Ukemi and Handedness
(Extracted from Aikido-L)
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002
10:50:42 +0000
From: Mike ?
Subject: Ukemi and handedness
Something odd happened last week, I was talking to some people about forward
rolls, and discovered that they thought I was a bit strange, because am more
comfortable when I lead with my left hand when I roll, despite being right
handed. They went on to note that I also write in the kind of claw handed
way that left handed people often do but with my right hand.
The conlcusion was unsurprisingly that I'm weird, and one of the people
there who happened to be an archer suggested I come have a play on the
range, because eye dominance is quite telling when shooting arrows, and
maybe that had something to do with it.
FWIW I can write with my left hand, but my handwriting resembles an 8 year
olds.
So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and does it match your
dominant hand?
In other words, am I really just odd?
Mike Haft
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 14:35:17 +0200
From: "James R. Acker"
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
> In other words, am I really just odd?
>
> Mike Haft
I really couldn't answer THAT :-) but I also am right handed and I feel far more
comfortable rolling with my left side and hand leading. At least on forward
rolls. Also on sacrifice falls feels better on left side. On backwards rolls it
feels more natural when I lead with right foot.
Jim
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 05:41:30 -0700
From: susan dalton
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
--- Mike ? wrote:
> In other words, am I really just odd?
>
Oh dear, Mike. I have some distressing news for you.
I am an extremely right-brained person with atrocious
hand-writing (Ryan's second grade teacher scolded him
for his handwriting and he said, It's better than my
mother's. She said, Yes, you have a point). Although
I'm right-handed, I also prefer to roll on my left
side and I also salaam water ski with my left foot
back. (Most people ski with their dominant foot back.)
According to both my children, my sister, my brother,
and many other folks who know me I am certifiably odd,
so here you are looking for normal company and you
find me. Have you ever looked at all that Hermann
brain dominance stuff? It's fascinating. When I went
through exercises to determine dominant eye, dominant
foot, dominant hand, etc. it said that under stress I
do not learn from seeing, which was definitely my
experience in Aikido.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 09:08:01 -0400
From: Pauliina Lievonen
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
Mike ? wrote:
>So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and does it match your
>dominant hand?
I'm right handed and I also prefer to roll (and breakfall, and do
techniques as well) on my left. I talked about it once with my Alexander
technique teacher as it happens. His take on it was that even though you
might be more skilled with your dominant hand, and so prefer to use it for
more things, especially things like writing that require fine coordination,
at the same time the fact that you use that side more sets up more patterns
of tension, so that when yo do something new, or something that requires a
certain relaxation, it might be easier on the other side which is not
so "pre-programmed". I think that explanation fits well with how I
experience it.
kvaak
Pauliina
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 08:59:53 -0400
From: Deirdre Welter
Subject: Ukemi and handedness
Hey, Mike.
I see an opening through which I can come out of lurkdom.
Do you have left-handedness in your family?
I haven't figured out whether mixed dominance is a feature or a bug
but it's definitely something I have. My father, who does both visual
and martial arts, noticed this in me when I was a child. I'm right
handed, but in some physical activities I will turn left handed and
not notice until I look down and think "huh?" My father is also left
handed, so I suspect his contribution to my genes has something to do
with it. ; )
When I was a teenager, I took a battery of occupational tests given by
the state employment office. One was to see how fast I could put
small washers on small pegs and place them in holes in a board--for
factory work, I guess. I asked if I could do the test with my left
hand even though I had done everything else with the right. I got
some strange looks and ended up holding up a room full of people
because the test people had to search for "left-handed" equipment
(don't ask me what that was about) but I did really well!
Ukemi and techniques are of higher quality when done with/on my left
side. I'm "left eyed." I only got a B in college archery. On the mat
I feel as though my right side is a separate/errant student who
doesn't learn the way the left side does.
My husband is left handed. Our 6-year-old daughter appears to have
strong left-turning tendencies also--no pun intended for those of you
who are pilots or politically minded.
Deirdre
not quitting and not dying
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 06:10:01 -0700
From: "Tim G."
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
--- Mike ? wrote:
> comfortable when I lead with my left hand when I
> roll, despite being right
> handed. They went on to note that I also write in
> the kind of claw handed
> way that left handed people often do but with my
> right hand.
