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prave wrote:how many left handers here..

Originally I'm a left-hander, and started to write with my left. In school I re-trained to right-hand writing, and the result is a mess:

Throwing a ball; javelin; shot put - left

Throwing a diskus, frisbee, or knife; holding a racket, rifle, bow, or pistol; writing - right

Throwing an axe; holding a spoon; handling a screwdriver or similar tool - ambidextrous

Together with a similar mess regarding my legs (left leg front on the starting block, left leg for long jump, but right leg for high jump), this has played havoc with many a sports teacher / coach.

Solar wrote:Throwing an axe...

Medieval reenactment. Weapon of preference is the long bow, but I occassionally do the sword too (I'm the one to the left), and when I get the chance to hurl an axe or two I won't say no. I suck with a spear, though.

I suck with a spear, though.

The pointy end goes in to the other person (preferably one of the opposition)

Medieval reenactment looks like good fun. I had a go with a long-bow once but it gave me a nasty friction burn where the bow kept scraping along the inside of my elbow. Those things could hurt someone

Sorry OP - we'll let it get vaguely back on topic now.

I'm a right hander but was pretty ambidextrous as a child (I think lots of people are). As far as eyes are concerned, dominance is due to a "competition"-like situation between the eyes. You end up with "columns" of neurons in the brain representing input from each eye. The columns relating to the dominant eye in effect are wider, with more neurons dedicated to them. Occluding one eye in childhood (before the age of 7-8) can relate in amblyopia in that eye. If one eye appears to be going amblyopic, occlusion of the good eye can sometimes reverse this (but care is needed not to over-occlude the good eye, making that eye amblopic too). I have no idea whether "handedness" has the same physiological basis, but wouldn't be surprised.

The dominant eye tends to be the same as the dominant hand, but in cases of cross-dominance (dominant right eye/ear, dominant left hand or vice-versa) you tend to see an increased level of dyslexia and general confusion of left/right.

Cheers,
Adam