless one is very coordinated or has a lot of practice. Of course if one looks back in history, are there any warriors of note who ever used two swords of equal length? I don't know much about that myself, but I'm doubting it. One's off-hand is best used primarily for defense. And lastly, to answer the question, I myself and left handed, but have learned to do many things with my right hand of necessity, such as operate a mouse.

 

Firstly i'm not Ambidexterious

And about dual wielding i realy find VERY hard to wield two similiary long swords Best way for me was singhle weapon style. So i guess Padeen is just simply lying

 

by the way this thread is going, it seems like:

ambidextrous = swords

which are two very different thing and topic.

back to the topic, ambidexterity means being ambidextrous. while ambidextrous means being able to use either hand with ease.

it doesn't mean like doing a certain thing but rather doing most anything. example, an ambidextrous person can shoot a pistol with either hand and have the same proficiency results. he can switch from a right-hand-drive to a left-hand-drive car or vise versa without any difficulty. use chopsticks with either hand, writes or draw with either hand. in short, he can do most of the things that he is capable of doing with either hand. being able to dual-wield sword is a different skill (but to a certain degree can be argued as ambidextrous). but being able to wield a sword (single wield) with either hand is ambidexterity.

but as a doctor i know said, no one can be completely ambidextrous, one side (or hand should you prefer) will always have a more dominant reflex.

am i ambidextrous? no, the only thing i know i do almost equally well with either hand is using the badmintoon racquet.

[ September 10, 2002, 10:05: Message edited by: nior ]

 

nior said it well. You can't be considered ambidextrous unless you can do almost anything with either hand with equal ease.

I don't know why people ran off talking about swords. Do boxers fight with one arm? No. Do they have a preferred arm? In most cases, yes. I personally fight out of both orthodox and south-paw with almost-equal ease, but I'm not ambidextrous... I can't write / drive / eat / do almost anything else with either hand equally easily.

nior also had a good point in that no one is truly ambidextrous. When you do something that requires only one arm, you'll generally choose the same arm each time. This means this arm gets more practice. This means this arm is better. This means you are not ambidextrous. Obviously, though, the word still has meaning. If someone can get the hang of something with one arm, and automatically do it with the other, I'd consider them ambidextrous.

 

Ambidextry rocks. As Shralp said, who's ambidextrous is superior. So am I. I can write two different text simultaneously and blind on the two keyboards of my comp and a notebook while playing the harmonica and kicking the drum on my back and thninking about what I'll do next week

 

I can hardly write with favorite hand.

One who has suffered severe injuries in his prefered arm, has learned to use his, not so preferred, arm. It is a fact. It is pretty obvious that, if nothing else, Ambidexterity can be learned by doing. Just as any other motor-skills.

[ September 10, 2002, 23:22: Message edited by: Nobleman ]

 

Perhaps people who are ambidextrous are just people who are more coordinated in general. Therefore they be better are picking up skills with either hand. Although D&D is only an abstract representation of reality, I think they have something making ambidexterity a feat that can be gained by a high dex character. If they thought it was something one is born with, would they not make it a 1st level only feat?

 

Well, for starters, ambidexterity has absolutely nothing to do with swords. Plenty of non-ambidextrous people can't use swords in either hand (and I have the bruises to prove that my friends can't aim)

I'm semi-ambidextrous, out of a lot of practice. I can write with my right hand and play sports, as well as bowl or play tennis or throw darts, but when it comes to reactions my left hand takes par. For example, the time I sprained my wrist, I fell forwards and instinctively raised my left hand out of harm's way, and when I see something coming I block with my left hand. My control in my right-hand is limited too...

I guess it's a cool thing to think about, to master using both hands fully without losing concentration, strength, or speed, but to find that more than half the people here are fully ambidextrous is pushing it

My dad's the same way, but for different reasons. He was probably left-handed, and that's who I get it from, but he was brought up using his right hand. He can't write or do artwork with his left (I don't think he's tried), but both hands react, if you throw a baseball at him ten times, you have no idea of knowing which hand he'll catch it with. With sports and such he'll use both hands also.

[ September 11, 2002, 05:37: Message edited by: Fizity ]

 

In my school we have a guy that can draw with both hands, even simultaneously!!! He can, like draw and color his work at the same time!

As for me, I guess I'm pretty much ambidextrous too. In can write in both hands, but they both look ugly!! I have lousy penmanship...

 

I play piano and bass, can write and draw. And I can do the little pat your head, rub your tummy thing too!