Ambidexterity.

[arnisador]

In Modern Arnis, Prof. Presas used to emphasize the importance of being able to do techniques with either hand. We were never fully sure if it was a practical or philosophical concern, or if it was because he himself was left-handed! As in The Princess Bride, you'd never know from watching him do techniques right-handed that he was not right-handed.

I must confess that since his death I have gotten lazy about training my left hand in techniques--I train it as my "live" hand, of course, but put less effort into training both sides equally. (Gee, I hope my instructor isn't reading this.) I still make sure to do the basic techniques on each side from time to time, but I rarely practice anything involved on the left side.

While visiting in NM this year, I'm training with an instructor whose background includes Doce Pares, JKD-Kali (through Dan Inosanto's lineage) and, I believe, some Kali Illustrimo. He insists on doing everything with both sides, every time, without fail. He doesn't make a big deal about it--we just do it, as though it's obvious and natural that one would want to practice it on both sides.

Personally, I might prefer to focus on my strong side which is what I would almost certainly use in application, while still spending some time on my weak side which may be what I must use (for any number of reasons). But, I cannot argue with working both sides equally, which can only improve the weak side and make one better prepared for all eventualities.

I think of Modern Arnis as an art that emphasizes the importance of being able to do your techniques with either hand. I think of Balintawak as an art that allows one to focus only on one's strong side. Leaving aside the quirks of individual instructors, what other arts take a position on this issue?

[Danny T]

All of my Wing Chun training emphasized both sides as well as most of my pekiti training has. With my students I have them do all the drills with the weak side first and then finish up with the strong side. When advancing to doble drills they will already have the coordination and agility for doble.
All of the ground drills we do in BJJ work both sides.

Danny T

[Balintawak]

In Modern Arnis, Prof. Presas used to emphasize the importance of being able to do techniques with either hand. We were never fully sure if it was a practical or philosophical concern, or if it was because he himself was left-handed! As in The Princess Bride, you'd never know from watching him do techniques right-handed that he was not right-handed.

I must confess that since his death I have gotten lazy about training my left hand in techniques--I train it as my "live" hand, of course, but put less effort into training both sides equally. (Gee, I hope my instructor isn't reading this.) I still make sure to do the basic techniques on each side from time to time, but I rarely practice anything involved on the left side.

While visiting in NM this year, I'm training with an instructor whose background includes Doce Pares, JKD-Kali (through Dan Inosanto's lineage) and, I believe, some Kali Illustrimo. He insists on doing everything with both sides, every time, without fail. He doesn't make a big deal about it--we just do it, as though it's obvious and natural that one would want to practice it on both sides.

Personally, I might prefer to focus on my strong side which is what I would almost certainly use in application, while still spending some time on my weak side which may be what I must use (for any number of reasons). But, I cannot argue with working both sides equally, which can only improve the weak side and make one better prepared for all eventualities.

I think of Modern Arnis as an art that emphasizes the importance of being able to do your techniques with either hand. I think of Balintawak as an art that allows one to focus only on one's strong side. Leaving aside the quirks of individual instructors, what other arts take a position on this issue?

Well, I have walked through left handed, at Tim's seminars or my own, when a left hander asks a question and wants to see it left on left.

I agree that Balintawak tell one to execute their techniques on their strong side no matter what the opponent is doing.

I do have to admit that when I train with my contemporaries and seniors in Balintawak I almost always use my right hand, as I am still learning and still trying to grasp the whole thing that way.

While playing with those who are less skilled or less time, I use my left sometimes to just see if they are paying attention, and or if it messes them up.

While In Modern Arnis, I still practice the left as well, I have taken the mentality of doing it well on one side, then to transfer to the other side.

[Sheldon Bedell]

I belive that most Sikaran schools have the students practice on both sides. I know that in my school we even tie the strong hand at times so that the student must only use his weak hand in blocking and strikeing

[brothershaw]

For a lefty since the world is already biased for the right hand it is immensely easy to learn how to do right janded things, especially if you dont have a choice ( it is designed right handed).
Speaking as a lefty when it comes to the filipino stuff I do everything as good as a righty of my skill level with my right since there is a right hand bias in the training, and with my left hand with only 15 % of the practice time its about 70% of my right hand.
However in other martial arts my left side is extremely dominant, and I favor the left side forward unless I am holding a stick.

[Rich Parsons]

What I have found is that in weapon training I found that my right side is forward, and then with empty hands, I would keep my right side forward, which made me a left handed fighter in that aspect. ;) I have always been partially ambiextrious, and this did not seem an issue to me, until some people would ask why I was fighting left handed?

[arnisador]

Speaking as a lefty when it comes to the filipino stuff I do everything as good as a righty of my skill level with my right since there is a right hand bias in the training, and with my left hand with only 15 % of the practice time its about 70% of my right hand.

How much advantage do you think this gives you? Do you switch hands when sparring in order to mess people up?

[KombatanNYC]

I really feel that ambidexterity is quite possibly the greatest gift that my training in arnis has given me. Not only do I find it advantageous agains an opponent, it has really opened many doors for me regarding the art itself.

First, the concept of the live hand: Whereas the dominant hand is more yang and projective energeticly speaking, the live hand does so much to support and facilitate the dominant hand. However when you switch, it is amazing the new perspectives that can be reached. Having say the stick in the live hand, the live hand must learn to be yang.

What I find to be kind of funny when I am just free-flowing with the left hand is that it is much easier to teach the left to be aggressive than it is to teach the right to be yin or the live hand. I will often catch myself with my right hand in my pocket or something absurd like that because it doesn't yet understand how to fill the role as the live hand.

What is awesome about arnis is whether you do it consciously or not, a good portion of the drills are already training you to be ambidextrous. Think about all of the sinawalis you know.

[Boar Man]

I really feel that ambidexterity is quite possibly the greatest gift that my training in arnis has given me. Not only do I find it advantageous agains an opponent, it has really opened many doors for me regarding the art itself.


I totally agree.

Arnis has really helped me to force my left side to into play. When in karate and TKD I fought left side fwd since my left foot was my best kicking foot and my right hand was my strongest hand I keep it in the rear. When I did some JKD my right side came fwd, since my right was the strongest hand.

But the FMAs really helped me to make the right and left sides work better together. While GM Ernesto's double stick material helped me train both hands for the stick it also helped me to train both hands for empty hand as well. However it was GM Remy's left hand Tapi tapi drills that really helped my left hand with the single stick.

Mark

[arnisador]

All of my Wing Chun training emphasized both sides

I have recently started Wing Chun and it's the same for us. Similarly in the Jun Fan Gung Fu classes at the same school. First one side, then the other...every technique, every time.


With my students I have them do all the drills with the weak side first and then finish up with the strong side.

Hmmm, I think most people go strong side first! What's your reasoning in doing this? In Wing Chun we generally start with the left, which is, I'm told, traditional.


All of the ground drills we do in BJJ work both sides.

Yes, it's the same where I take BJJ. I see it as essential for ground grappling--you don't have the same opportunity to go with your dominant side when someone is on the ground rolling around with you. It's not like a boxer spending almost all of his time on his strog side--in grappling, you can't hope to always, or even often, have the choice of which side to go to.

As an aside, I received a nice compliment in the FMA class this weekend when a student who was new to the school and the system, but not to the martial arts, was working a technique with me. When we switched to the left side in what was a hubud variation, he really struggled but I did fine. He asked me, "Are you left-handed?" For me, it felt good to think that someone thought my left side was going that well, even though I could tell I wasn't as confident with it.