I'm also right handed, but prefer to lead with my left
hand when forward rolling or breakfalling. For
backrolls, I prefer to lead with my left foot. Except
for the backrolls, I always chalked it up to
preferring to have the dominant side be the one
touching the mat on landing.
I haven't really tried writing left handed, but I can
hit tennis balls fairly competently left handed.
Tim
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 09:26:02 -0400
From: Deirdre Welter
Subject: Ukemi and handedness
Hey, Pauliina--
Good point.
Here's another theory that I think fits my personal situation:
As a student and in many occupations, one of the "worst" things that
could happen is that one break the dominant hand and not be able to
complete one's assignments and tasks. It's better to protect the
whole dominant side just to cover all the bases and let the other
side handle the more "risky" stuff.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 14:52:41 +0100
From: Justin McCarthy
Subject: Re: ukemi and handedness
let's see...
writing - left hand
golf - right hand
throwing a ball - left hand
batting - right hand
archery - left hand
fencing - right hand
mouse - left hand
drinking - right hand
phone - left hand
and
ukemi? Right hand
and in each case it is a BIG difference in capability and comfort
Justin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 07:10:17 -0700
From: Chuck Clark
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
At 03:50 AM 5/9/2002 -0700, Mike Haft wrote:
>So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and does it match your
>dominant hand?
>
>In other words, am I really just odd?
The way the Japanese look at it is when you roll with your left hand
forward and continue to fall onto your right side...it is a right side ukemi.
Most right handed students I have observed over the years (including
myself) always find the left hand first onto the right side easier and
"more natural".
I recommend that you always alternate you zenpo kaiten so that you don't
develop this preference.
Regards,
C. Clark
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 08:53:33 -0700
From: Janet Rosen
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
Deirdre Welter wrote:
> Ukemi and techniques are of higher quality when done with/on my left
> side. I'm "left eyed." I only got a B in college archery. On the mat
> I feel as though my right side is a separate/errant student who
> doesn't learn the way the left side does.
Me too!
I'm a "rightie" but look at how we generally define that: fine motor. I
always have favored the left for carrying, moving, etc--in other words,
gross motor skills--and this carries over into aikido; if I can receive
attack and redirect it with the left I tend to automatically do a better
job of taking uke's balance; the right hand/arm seems more connected to
"the front of my brain" to the detriment of doing aikido.
janet
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 08:59:17 -0700
From: Cindy
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
Mike ? writes:
>The conlcusion was unsurprisingly that I'm weird, and one of the people
>there who happened to be an archer suggested I come have a play on the
>range, because eye dominance is quite telling when shooting arrows, and
>maybe that had something to do with it.
That could be it. It's entirely possible to be left eye dominant and
right hand dominant.
>So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and does it match your
>dominant hand?
For me they match, but I notice I'm almost always better on the left
side of a technique than the right. I'll almost always start on the left
when we practice. (Um, I'm right handed.)
>In other words, am I really just odd?
You hafta ask? :)
--Cindy "we're all odd ducks here"t;
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 17:48:10 +0100
From: Mike Cummins
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
Mike ? wrote:
> eye dominance is quite telling when shooting arrows,
You can easily test for eye dominance. Hold your thumb up at arms length and
line it up
with a fixed point.
Close one eye, then the other. The eye that when closed causes the thumb to
'move' against
the fixed point is the dominant eye.
> So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and does it match your
> dominant hand?
Left - mainly due to separating my right shoulder when my breakfall was
'tweaked'.
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 10:39:15 -0700
From: Mariana Studart Soares Pereira
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
--- Mike ?wrote:
> So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and
> does it match your
> dominant hand?
I personally roll better on my left side, and I write with
my right hand. In fact, I do *everything* in Aikido better
when I'm leading with my left hand/foot. And I'm left-eye
dominant. Oh, and I also write with a crooked hand, like
people who write with their left hand. And I have to turn
the paper about 90 degrees in order to be able to write in
a straight line...
> In other words, am I really just odd?
