Lefties are mentally ill and/or schizophrenics

[Nikolai]

I'm afraid I use my left hand for that.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Straybow

Originally posted by General Ludd

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
And French researchers concluded that being left-handed could be an advantage in hand-to-hand combat.

Isn't that just because all the right-handed people train to face other right-handed people? Nothing intrinsic to left-handedness or its biology.

But still a complete advantage regardless.

No, it is because all the left-handed are trained against the right-handed, but the right-handed are not so thoroughly trained against the left-handed.

Like I said, a complete advantage.

You might aswell say that being stronger than average isn't an advantage, because your openent could be trained to be even stronger still. Or, in other words, there is no such thing as an advantage, because there is a hypothetical counter to everything.

[-Jrabbit]

Game, set and match to Ludd.

[Kuciwalker]

You're kidding, right?

[-Jrabbit]

Your assertion that there's nothing intrinsically advanteous to left-handedness in hand-to-hand is correct in a strictly physical sense, of course.

But in a real-world scenario, the training/practice advantage becomes critical. The fact that righties train (theoretically, on average) against lefties only 10% of the time, with the reverse being true for the lefties (obviously), puts a clear advantage to the left handers.

Note that the article states left-handedness "could be an advantage" in combat -- not that they are better fighters. The fact that this advantage may due to being a statistical anomaly (as opposed to strength, quickness, whatever) doesn't make it any less effective.

So no, not kidding.

[Kataphraktoi]

I agree, however its only really relavent in duels or such, in a battle with people rushing all over the place its likely irrelevant. Its not like in the movies where they square off and use their skills to win...

[Lazerus]

A left-handed swordsman or axeman had an advantage in their era as the righties shield setup wards off right handers much better than lefties

Wouldn't the shield setup of a left handed swordsman likewise be setup to block against a left hander ? Thus the only advantage being the said left hander would be more used to swinging sword vs sword whereas the right hander would have trained more sword vs shield.

[East Street Trader]

I suspect that lefties would have mostly had to train themselves to use their right arm when fighting with sword and shield.

Because of the prevalence of shield wall tactics and their equivalent.

[Elok]

I'm sure all of this will be very useful the next time one of you is challenged to a duel.

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by Elok
I'm sure all of this will be very useful the next time one of you is challenged to a duel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsic

[Solly]

I'm mainly right-handed but eat with what's meant to be a left-handed set-up (fork in right hand) and bat in cricket (rounders for you Yanks) left-handed (right-hand closer to body/higher up stem).

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Doddler
left-handed (right-hand closer to body/higher up stem).