How to become ambidextrous?

Question

I am born right handed but I read somewhere that I can train myself to use both my hands equally well. Is it true that I can train myself to become ambidextrous?

Answer 1

Very few people are born ambidextrous and it will take years of practice to train yourself to become one. It’s because most of us are born with a dominant hand that we use for most of our tasks over our life. Those years of reliance to our dominant hand is hard to undo in just a short period of time.
If you decide that you still want to become ambidextrous and would put on the work to get there, then the first step is to start using your non-dominant hand more often. If you are a right handed, start using your left hand in doing different tasks that you normally do with your right. The reverse applies if you are left handed. The goal is twofold: first is to strengthen your non-dominant hand and second is to condition your mind to be comfortable in using your non-dominant hand. Do it regularly and as often as you can and you will notice how you are relying less and less on your dominant hand when doing things.

Answer 2

Doing some simple exercises can help you become ambidextrous. One such activity is practicing your handwriting using your non-dominant hand. For example, practice writing with your left hand if you are a rightie. Left handed persons can practice using their right hand. Your struggle to even draw a straight line can be frustrating at the start, but it will improve over time.

Don’t stop with writing. Find other things that you can do with your weaker hand such as brushing your teeth, picking up things, or lifting heavy objects from the floor. If you are into sports, practice the drills using your non-dominant hand. For example, in basketball you can practice shooting and dribbling with your left hand if you are right handed.

Comments

Yes, I’d say doing sports with your non-dominant hand is THE best solution to how to become ambidextrous!

Answer 3

Unless you are an elite athlete who wants to improve his craft, I am not sure if it is a good idea to train yourself to become ambidextrous. I mean, we are naturally born left or right handed so I think there is a valid reason for that both physically and mentally. Besides, science has shown us that our brain is divided into different regions with each region performing different functions that cannot be interchanged over our life.