Those stupid little tin openers from rat packs

[BigShot]

My girlfriend is a leftie.
If we marry and have kids I'm gonna be telling her off if she makes any more lefties.

One of the hardest things about teaching an opposite (I imagine it's tough for a leftie to teach a normal* person too) is getting your head around it.

You'll either need to forget completely about what they are doing and describe what you're doing and let them make the changes for themselves, or force yourself to say "left" for "right" and vice versa. Both are actually kinda tricky - especially when you're describing things you've not thought about in years as they have become automatic.

The funny thing is, for some things I actually find it EASIER to teach an opposite.
For example, I ride boards goofy-footed (right foot forwards). Teaching other goofie footers to snowboard is tricky in some ways as you have your back to them when both cruising along - that or they can't see you. Wheras if they ride regular (left foot forwards) you can both see eachother which makes some things much easier.
The odd thing is, my girlfriend is goofy footed too. It still strikes me as odd that there's no obvious connection to handedness, but there you have it.


* Ooooh! Controversial!

 

[calibanzwei]

The brains an odd thing - I'm naturally right handed, but am a left handed air-guitarist

 

[clcuckow]

My girlfriend is a leftie.
One of the hardest things about teaching an opposite (I imagine it's tough for a leftie to teach a normal* person too) is getting your head around it.


* Ooooh! Controversial!

There is nothing Controversial about that BigShot. We are only about 10% of the population. The elite 10% though

 

[clcuckow]

Back on topic, well sort of. I actually find them easier that a lot of 'normal' can openers especially this type.

or this

Because using your left hand you are applying the pressure in the wrong direction. Just the same problem we have with using scissors, tin snips etc that is unless we spend a fortune getting left handed ones like I hand to do when I got some left handed taylor's scissors.

 

[spamel]

My girlfriend is a leftie.
If we marry and have kids I'm gonna be telling her off if she makes any more lefties.

One of the hardest things about teaching an opposite (I imagine it's tough for a leftie to teach a normal* person too) is getting your head around it.

You'll either need to forget completely about what they are doing and describe what you're doing and let them make the changes for themselves, or force yourself to say "left" for "right" and vice versa. Both are actually kinda tricky - especially when you're describing things you've not thought about in years as they have become automatic.

The funny thing is, for some things I actually find it EASIER to teach an opposite.
For example, I ride boards goofy-footed (right foot forwards). Teaching other goofie footers to snowboard is tricky in some ways as you have your back to them when both cruising along - that or they can't see you. Wheras if they ride regular (left foot forwards) you can both see eachother which makes some things much easier.
The odd thing is, my girlfriend is goofy footed too. It still strikes me as odd that there's no obvious connection to handedness, but there you have it.


* Ooooh! Controversial!

Lots of women ride goofy. I think this is because they try regular and it doesn't work so somebody suggest they ride goofy and they then make that work because they just want to get on with it! A good trick to find which way somebody rides is to walk up behind them and shove them, not as hard as a copper at the G20 would, but hard enough to make them take a pace forward. Another is to ask which leg they put in their trousers first or which shoulder they'd use to barge a door down.

I ride goofy too, couldn't get on with regular and found I kept turning and riding with my lead foot pointing back up the hill! I switched my bindings and came third in the novice section of the Army Snowboard Championships, so must have been doing something right!

 

[Canalvoyageur]

On the subject of shooting, surely Gentlemen its the eye, that is the master eye that determines whether a person shoots from the right or left shoulder.
Regards Bill ( Lefty)

 

[Barney]

Seen it done, I'm more of a right tool for the job person myself! Besides, if you take the edge off whilst doing this then you need to resharpen, removing lots of metal and if you do it often enough reducing the life of your knife. If it's a Mora though, who cares!

Hello Spamel,

I remember when I was an apprentice I used to make the turning tools for doing the lathe work out of bars of square silver steel(without doing in the heat treat) and then have to keep them sharp for the whole of their life, silver steel will cut metal at 3300 RPM all day long and so will most tool steels, Sharpening steel doesnt bother me. Given a choice, I tend to go for better steel though than O1.

 

[Leezo]

Gobsmacked - I cant believe there is a video on how to open a can on youtube. I give the folding type of can openers to kids and they figure it out.

 

[BigShot]

Spamel
I've come across all those methods and the only ones I've found anything like reliable is the shove from behind one. It's somewhat rare for that test to fail, the others seem to fail as often as they work in my experience.
According to the other tests I'd ride regular, and I don't.

Well done on your 3rd place!


Clcuckow
My girlfriend actually finds left handed tin openers harder to use than right handed. She prefers leftie scissors though.
Oh and, yea, "elite". Right.



Canalvoyageur
I'm right handed and left eye dominant and can't imagine shooting from my left shoulder. Any shooting I've done (bow and air rifle) has always been left hand forwards and even thinking about doing it the other way feels uncomfortable.

 

[Wayland]

The Latin for left is "Sinister", not sure what "Elite" is Latin for though.....

 

[nige7whit]

Lefties....

Daughter is left handed and I find it really difficult to teach her anything practical. Tying shoe laces, shooting a bow, shooting an air rifle all becomes like mission impossible when showing her!

You should all be forced to use your right hand......

Simon

Actually, think about it for a moment longer.... (and I'm coming in from a left handed perspective here).

Left handed archery. I used to do archery left handed, you pull the string back with your left hand, and you push your right hand forward, keep it steady, and aim carefully.... Hang on, right hand forward, that's just like right handed pistol shooting !

I'm left handed in terms of writing, but I use whatever hand is best for other tasks. I am left eye dominant, but shoot pistol and rifle right handed (although I can shoot left handed). At fencing and Kendo, I'm right handed. Actually, pistol shooting was interesting, as I used to cock my head further over to the right, and use my left eye on the pistol sights, keeping the left eye open for spatial awareness, whilst shooting right handed !

There are peculiarities... I keep my spyderco knives on my right side, and open it with my right thumb, but then pass it to my left hand for precision cutting, strange, eh? Other knives, I generally keep on my left, and I use the phone left handed almost always.

When eating, my fork is in my left hand, knife in right, but when cooking, I ALWAYS use a kitchen knife in my left hand, as I have more control, and it feels more natural.

 

[BigShot]

Wayland - I believe the Spanish call lefties something like "Los Siniestros".

 

[Aussiepom]

Using the mirror technique to teach someone to shoot a bow sounds a bit frightening. At some stage you're gonna be facing each other with drawn bows!

 

[John Fenna]

Right handed people are naturally more dexterous......
but only in that Dexter is the opposite of Sinister...
I am right handed in all but canoeing where I am ambidexterous...