Well... No more than I am, that's for sure :)
Mariana Studart
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 14:29:46 -0400
From: Mike Bartman
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
At 10:39 AM 5/9/02 -0700, Mariana Studart Soares Pereira wrote:
>I personally roll better on my left side, and I write with
>my right hand. In fact, I do *everything* in Aikido better
>when I'm leading with my left hand/foot. And I'm left-eye
>dominant. Oh, and I also write with a crooked hand, like
>people who write with their left hand. And I have to turn
>the paper about 90 degrees in order to be able to write in
>a straight line...
Sounds like you are a lefty who was forced to learn to write right-handed
by your teachers. They do that sometimes.
-- Mike "not so much anymore I hear" Bartman --
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 14:03:53 -0400
From: Mike Bartman
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
At 05:48 PM 5/9/02 +0100, Mike Cummins wrote:
>Mike ? wrote:
>> eye dominance is quite telling when shooting arrows,
>>
>
>You can easily test for eye dominance. Hold your thumb up at arms length
and line it up with a fixed point.
>
>Close one eye, then the other. The eye that when closed causes the thumb
to 'move' against the fixed point is the dominant eye.
Doesn't work for those of us without dominant eyes. We see two thumbs...
>> So, what side do you forward roll of preferentially, and does it match your
>> dominant hand?
Right, and yes. For back rolls there's no preference though.
-- Mike "the left knee is slightly worse than the right though" Bartman --
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 11:56:40 -0700
From: Mariana Studart Soares Pereira
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
--- Mike Bartman wrote:
> Sounds like you are a lefty who was forced to learn to
> write right-handed
> by your teachers. They do that sometimes.
Yeah, I've often thought that was it... I wonder if that
means I can learn how to write with my left hand easily
now. It might come in handy (no pun intended) someday :)
Mariana Studart
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 13:14:10 -0700
From: Susan Mellott
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
I am left-handed and always lead with my left-hand first on
techniques. But I am right-eye dominant and do forward rolls
and falls better on my right side.
I think the dominant eye plays a big part in being able to spot
the ground and orient yourself while the dominant hand is the
side with the better mechanical ability (ability to to make more
precise, fine movements and stronger) so my techniques are
better/stronger on that side. Of course it probably depends on
what hand/side plays the major part in a technique.
Susie
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 13:36:27 -0700
From: Cindy
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
Mariana Studart Soares Pereira writes:
>Yeah, I've often thought that was it... I wonder if that
>means I can learn how to write with my left hand easily
>now. It might come in handy (no pun intended) someday :)
It's worth a shot :-). I'm right handed, but learned to be
ambidextrous when I broke my right hand in junior high school
in falling off a bicycle headfirst over the handlebars.
--Cindy "my forward roll at the time nneeded a little more work"
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 23:36:07 +0000
From: Mike ?
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
>From: Mike Cummins
>Mike ? wrote:
> > eye dominance is quite telling when shooting arrows,
> >
>
>You can easily test for eye dominance. Hold your thumb up at arms length
>and line it up
>with a fixed point.
>
>Close one eye, then the other. The eye that when closed causes the thumb
>to 'move' against
>the fixed point is the dominant eye.
That makes no sense to me, what do you mean by 'move'. If I hold up my right
thumb, looking through my left eye makes it appear to jump to the right, but
if I use my left thumb then my right eye makes it appear to jump. Whats the
story?
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 17:24:44 -0700
From: Cindy
Subject: Re: Ukemi and handedness
Mike ? writes:
>>From: Mike Cummins
>>Mike ? wrote:
>> > eye dominance is quite telling when shooting arrows,
>> >
>>
>>You can easily test for eye dominance. Hold your thumb up at arms length
>>and line it up
>>with a fixed point.
>>
>>Close one eye, then the other. The eye that when closed causes the thumb
>>to 'move' against
>>the fixed point is the dominant eye.
>
>That makes no sense to me, what do you mean by 'move'. If I hold up my right
>thumb, looking through my left eye makes it appear to jump to the right, but
>if I use my left thumb then my right eye makes it appear to jump. Whats the
>story?
Use both eyes to point your finger at something (preferably > 10 feet
away). Now close one eye, then the other. Which didn't "jump" your
finger away from the selected point? That's your dominant eye.
--Cindy
------------------------------
Last updated on 13 Sep 2002