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Main Boards => The Shooters FORM Board => Topic started by: shot2high on January 09, 2011, 11:35:00 PM

Title: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: shot2high on January 09, 2011, 11:35:00 PM
Is this common. I had not tried this until yesterday.  It seems to help me get the arrow lined up with my eye.  Yesterday, I drew my bow to make sure of my shooting lanes and for some reason I closed my left eye.  I noticed "in my peripheral" the arrow was not straight under my eye.  When I got home I lined up the headlight off my truck and did an experiment.  When I had both eyes open I shot my normal paper plate group at 20 yards. When I would draw with both eyes open and at full draw close the left eye, it seemed to tighten the group.  I try to shoot the way Rick Welch describes in his video so while I'm holding for a couple of seconds I guess I'm lining up the arrow under the eye that is open. Not trying to but i guess it just does....What do you guys think?
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: S.C. Hunter on January 10, 2011, 12:14:00 AM
If it works it works. I shoot both eyes open. I shoot my bows and pistols that way. My rifles I close my left eye when shooting at distance. When shooting close quarters with a rifle I lay my left pointer finger along the side of the weapon. They all are different techniques but all have there purpose. When I shoot both eyes open it is a mix of feel and a learned pointing style. When I close my left eye it is for precision without the need to watch my immediate flank. When I shoot close quarters rifle both eyes open to observe my immediate area and the pointer finger is just that it becomes my sighting system, point and shoot.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: okie64 on January 10, 2011, 04:04:00 PM
I am lefteye dominant but shoot my bows righthanded. I always close my lefteye when shooting. ive tried leavin both eyes open but its like I'm lookin down the arrow at an angle when I do that. Only problem I ever noticed with it is it kinda messes with my depth perception a little bit.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Stumpkiller on January 10, 2011, 04:51:00 PM
Not only the depth perception.  I "sight" down the arrow with my dominant eye while the left eye helps with elevation by sighting to where the arrow is pointing.

Try it - hold an arrow under your master eye pointed at an object and look down it with both eyes and then close one eye at a time and see if the arrow is still pointing at the same object.  With your "other" eye changes in the vertical are very noticable.

Subconciously, in the brain's ballistic computer the master eye does windage while the other eye does elevation (Just IMHO).
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: steadman on January 10, 2011, 05:28:00 PM
I draw with botheyes open, then close my left eye. It has improved my shooting. I found if I turned my head a bit too much my left eye would "take over" and I was hitting left consistently. That's the great thing about shooting a bow, there are a lot of differnt ways to do it, of course with a solid foundation.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Big Bird on January 10, 2011, 10:32:00 PM
I draw with both eyes open,then close my left eye, when I reach full draw.I have never been able to shoot, with both eyes open.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Xavier on January 15, 2011, 12:39:00 AM
I close left eye to ensure alignment - left right.
Then open left eye for depth/distance.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: bigugly1 on January 19, 2011, 05:36:00 AM
I do it when shooting a rifle but with bow it's both eyes open. I shoot instinctive and can actually say I never really even notice the arrow till it hits target, good or bad that's how it works for me.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: bobman on January 19, 2011, 11:38:00 AM
both eyes open for me
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: ren sarns on January 20, 2011, 10:29:00 AM
Draw with both open, then close left eye when aiming...
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: kenn1320 on January 22, 2011, 09:52:00 PM
Wow, lots of winkers out there. I was closing my left eye and it did help at short distances. My problem is Im right handed, left eye dominate. Rather then wink to fight it, Im going to switch to left hand.
Shot2high, check which is your dominate eye.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: tradshooter on January 23, 2011, 12:33:00 AM
I wear glasses and shoot with both eyes open. I am right eye dominant and I shoot right handed. I don't notice any problems when I pick my spot, I just focus and my peripheral vision diminishes. I'd be interested in hearing about fog proofing glasses though. I have tried store bought treatments for my glasses but I still have trouble with them fogging.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: dragon rider on January 23, 2011, 05:38:00 PM
I am left eye dominant and had to switch to shooting RH - both Len Cardinale and Jay Kidwell said that shooting with my left eye closed will improve my accuracy - and they were right.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: pergradus on January 25, 2011, 11:15:00 PM
Hmm this thread is a little troubling. I'm not only left eye dominant, but I'm right eye blind! Well not really blind, but my vision is poor in my right eye, like 200/20. I am shooting right handed.

I feel like one should be able to compensate by the lean of your head and where you aim.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: cyred4d on January 26, 2011, 07:51:00 AM
I guess if it works for you do it, but I think keeping both eyes open is better. No other sport that I know of recommends using only one eye.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Ralphie on January 27, 2011, 01:25:00 PM
I am left eye dominant, and right handed. Two things that were recommended to me,I did not want to do;
I do not want to shoot left handed.
I do not want to close my left eye when shooting right handed.

What I have been doing, which seems to be working; is to blink my left eye when drawing. That seems to give the right eye the job of aiming, and my accuracy has improved.
What I am trying to do is "retrain" myself into right eye dominance.
R
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: bowhunter3762 on January 28, 2011, 07:02:00 AM
I draw with both eyes open then close my right eye when I reach full draw.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: okie64 on January 28, 2011, 07:15:00 AM
Ralphie, Im interested in knowing if that is possible. Keep us posted on how that works out.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: CRS on January 29, 2011, 05:56:00 PM
both eyes open for me
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Lumpytradshooter on February 06, 2011, 10:32:00 PM
Try slightly closing your left eye. still get good vision but takes your left eye out of sighting
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Ralphie on February 08, 2011, 09:07:00 AM
Earlier, to try and offset my left eye dominance when right hand shooting, I said I would blink my right eye slowly, as I am drawing, in the hope that doing so would cause my brain to give the job of aiming/dominance to my right eye ..... where it should be (I think ..), for a right hand shooter.
Well, a thousand arrows later, I have no idea if doing that helps.
Often, I forget to blink, and my accuracy is Ok, (shooting with both eyes open). Shutting the left does not seem to affect accuracy, either.
My efforts do not seem to have any consistent affect, on my shooting, at least no effect that I have been able to notice.
 The only thing I can guess is happening is that somehow my body, .... eye , mind ..... , for whatever reason, works around things.
Also, I am an instinctive shooter, and I do not aim, per say.
Those are my results, as they pertain to me.
Maybe it's different for everybody?
enjoyable thread !
Ralphie
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Ralphie on February 08, 2011, 12:19:00 PM
Well, well well. Saw this quote as a TG signature;

"When shooting instinctively,it matters not which eye is dominant"
Jay Kidwell and Glenn St. Charles

That agrees with what my experience has been.
I think,
I'm gonna forget the whole eye dominance thing, an just shoot.
R
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Lechwe on February 08, 2011, 12:43:00 PM
I will close my left eye when shooting a rifle but not handguns or my bows. I loose my depth perception and can't hit anything doing that.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: TRAD101 on February 08, 2011, 01:15:00 PM
always both eyes open for me,but if it works for you I would stick with it.
Title: Re: Closing the "non-dominant eye" while shooting
Post by: Woodswalker2 on February 10, 2011, 09:13:00 PM
I have shot both ways, but get tighter groups when I draw with both eyes open and then close my left.