Tie Your Shoes With One Hand

Tie Your Shoes With One Hand

Most of us learned how to tie our shoes a certain way using both of our hands. A story about a bunny that goes into a hole or something? Whatever. You don’t need two hands to tell that tale. Here’s how Team USA Paralympic athlete Megan Absten gets her shoes on before a big race, using just one hand.

Absten, who raced and medaled in the 100m and 200m dash, is missing her left arm, but that doesn’t stop her from doing everything all by herself, including tying her shoes. She explains that there are plenty of tools out there that can get the job done, but she’s developed her own brilliant method that almost anyone can learn (demonstrated in the video above from her YouTube Channel).

Here’s how it works:

  1. Start with your laces out on either side, then cross and tuck them in the middle like you would normally.
  2. Stick one lace under your shoe to hold it in place, then pull the laces taut.
  3. Create a loop, or “bunny ear”, with the loose lace, then pinch it between your thumb and index finger.
  4. Now grab the lace under your shoe with your middle finger, then loop it around the first bunny ear.
  5. After looping it around, push it through to create another bunny ear.
  6. Hold one loop with your middle and ring fingers, and the other loop with your thumb and index finger — then pull until the knot is tight.

There you have it! Your shoe is tied and there’s no need for the other hand. With a little practice, you’ll be able to do this in just a couple of seconds. Whether you’re missing an arm or hand yourself, or just find that one hand is constantly being used (hello new parents), this trick will come in handy. It would also make for a fun party trick or bar bet.


  • Very important for the smartphone generation. For everyone else, 2 hands has worked fine for centuries…

  • Hahaha. Brilliant!!! Never heard that one before.

    In the same way, I can infer that you are not an astrophysicist. Although, waste of space retorts are also a dead giveaway…

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