CSS Forums - Need tips to Improve HandWriting!

[QUOTE=mukt;275639]As the subject says, Suggest Tips for Improving hand writing as I am sure I am not the only one with a poor hand writing that needs to be improved :P thanks[/QUOTE]

[CENTER][B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B][/CENTER]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Handwriting skills are developed at an early age which involve learning motor skills, hand to eye coordination, maintenance of a good posture and hand positioning. Handwriting has very little to do with eyes. With handwriting, your body and mind need to do many different things all together and in the right order. Your shoulder needs to stay steady while your wrist and elbow move in just the right way. You need the brainpower to know how words and letters are supposed to look and make decisions about what you want to write.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Practice writing from your arm and shoulder in the air or on a white board, try not to move your fingers or wrist. Begin practicing individual letters. Concentrate on overall letter formation, the size of ascenders and descenders, the slant of each letter, and beginning and ending strokes. Move on to complete words once you've made it all the way through the alphabet. Pay attention to character spacing, the way your letters flow from one into the next, and the spacing you place between words.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Develop a test sentence for yourself and write it at the top of your first practice page. At the beginning of each new week, write this sentence at the top of a new page to help you gauge your progress.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][U]Pen:[/U][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Choice of pen depends on your level of comfort and proper grip over its flow. Avoid ball point in your initial stage for it doesn’t help in getting proper grip over your lettering flow. [/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]Ensure that your grip is not too tight, and not too loose, hold it gently. Hold the pen between your thumb and the first two fingers of your hand and maintain constant pressure when holding the pen. [/FONT][/COLOR][FONT=Times New Roman]Many grasps are perfectly fine! Thumb and forefinger should form an oval while holding pen.[COLOR=black][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Do not press the nib (tip) of your pen hard on the paper during writing[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]When you're writing focus on 2 or 3 letters and anticipate them. That way when you write them you make a mental note to write the letter the way you want[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][U]Paper:[/U][/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman] Avoid slipy papers and extra thin papers. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]
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[FONT=Times New Roman]The Four Key Components of Legibility[/FONT][/COLOR][/B]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]The 4 "S" components of legibility in cursive handwriting:[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][B][COLOR=black]1. Size[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black] - This refers to the letters in relation to each other and to the lines or spaces on the paper.[/COLOR][/FONT][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Tall letters should touch the headline, or top line position, of the paper[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Short letters should touch the mid line, or center line position, of the paper[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Some letters actually go below the baseline, or bottom line position. [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Depending on their position, similar letters should be uniform in height.[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST][FONT=Times New Roman][B][COLOR=black]2. Shape[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black] - There are 4 basic shapes, or motions, to guide your cursive handwriting:[/COLOR][/FONT][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]undercurve (this stroke swings up)[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]downcurve (this stroke dives down)[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]overcurve (this stroke bounces up)[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]slant (this stroke slides at an angle)[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST][URL="http://www.brighthub.com/education/homework-tips/articles/40169.aspx?image=53205"][COLOR=blue][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Times New Roman][B][COLOR=black]3.[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black] [B]Slant[/B] - All letters in cursive handwriting slant. Here are some important things to remember:[/COLOR][/FONT][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Slants should be uniform[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]To check for uniformity, draw an imaginary straight line through the center of each letter, from the top to the bottom. If the slant is uniform, all of the lines should be parallel.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Proper hand position can improve the degree of slant.[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST][FONT=Times New Roman][B][COLOR=black]4. Spacing[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black] - For increased legibility, there should be consistency in the spacing between letters, words and sentences throughout the writing. In other words, the spacing between letters should all be the same. The spacing between words should be consistent, and slightly larger than the spacing between the letters. The spacing between sentences should be uniform, and slightly larger than the spacing between words. One of the biggest challenges for students is to maintain consistent spacing between words. [/COLOR][/FONT]
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[B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Buy The Necessary Material[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Sometimes the choice of equipment that you use can affect your handwriting. Buy a variety of pens and paper material so that you can experiment and find out which material suits your purpose best. Many people swear by fountain pens in bringing out the best in their handwriting. But it's a personal choice.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[B][SIZE=3]Record Your Technique[/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Write something and observe how you do it. Do you use your fingers to write? Or do you use the shoulders and forearms? The correct technique is to write with your shoulder and forearm and not your fingers. The fingers should just be a guide and not the force. Never squeeze the pen too hard. Many people put the entire weight of their hand on the paper and then repeatedly keep lifting it and moving it across the page. This lends their handwriting a cramped and tight lettering style. Instead, employ the muscles in the forearm and shoulder and the strokes in your handwriting will be much more uniform.

[B]Correct Your Posture[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Sometimes posture can affect the quality of the handwriting. Instead of sitting slumped so that the entire body pressure comes onto your hand, sit straight. This allows enough room for the arm to move across the page.

