i am officially asymmetrical

[monk]

today i realized just how much i favor one side. well, i always knew that i did that but just thought-- it's just my good side, it's the way i'm comfortable, it's the way i "do it better," and it's more FUN doing the movements the way i know how to well. but today while working out and doing simple movements, i noticed physically that i am way weaker (strength, technique, flow) on my "bad" side. it's kind of detrimental by now!

i've been training parkour for over a year now and have become quite lopsided. if you really want to get better, don't move on until you can do all movements both ways. i must commit to practicing my other side way more often, especially if i want to teach someone the correct way to progress!

my inner motto (ie kaos voice) while training will be : "do the other side now." in my head i might add an exclamation point at the end of that, but kaos just teaches with such calm encouragement that i'd like to keep that state as opposed to anxiety.

[monk]

i went snowboarding yesterday and tried riding switch for half the day just to see if i could stay up. i was on my butt or face a lot of the time. using both sides when snowboarding isn't as necessary as doing it in parkour (especially since i have to switch my bindings stance), but there are instances that i could see it being useful, and more fun, and it's definitely something that needs a lot of practice. today i'm going to remember to concentrate on my bad side again.

[Philosofist]

Yeah...even in conditioning I favor the weak side and condition that side more. I find myself always speed vaulting with my left hand and lazy vaulting with my right automatically, and preprogrammed movements are annoying. Sure it's efficient but it's defficient too :(

[Nick Romero]

After over a year of yoga and about a year of pk I've noticed a number of disparities between sides.. It's definitely good to "ride switch" as it is in board sports to further coordination and balance, though overcoming the awkwardness is frustrating! The good news is our brains transfer the how-to info from one side to the other, accelerating the learning process for our bad sides!

[hillexallen]

I am also asymetrical in my lazies, speed vaults, and rolls.

[Seng]

Working all sides is a great way to learn and to teach since it often makes you start again at a different point in a progression and it highlights deficiencies in form and technique. And of course it's also healthier and you never know how you're going to encounter something when moving under stress.

[Kirill]

fine. Im going to practice my bad sided kongs =P

I agree....It is a lot harder to practice your bad side though!

[Fyrel]

I really should start doing this too. I can speed vault over the length of a table on my right arm, but can't make it past a railing on my left. Ah, back to progression....