# Not Totally Left/Right Handed Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 12, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006 "2010-08-12T02:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/21 "2010-08-12T13:30:35Z")
Right handed. And having recently had my left arm in a cast for 74 days, I am eternally grateful. ---
**Author:** ![bahimes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bahimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahimes)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/22 "2010-08-12T13:43:32Z")
Mostly righty, but lefty when things seem not to come to hand easily. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/23 "2010-08-12T13:52:51Z")
I’m right-handed, but my left is dominant for a few things. I drive more with my left, snap my fingers on the left, and some other things. I mouse with either hand (I have a mouse on each side of the keyboard). Also, my left eye is dominant. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/24 "2010-08-12T13:57:30Z")
I am predominantly right handed, but I throw with my left, and hold a guitar and rifle left-handedly. Not that I can play guitar or own a rifle. ---
**Author:** ![Kkrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Kkrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kkrose)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/25 "2010-08-12T14:06:33Z")
My left hand might as well be slightly deflated latex balloon, it is that useless. When I dislocated my right elbow a couple of years ago I was completely helpless for about a week, I couldn’t do anything. Then, even with the extreme pain and limited movement, my right arm was about a million times more capable of doing anything than my left. It’s sad really. I have tried so hard to condition my left hand to be at least semi-useful, but i always get frustrated and give up because it never gets any better. ---
**Author:** ![drillrod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@drillrod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drillrod)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/26 "2010-08-12T15:22:34Z")
I’m left-handed, but like the OP, if a tool is designed to be used right-handed, that’s what I do. I taught myself to write with my right hand when I broke my left hand in high school. I figured out that I can also throw darts (but not a baseball) right-handed. A dart throw is different from throwing a ball. I found that my natural throwing motion interfered with my dart throwing, so I applied proper dart-throwing technique to my right arm and it works. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/27 "2010-08-12T16:41:13Z")
> [@drillrod](#): > > I figured out that I can also throw darts (but not a baseball) right-handed. A dart throw is different from throwing a ball. I found that my natural throwing motion interfered with my dart throwing, so I applied proper dart-throwing technique to my right arm and it works. Oh, I forgot about that. I throw darts with my right hand too. The people who taught me how were all right handed, and I wasn’t doing any better with my left, so… ---
**Author:** ![ThirdOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@ThirdOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThirdOne)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/28 "2010-08-12T18:50:24Z")
I’m mixed up, but I blame elementary school. 🙂 Until first grade, I wrote equally well with both hands. School decided it wasn’t ok, gave me some test (I do not remember this), and I ended up writing left-handed. I bat left, but shoot pool right. Scissors and knives, right, eat left. So yes, it depends on what I’m doing as to which hand I’ll use. My handwriting with my right hand looks like first grade, still. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/29 "2010-08-12T18:59:24Z")
I’m fully right-handed, but my dad was rather mixed. I’m fairly sure he wrote left-handed, definitely played golf lefty, and probably batted and threw lefty as well. But I believe he played racquetball right handed, along with other random things. Been a long time since he’s been around though, so that’s about all i can remember ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/30 "2010-08-12T19:00:51Z")
> [@Gil-Martin](#): > > I write with my left hand. I’m ambidextrous in some things. I tend to use my right hand for most hand-related activities, though, perhaps because I was a natural born southpaw forced to grow up in a backwards world. So I guess I’m a freak like you. 🙂 If it helps, I am exactly like this as well. It’s very frustrating…I occasionally have a small handedness identity crisis and try to transition activities to my left hand…then get frustrated and revert to this strange pseudoambidexterity. ---
**Author:** ![sideshowkar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sideshowkar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sideshowkar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/31 "2010-08-12T20:17:05Z")
I’m comfortable doing most things with either hand; my right hand tends to be dominant, except when it comes to the “two handed” bat / golf club sort of thing. I feel way more comfortable in a “left handed” stance, but because I threw right handed when I started playing softball, my coaches forced me to hit as a right handed batter, so I tend to still default to that for both softball and driving a golf ball. I prefer to putt left handed though. My feet tend do be more lefty though. I skateboard/surf/snowboard goofy footed (basically a left-handed stance), which is more typical of lefties. My left foot is my jumping/hopping foot. When I play soccer, I can play pretty much equally well with both feet. I do have a bit of a more natural kick with my right foot, but I actually think this is because I’m much more comfortable with my left foot planted. I just don’t really feel comfortable balancing on my right foot for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/32 "2010-08-12T23:53:50Z")
I write and eat left handed but when I drink and play sports, I use my right hand. I can use a computer mouse both ways and often switch to avoid sore wrists. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/33 "2010-08-13T00:15:39Z")
I write and eat and drink with my left hand. I am right-handed when it comes to anything sports-related. I tend to use the computer mouse with my right-hand, but can manage just fine with my left if I need to. I consider myself to be left-handed, although other lefties make fun of me because I wear my watch on my left hand, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/34 "2010-08-13T07:57:01Z")
Left handed: write, golf, baseball, bowl, Right handed: scissors, shoot gun, soccer, mouse, skateboard Ambi: tennis, shoot pool ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/35 "2010-08-13T08:24:16Z")
I describe myself as left-handed, because i write and throw left-handed, but i’m really all over the place: **Left:** Writing Throwing Bowling Kicking (soccer, etc.) Shooting (rifle or shotgun) Scissors Chef’s knives (cutting food for cooking, etc.) Knife and Fork Some tools (saw) Wanking 🙂 **Right:** Tennis (and other racket sports) Golf, Baseball, Cricket and other “bat” type hitting. Computer mouse Spoon (for cereal, ice cream etc.) Knife (spreading butter, jam, etc.) Some tools (drill, screwdriver, socket wrench, hammer) Shooting (handgun; never fired one, but it would be with my right hand) ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/36 "2010-08-13T09:53:04Z")
Whoops. I voted by accident; I don’t actually have anything special about my hands. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/37 "2010-08-13T13:30:08Z")
I do everything right handed except masturbate which I only do left handed. I’m sure that could potentially be interesting to a psychiatrist I guess. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/38 "2010-08-13T13:44:30Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It worked for most things, but not for delicate Photoshop editing. I have this problem, too. I write left-handed but mouse right-handed, which sucks for Photoshop work. I finally bought a graphics pad so I can use the pen in my left hand when I have really fine editing to do. I’m about as mixed up as **mhendo** is. For example, I do needlework left-handed but knit and crochet right-handed. I play racquet sports right-handed but fence left-handed. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/39 "2010-08-15T06:53:27Z")
I am surprised the first two options are nearly dead even. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006/40 "2010-08-15T07:41:23Z")
I’m totally right-handed these days. Once upon a time I could do most things with my left hand too, but then my wrist was broken and still doesn’t work properly any more. That means that my left arm is the one I always use to carry stuff and it’s noticeably more muscular than my right arm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-totally-left-right-handed-poll/550006.md?page=3)