Right and left eye dominance

[buckster]

I am strongly RH and LED.  My first few years in Trad Archery I struggled with accuracy shooting instinctively.

A few years ago I made the switch to Lefty, it was difficult at first, but once I made the switch, it had a profound effect on my shooting.  I can't even draw a recurve RH now, just seems to weird.

[Bowwild]

As you guys already know, the experts definitely don't agree...on much regarding archery.  I shot 28 years RH. About 8 of those without sights (I won't say I was instinctive because I don't believe I ignored the arrow point or the "gap"). I've shot LH (to match my dominant eye) for 15 years. I shoot sighted compounds 20% better (scores on 3-D) LH with both eyes open. I've not been back to recurves very long -- began dabbling in 2001 getting serious the past two months -- challenge of it. I don't yet shoot the recurve as well LH as I did as a RH with left-eye shut. However, I practiced a lot more when I was in my teens and early twenties (recurve days). In archery, both hands do something very important, which hand holds the string or the bow isn't as important as bringing the string to the dominant eye side of the face: better depth perception, peripheral vision, and for some folks better balance. Frankly, I think wrong-eye shooting and subsequent closing of the dominant eye promotes target panic because too much focus is placed on aiming instead of active bow arm and drawing arm/back for proper follow through. I can tell you of one person who shot 32 years (North Dakota) RH.  Two days after switching to LH to match the dominant eye (sans sights) he was thrilled to be shooting better than he had his entire life (his claim, not mine).  Must one match string hand and domiant eye. Of course not. But you'll have to take that dominant eye out of the picture a bit by closing, squinting, or "fuzzing" it up a bit to make the right eye be "dominant".  I would strongly encourage (but never insist) that a new archer definitely match up with the dominant eye. I've seen the positive results many, many times.

Having "said" all that, a pure instinttive shot (if there is such a thing -- and I'm sure there is but much more rare than most believe)probably doesn't need to consider eye domiance. They will shoot enough to "learn" to feel proper windage and elevation ... or miss trying.

[Hopewell Tom]

So much of this is personal preference and attitude. The mind is a powerful thing. If you want something bad enough, it seems possible to get. How does it feel though. I shot RH for a while, but am Left Eyed. I never felt good shooting like that. I had some success, but the confidence was missing. Got a LH bow and now feel much more comfortable and therefore am enjoying the bow more. The biggest obsticale for me is doing those "nitpicky"things with a nondominant hand. Slipping an arrow out of my back quiver and nocking it seems harder than it should be. Repitition seems to be the key. After 10,000 arrows, it should be good.
TOM

[FrankM]

My left eye is dominant while shooting left, my right eye is dominant while shooting right. My eye that is closest to the arrow takes over. Point your bow with bow sides and see if it's true. When I do the "point finger" test, I am left dominant. Don't know why this occurs, but it does. I originally thought about switching to left since I'm a beginner, but upon examining what my eye was doing right-handed, I said forget it. My right eye takes over, so I'm good.

[fedora]

I am left eye dominate and shoot right handed.  I shoot instinctively and when I am shooting bad I tend to rely on gap method, which messes me up bad.  The truth from my foxhole is it is all about sight picture.  What does your mind see when you are looking at the target that makes you think you need to release.  I took this military training and applied it to archery.  What do you see when the arrow hits where you want it too?

[684Kevin]

I agree with Butch Speer above.  Focus on the target with both eyes, whether stationary or moving.  Try focusing on a very small spot and bore a hole into the target with your eyes on that spot you want to hit with the arrow.  I am a RH shooter with left eye dominance and it has improved my shooting dramatically over my original shooting style of closing my left eye and focusing down the arrow with the right.

[Paul WA]

I am left eye dominant and RH, always shot with both eyes open until I learned the Joel Turner method of shooting, now I close my left eye and gap shoot. Shooting better than I have in many yrs...PR

[doowop]

I am left eye dominant. I shot right handed for 35 years with both eyes open. My style was always kind of quick because if I held too long I would see two arrows. After a long bout with TP I switched to left handed shooting. Shooting now better than ever, BUT, I have to close my right eye. I guess after shooting so long off the WRONG side I trained my right eye to take over. Go figure!!! Still left eye dominate in a eye test though. It's NUTS!!!

[Dryfired]

I am LH and right-eye dominant. My accuracy in sighted shots is just fine if I shoot left-handed, but I suffer on left-handed instinctive "look, draw, shoot" styles. I have recently switched to RH shooting and my instinctive aim is now deadly, whereas before it was only dangerous  

For me at least, the eye is more powerful than the hand.