Unlike the majority of the adult population, I am left-handed. In a right-handed world, I've happily made the adjustment when cutting with scissors, using a computer mouse, or even turning a doorknob, but I am by no means ambidextrous. Those lucky individuals are few and far between.

An important component of athletic conditioning is training your less dominant side. Obviously, I am left side dominant, but I am always trying to strengthen the right side of my body while exercising. Recently, I decided to test my dexterity in some sports that I normally perform as a southpaw.

First was bowling. I'm not a bad bowler. In fact, the last few times I have bowled, I have scored at least a hundred points. Just to get my bearings, I decided to warm up by throwing ball left-handed. I was scoring high pretty consistently, so I decided it was time to switch hands. As soon as I put the ball in my other hand, I immediately felt a difference. The ball suddenly felt heavier, so much so that in compensating for the weight, my balance was thrown off. My arm felt really weak as I released the ball down the lane. As expected, I threw mostly gutter balls as I struggled to maintain some form. Clearly, no bowling leagues will be recruiting me in the future.

Next, I went to the batting cage. Once again I warmed up with a left-handed swing (since it had been a few years since I had hit a ball). After some solid contact with the ball, I decided it was time to switch hit. And just like when I was bowling, I felt really strange. My brain scrambled as I tried to maintain hand/eye coordination. I had to focus even harder as I swung on (and missed!). It was time me for me to leave the cage before I got hit!

Feeling a bit lopsided, I needed to take a breather as I thought about how I was going to break down the domination of my left side.

Next was snowboarding. My skill level is similar to that of bowling. I've been about 10-15 times and feel pretty comfortable riding goofy. However, since I had not been in awhile, I definitely had to start right foot forward and just like riding a bike, it came back right away. So after a few runs, I decided to switch it up. But as soon as I stood up, all I can say is bad idea. I felt like it was the first time I ever snowboarded. I was really unstable and I was really nervous to switch from toeside to heelside.

Last, I tried a sport that had limited experience with … golf. I asked my pro golfer friend for a lesson at a local driving range, and we did away with the dominant side warm-up. We hit right handed, right off the bat (or, in this case, club!). Now I have to say that I ended up doing the best in this sport. Not only did I hit a few solid 75-100 yard hits, but I felt almost comfortable than the last time I tried left-handed. Could it have been that I was hitting a stationary target, or that I had a professional over my shoulder, correcting my form as I went along? Or could it be that I was on my way to becoming ambidextrous?

Working out your less dominant side makes good sense in any exercise program. It challenges your body and brain. Not only can it add a new twist to the game, but you might end up discovering that you actually are better on your other side.

-Ashley Ceaser