I was able to do it after a couple of tries, but it was a bit of a gas to rotate my leg clockwise, then start rotating the arm counter, then see the leg suddenly and involuntarily reverse course.
It’s not really the sam, but it’s the same principle:
This stand-up comedian used to do this bit where he imitated a drunk guy at bar after last call. The lights would come up, and he’d stand (wobble) there with one eye wide open, and the other eye blinking v-e-e-e-r-r-r-y slowly, and shout “WHERE’S EV’RY BODY GOIN’?”
Took the same kind of coordination.
When I was about thirteen it popped into my head to steer my bike with my arms crossed over so that my hands were on the opposite handlebars from usual. Not to try it–I just assumed it could be done. So I swapped hands in mid-ride. Stability was lost. Injury resulted.
I figured I had just zigged when I should have zagged. Now I knew you had to think backwards. I tried again, this time from stopped. Stability was not achieved. Hmm. I got going the normal way and swapped again. Stability was lost. Injury resulted.
Okay, this time I know what I did wrong. One more try. Stability was lost. Serious injury resulted.
I (wisely, I think) gave up.
It is almost certainly possible to learn to do this, but your chances of doing so without breaking your neck are slim.
Do not try this at home, kids!
A much adored uncle twiddled his thumbs and so I learned to do that in imitation of him when I was a child. Reversing is no problem. Is it for anyone?
The real trick – and maybe this is what Peter had in mind – is to twiddle them in opposite directions at the same time.
Using your index fingers and wrist rotation, can you circle one of your ears in a clockwise motion while circling the other in a counter-clockwise motion? My grandson thought I was marvelous when he was eight.
If you have trouble getting the image, think of making a circle at the side of your head to suggest that someone is crazy. (That is still done, isn’t it?)
Thanks - that’s exactly the idea I was trying to convey.
May I ask what happens when everyone tries to rotate your fingers/hand one way and your foot the other way? I’ve never tried it before, and it was no problem for me on the first attempt. I even tried the right hand/left foot thing and had no problem. I just can’t picture what happens if you can’t do it.
Most people that can’t stop about halfway through the rotation on one and either have one switch directions or it will look like it’s fighting with tiself over which direction it wants to head.
I imagine that part of the problem was you were forced to think about what you were doing. This is bad when bicycling because to start a turn you first have to steer away from the turn, to get the bike leaning the right way. Likewise, to stop a turn you have to steer into it. When I rode a bike, I used to find it much easier to do if I didn’t think about it.
There’s a similar problem when flying an R/C plane. Left and right are “reversed” if the plane is coming towards you. Somehow you’ve got to unhinge your frame of reference and tie it to the plane. Folks learn it with practice. I did, but I’m not sure how.
That’s probably why I can do it. Similar with the drummers, practice with something else that requires hand independence will really help.