How to improve handwriting?

Bad handwriting! Bad handwriting! Is this what you have had to hear all the days of your life? Well, you need no longer worry. If you have the will, I have the way to improve your handwriting within a short time.

Good handwriting is an asset for people of all ages. In fact many people dream of having a good handwriting but seldom know how to turn their dream into a reality. It should be your endeavour to become a perfectionist in all walks of life and good handwriting will definitely go a long way in making you a complete man or a woman.

Nowadays many children have have bad handwriting and parents sincerely hope that their children would improve their handwriting as they grow up. The truth however is that if children are not taught the basics of good handwriting then it deteriorates from bad to worse with the passage of time. Finally, when they appear for exams, they tend to lose a lot of marks due to bad handwriting. Remember, handwriting can make or break a great career.

Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, "Bad handwriting is a sign of imperfect education". So why wait, take that pen of yours and start writing the right way along with me. Happy writing!

Types of Handwriting

There are basically 3 types of handwriting:-

1. Straight handwriting.

2. Handwriting with a slant to the right.

3. Handwriting with a slant to the left. 

The Straight handwriting is the easiest and looks very good. In this type of handwriting you should keep in mind not to slant a single alphabet either to the right or to the left. All alphabets from beginning to end should be written straight.

Handwriting with a slant to the right looks good provided you are able to maintain the same angle of slant of all the alphabets. You cannot write some alphabets straight and others with a slant. This type of handwriting is difficult for most students. Only those who write with a natural slant to the right from their childhood days are able to write beautifully in this type of handwriting.

Handwriting with a slant to the left does not look good, especially if it is slanting too much to the left as we read the English language forwards and to the right. Slight slant to the left is O.K.

Summary: Choose handwriting that is straight or with a slant to the right but try to avoid writing with too much of a slant to the left.

Will Power

After choosing the right type of handwriting, the next step to improve your handwriting is to think that you can write beautifully at all times. Your mind plays a very important role in helping you to improve your handwriting.

Remember the first time you rode the bicycle. The ride in all probability was wobbly and you might have fallen down umpteen times. Later on you gained in confidence and maybe became an expert on two wheels. You could have done it at the first attempt. But what prevented you? It was fear. Yes, fear brings out the worst in you and confidence the best. So also with handwriting. If you fear that your handwriting won't look good, it will in all probability look shabby. Think of a beautiful handwriting and then put it down on paper. It is that simple by going through these handwriting lessons.

Summary: Think that you can write beautifully, without cancellations and overwriting and also maintain the same size of all the alphabets. 

Paper Position

The English language is written from left to right and to ensure free hand movement to the right, the paper should always be held at an angle while writing. Now the question arises as to what angle the paper should be held? Well, it can be held at an angle that is convenient to the student. However, never write with the paper parallel to the table. In this position the writing hand comes closer to the body causing discomfort. There should always be a gap between the writing hand and the body while writing so as to ensure free hand movement to the right. 

Summary: Always write with the paper or book at an angle and never parallel to the table.

Hand Position

What is the duration of your exam papers? Well, whatever the duration, what would be the quality of your handwriting after the first hour, the second hour etc....? To be able to write beautifully for long duration of time or your exam papers of 2 to 3 hours duration, your writing hand has to take support of the table surface. Any part of the forearm should always rest on the table surface. Usually students start writing the top part of their exam papers neatly, but as the paper gets filled it becomes shabby. Finally, when they reach the lower part of the paper they are struggling and the last few lines are a real mess. This is because the writing hand is virtually dangling in air with no support from the table surface. What is the solution to this problem? Well, instead of the hand moving down as the paper gets filled, the paper should be moved up so that the contact with the table surface is always maintained. 

Also never ever forget the use of your non-writing hand. Always use it to hold your paper or book in position or else your alphabets will go haywire resulting in shabby handwriting. 

Summary: Always write with the writing arm in full contact with the table surface and hold the paper in position with the non-writing hand.

Grip

It is the grip that makes or breaks handwriting. The pen should be held with the thumb to the left, the index finger on top and the three remaining fingers giving support from the underside. The upper part of the pen should rest on the knuckles and not in the groove between the index finger and the thumb. When the index finger is slightly ahead of the thumb then the upper part of the pen rests on the knuckles. On the other hand, when it is slightly behind the thumb, the pen slips into the groove and your hand will experience pain while writing over a long period of time. Now many students will have a choice of 2 grips - the new grip and their old grip. Students will show very good improvement even with their old grip by following the instructions given in this course. A word of caution. Any change of grip will make a student slow initially. Hence students are advised to continue with their old grip till they are comfortable with the new grip.

Summary: It is the grip that makes or breaks handwriting.

Speedwriting 

A student must be able to complete his or her exam papers on time with a good handwriting. You cannot have only speed and no quality or only quality and no speed. If you are a very slow writer then you are applying too much pressure while writing. Reduce the pressure and automatically you will pick up speed. When an article is typed at breakneck speed, the quality is still maintained. So also when you write fast, there is no room for shabbiness. You should see to it that the alphabets are all of the same size and written on the line with minimum cancellations and overwriting. Neatness should be given the highest priority. 

Summary: To achieve good results, write with speed and quality.