Eye vs hand dominated

[TealCoin]

All-

Just did the "ok" circle 12" out and centered the object with both eyes open. Closed right eye and object disappeared. Closed right eye and object was centered. This makes me left eye dominant??  And I shoot right handed. Just curious if this is normal?  I shoot both eyes open. Sound right or should I be learning to shoot left handed?  Just confused now

[TealCoin]

I got it from here: the trad gang beginner article-

The very first thing to learn is which of your eyes is the dominant one - the one eye that focuses directly and clearly on an object. Hold a hand about a foot in front of your face, make the "OK" sign circle by touching thumb and forefinger, use both eyes to center a distant object within that circle, close your left eye - if the object is still within the circle, you're right eye dominant; vice versa if the left eye centers the object. If you're right handed and right eye dominant, or left handed and left eye dominant, no problem. Generally, right eye dominant people should enter shooting sports as right-handed participants. Left eye dominant people should participate as lefties. Exceptions can be made to this general rule, but most of these exceptions have to do with physical adversities.

[McDave]

I think you made an error when you were typing.  You said you closed your right eye twice and two different things happened.  Assuming your first statement is correct, that the object disappeared when you closed your right eye, then you are right eye dominant.

Most people would say that if you aren't too committed, like having already spent thousands of dollars on bows for your non-dominant eye, then you should switch to your dominant eye, but people do learn to overcome this.  It just adds one more factor in the equation that you have to adjust for.

[old_goat2]

A friend of mine grew up shooting righty and instinctively, was the best shot in his family of really good shots. Injured his shoulder and had to switch to left handed and that's when he figured out he had been left eye dominant because all of a sudden he could see his arrow where he couldn't see it before. So if you shoot good currently, I don't think it's do or die to change, if you're hitting left a lot, you might want to switch. My poor wife's dominant eye switches back and forth. She has to do the squint thing every shot or she hits left when her eye dominance switches to her left!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I've been shooting right handed, left eye dominant for my entire life and it makes no difference to me.

I can shoot quite accurately left handed too, but everything feels weird... if i were injured i'd shoot left handed if i had to, but i prefer what feels natural over eye dominance.

it may make a difference if you are consciously using the tip of your arrow with a gap aiming method, but if you are just focusing on your spot, you will get the right sight picture figured out regardless of your eye dominance..... there are a lot of pros out there shooting cross eyed and winning the gold too....

[Gray Buffalo]

I'm right handed in everything I do except shooting the bow I'm left eye dominant. if you can make the change you will shoot much better with out all the thinking. It's just simpler. Look at the spot draw and shoot.

[TealCoin]

Yes I did mistype. When closing right eye object stays centered. Close left eye; object is covered by hand. To me that means I'm left eye dominant. I do shoot right handed though, as mentioned in post by kirkll; just feels natural. I do shoot instinctive and hit my spot most of the time. Does it ever feel really natural though?  Maybe with more time and more shooting it'll become more natural feeling. Not sure I could hold a bow in my right hand let alone draw the string left handed. Just curious; never thought of this eye dominance aspect. Guess I'm a cross shooter. I'm ok with that.

[Biathlonman]

I'm left eye dominant and shoot everything right handed, pretty well I might add.  I think I've just been doing it long enough to adjust.

[SlowTurtle]

Hey Kirkll, just tried shooting crosseyed and couldn't figure out which spot to focus on!  

I'm right handed and left eye dominate, so i have learned to shoot left-handed. The left/right eye thing only seems to come it to play when using sights, and I know guys that will close their dominate eye rather than switch hands.

[ChuckC]

Whatever you are, you can overcome it if you want by anchoring fairly close to the aiming eye.  You can train it to take over dominance.

I switch and find no particular issues with eye dominance.  The harder part is changing a lifetime of the "rest of the story".  Righties tend to walk, sneak, lean and set up for a right handed shot.  It feels weird changing that for far longer than it does for the actual shooting.
ChuckC

[Elkchaser]

Originally posted by McDave:
I think you made an error when you were typing.  You said you closed your right eye twice and two different things happened.  Assuming your first statement is correct, that the object disappeared when you closed your right eye, then you are right eye dominant.

..........LEFT eye dominant.

[Bud B.]

As I age I find I can shoot both right hand and left. I am lefty by nature. But as my eyes have blurred over the years, shooting RH is easier.

My wife recently went to Texas for a horseback archery certification (A Company Mounted Archery). She went as a right hander. She shot as a lefty after they did the eye dominance test for her. Re-learning is a whole new ballgame. But she estimates she shot over 1,000 arrows in just three days. Now she says it doesn't feel correct/normal shooting with her RH again. She's sticking with lefty.

Repetition is all that's needed. Good repetition.

 

[BradLantz]

just remember this - everything you do in life is left eye dominant, right handed

I am that way

if I ever went lefty (to match my eye dominance) I'd change EVERYTHING. I'd pour a cup of coffee left handed, use a left handed mouse, I'd switch the left handed writing, left handed shooting .... everything would need changed to retrain my mind


as it is, I'll just shoot right handed, left eye dominant

I believe Howard Hill was cross dominant, he did pretty well

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by SlowTurtle:
Hey Kirkll, just tried shooting crosseyed and couldn't figure out which spot to focus on!    

 

                   I just spit coffee all over my keyboard reading this.... Too funny bro...

[TealCoin]

All good feedback- just never thought of eye dominance as I've always done everything right handed. Next time I run into a south paw at the range I'm going to sling a few just to see what it looks/feels like out of curiosity.

[damascusdave]

There are really quite a few of us here that shoot both right and left handed on a regular basis...last year I hunted shooting right handed, this year I am hunting shooting lefty...I am right handed and used to have a dominant left eye...not sure which eye is in charge these days

DDave

[Doc Nock]

Jay Kidwell in his book, "Instinctive Archery," makes a swell poi point alluded to by Kirk...

When you shoot bows INSTINCTIVELY, you are a binocular critter with eyes in front of your face like all predators!

You focus with both eyes for depth perception.  

I'm left eye dominant now but was right...time changes thing. I shoot right handed and it isn't a factor unless I try to "sight" down the shaft...

Do what feels right and worry not!  Shooting sighted weapons, I have to close my dominant left eye to shoot right handed...not with draw, focus on spot and shoot my bows.

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

This is just my opinion based on 41 years shooting a bow . First 16 shooting RH even though knowing I was LED . I changed when target panic set in , I think target panic was brought on ( short drawing ) by my eye dominance . When at about 3/4 draw the left eye was lined up with the target and I released . I changed and haven't shot better in my life . If shooting with sights I think it doesn't matteer . Shooting truly instinctive I think it matters a lot . Remember this is my opinion , but also based on what I have lived through . I have seen it in about 20 different people also . So I recommend that you use your LED eye to shoot .

Good Huntin'
Jack

[Lowrider]

I think you will be OK. I am right eye dominate and shoot right handed. Still can't hit anything.