Left-side EVERYTHING!

Hello everyone,

I getting further along in my knowledge in Aikido and Jujitsu but and I finally came to know that I cannot do anything left handed!

Leftsided rolls, leftsided backrolls. This is a bummer. Any tips?!

I'm sure and I hope that people had trouble with their leftsided *insert anything* here unless they are lefthanded!

All my senseis wink and laugh at me after saying "It takes time but its just like the right!"

So please, any tips?

Thank you!

-Alex de la Paz

Get on the mat and train! pay attention to your leftside. If your having more problems on that side work on it a little more than you do the right. Eventually it might catch up... Remember everyone has a stupid side. It's those people who are stupid in the middle that need to worry.

It takes time, but its just like the right.

--Michael

Sorry...I couldn't resist.

Seriously. There will always be techniques that are better on one side than the other. The interesting thing is that they are not always the same side. You may find that you do some techniques better from an attack on the left while others from an attack on the right.

In the meantime...I suggest trying to practice equally on both sides. I think its a mistake to try and overcompensate by working on the left side 2 times for every once on the right. Just make sure they are equal and it should all come together.

It just takes time

--Michael

If I find that one side comes easier than the other, i'll spend the rest of the time on the technique on the bad side. In our dojo we don't have any rules about practising both sides all the time. Sometimes it's refreshing just to work on one side, even if it is a little frustrating.

I know it's kinda funny but i am left handed and my right front rolls are better than my left, but my left backrolls are better than my right

Try doing everything Kihon (stop-start waiting about 2 seconds after each step) so your muscle memory can pick it up easier. ANd so you can see what exactly you are doing on each side.

I don't know. I think I would focus on the left side more, not ignoring your right side of course but make the left side do the techniques more often. My reasoning being is that when a new technique is introduced it is difficult to do so you practice it more often until you become more comfortable with it and then eventually it is like the basics. So by over training (in a sense) the left side it should becoe easier to use your left side.

Lyle Laizure wrote: I don't know. I think I would focus on the left side more, not ignoring your right side of course but make the left side do the techniques more often. My reasoning being is that when a new technique is introduced it is difficult to do so you practice it more often until you become more comfortable with it and then eventually it is like the basics. So by over training (in a sense) the left side it should becoe easier to use your left side.

I see your point, but I wonder if the analogy of "I'm pretty good at Shomen Irimi Nage, but a little shaky at Shihonage so I'm going to practice Shihonage much more...not ignoring Shomen Irimi Nage" holds up.

If you practice mostly what you're bad at then I would be afraid of not getting better at what you're good at. Maybe this isn't a problem, but doing something frustrating too much also might make the whole training session very unrewarding.

Also, if you are getting better and better at something then you'll probably use that in "real life" more.

And...in the case of a new technique doing it on your good side should help you undestand the technique faster/better.

...comments?

cheers,

--Michael

If you practice mostly what you're bad at then I would be afraid of not getting better at what you're good at. Maybe this isn't a problem, but doing something frustrating too much also might make the whole training session very unrewarding.

I can see your point with this and maybe I should have explained further. My particular practice is that I try until I get frustrated take a break from it and then go back to it again later in the practice session.