Is a Left-Hander's practice with RH bow waste of time?

[Savate]

I'm starting to really think I'll have to break down and try a LeftHanded longbow if I ever hope to improve my accuracy past 10yds (I'm cross dominanty and terminally right-handed)   :(  ...I don't know when I'll get to a proshop to try out left hand bows so in the meantime...

...is continuing my practice with my right hand longbow a complete waste of time?

...or worse, can it be detrimental?

I hate missing practice all together and I was commited to getting good enough with my tackle to go out this turkey season (now a month away!)

What do y'all think?

[Bender]

Yes.

[Savate]

Ouch!  :(

[Naphtali]

One left in the quiver.

If you wear prescription spectacles, this is easy to try. If you do not, you'll require spectacles that you can wear comfortably.

1. Need second person.

2. Hold bow at full draw and shut your aiming/looking eye. Aim/look/sight on target with the eye that's the problem.

3. Second person, using dry marker, puts a mark on spectacle lens where your problem eye has centered on target.

4. Everybody relax.

5. Having identified the focus point that's messing you up, remove dry mark from the lens. Place a small square/piece of translucent cellophane tape at that focus point. Be sure to cover a small amount of lens surrounding the area. The idea is to obscure your area of focus. To be sure of doing this, you'll need to include a little extra area to account for you unconsciously trying to work around the obscured focus point.

6. Okay, you're ready to try shooting again. If things go well, what will happen includes the following. Your total vision will be essentially unchanged. However, when you acquire your shooting position, your dominant eye will no longer be dominant -- you've slightly blinded yourself, but only at the time of acquiring and firing. Your non-dominant eye becomes dominant, but only when you're shooting.

7. I make only one guarantee: the tape comes off so you do not harm your spectacles.

I developed this technique when I began bird hunting with a shotgun, right-handed. I am left-handed and found myself always shooting behind the bird until I did the tape thing.

Hope this helps.

[osage1]

I am left eye dominante and right handed and have shot from both sides. I shoot better right handed, it works for some.

[Big'n]

I shot right handed for 20 yrs. I switched to left handed because of eye dominance at the behest of Fred Asbell and have never shot better. Yes, it was awkward for a while but it has really paid off. I have heard both sides of this arguement. Dr. Kidwell says that it doesn't matter when shooting instinctively and I know some archers who believe this and shoot really well. Fred Asbell says that you can learn to shoot with cross eye dominance but you will never know your full potential unless you switch. I'm no expert but I can say that I shoot tons better after switching and I got rid of 20 years of bad muscle memory.

I agree with Bender. If your gonna switch go ahead and do it. Shooting with the other hand will not help (other than balancing muscle) you at all. I will say this though. In my experience, if you plan to go ahead and shoot instinctive cross dominantly, you will have to practice alot more to keep your sight picture ingrained. God Bless, DAVE

[hedgetree]

Been there, done that, make the switch.

[Taiga Recurve]

Was shooting with my 7 year old last Wed and at 8 yards she was putting decent groups in the hind-quarters of a 3D Ram. I told her to pick a spot in the vitals and concentrate on it then release, she comments "I am Dad". She was shooting right handed, I switched her to left hand and the groups moved from the hind-quarter to the vitals and front shoulder. Now she's having fun.

[NDTerminator]

In my opinion, yes it is a waste of your time.  

I shot cross-handed (right handed bow shot left handed)for many years when I was a kid back in the 60's-70's, as well meaning but ill informed adults got me RH bows.  I didn't even know LH bows were made. It was very frustrating.  When I discovered LH bows and bought my first one around 1973 it was great!!!

My son is cross dominant (right handed-left master eye).  As soon as we knew this for certain (when he was 5), we changed all his bow & firearm shooting to LH. Took him about a month to adjust and he never looked back.  He's nearly 30 and a great shot...

[Matt Fowler]

I am RH but shoot LH cause of lens implant in right eye. I shoot 65#. Recently started shooting RH and LH with lighter bows and think it helps my form with my heavier LH bow. I didn't find it that difficult to switch.