[B]Practice With Shapes[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Don't start practicing writing directly, get comfortable with shapes and sizes first. Use a white board or drawing paper and make sweeping actions with your wrists. This will help you get comfortable with the shapes and lines before you move on to letters. It will also help to make your strokes more smoother and cleaner.

[B]Practice Letters[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Once you are comfortable with shapes move on to the letters. Practice with different forms of handwritings like cursive, block or print to see which suits you best. Then study the handwriting - the slant of each letter, the strokes, the letter formation and the ascenders and descenders. It is important to know your letters very well. Move to complete words once you've worked through the letters. Again pay minute attention to the letters flowing from one to the next, the character spacing and the space between two words.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Practice[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman]
[SIZE=3]Make sure that you practice a lot! Nothing can be achieved if you don't keep at it and work towards the target that you've set for yourself.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]To improve your handwriting, it is helpful to analyze your penmanship to determine what you like and don’t like about your lettering style. Are your letters slanted too far in one direction? Are some of your letters noticeably larger or smaller than others? Is the spacing between words uneven? Compare your handwriting to the writing of your friends, family, and coworkers to see how you measure up. Knowing what areas need improvement will make the process to improve your handwriting much easier[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Proper technique is often the key to good handwriting. Research has found that many people who have poor handwriting form the letters with their fingers. They put the full weight of their hand on the paper, use the fingers to form the letters, and pick the hand up repeatedly to move it across the paper. This results in a tight, cramped lettering style. To improve your handwriting, let your shoulders and forearms do most of the work. Your fingers should only serve as the guides to forming your letters.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]BILATERAL COORDINATION[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Use both hands when writing. One hand holds the paper. One hand writes. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]If your objective is to simply write at a faster speed words unchanged (NOT using abbreviation), write at a slant--like cursive almost, but intertwining print where it's just naturally faster to write whichever letter in the word(s). [/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Extract Opportunities[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Use every opportunity that you get to write. Try avoiding typing or using the computer or your blackberry and switch to writing instead. This will improve your hand-eye coordination and develop control over your muscles. It is a good idea to buy a copy writing book for the purpose. Formulate a sentence for yourself and write it on top of the page everyday when you sit to practice, this will show you the progress that you've made over the days. It will also motivate you to try harder when you see positive results.

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[B][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Essentials:[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]All of the short lower case letters to be of the same height. [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]All of the upper case letters and tall letters with appropriate height.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Words to be evenly spaced[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Letters in the same word to be spaced properly.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Letters have a similar slant.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]All of the letters to be "seated" on the line.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Normally, use of fountain pen gives better output.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Correct direction and sloppy handwriting [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Write joined up: Learn to write by joining the letters of each word together while writing. This technique of writing in a flow without raising the pen or pencil from paper is called cursive writing or running hand writing.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Must use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles: This muscle group is capable of much more intricate action than you think and tires much less easily than fingers, besides giving a smooth, clean, sweeping look to the finished writing.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Crampy, uneven letters are often the result of drawing the letters with the fingers rather than using the whole arm to write. People for whom writing comes more easily may rest their hands fairly heavily on the paper, but their forearms and shoulders move as they write. Their writing has a cadence that shows they’re using at least some of the right muscle groups. They don’t draw the letters with their fingers; the fingers serve more as guides. People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers. They "draw" the letters. A finger-writer puts the full weight of his/her hand on the paper, his fingers form the letters, and he picks his hand up repeatedly to move it across the paper as he writes. If you use the right muscle groups, your writing will have a smooth, easy flow and not look tortured.[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Most of us hold the pen between the thumb and index finger, resting the barrel on the middle finger. This is the most common pen-holding position, with pen between first and middle fingers, held in place by the thumb. This works better than holding it between the thumb and the index and middle fingers, with the whole assembly resting on the ring finger. If you do it the first way, you’re off to a good start. If the second, you’ll be okay. In both, the remaining fingers are curled under the hand.[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST][COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Sources for further help:[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][url=http://www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html]handwriting tips[/url][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][url=http://www.paperpenalia.com/history.html]handwriting tips[/url][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][url=http://linuxandfriends.com/2009/09/09/handwriting-tips/]Handwriting Tips[/url][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][url=http://www.brighthub.com/education/homework-tips/articles/40169.aspx]Cursive Handwriting Guide: Tips for Students and Parents[/url][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][url=http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Tips_for_fast_and_neat_handwriting#ixzz1HLlPvFaq]Answers.com - Tips for fast and neat handwriting[/url][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][url=http://www.google.com.pk/search?q=handwriting+tips&hl=en&biw=1276&bih=606&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=1tGITcvcIZHJrAe46bGXCA&ved=0CEYQqwQ]handwriting tips - Google Search[/url][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Regards[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]