Left eye open or not

[Dan A]

So been researching this. Again for those who saw my other post I am brand new (1 week) to traditional archery with my longbow.


So I am shooting right handed and for sure left eye dominate. I do all my gun and benchrest shooting left handed.

So do I shoot with my left eye closed or do I shoot with both eyes open?

Accuracy wise, testing, it doesn't seem to matter much. Sometimes I think I shoot more accurately left eye closed but then I try another series with both eyes open and the accuracy is just as good. If I had to say one way or another, I might be shooting just a hair bit more accurate one eye closed but I for sure like and feel more comfortable with both eyes open.

So does it matter? I have a preference for both eyes open unless I shouldn't shoot that way.

Again guys, only had my bow a week so how I am shooting today I don't think matters.

Thanks for any help!

[Pryor]

I am also right handed, and left eye dominant.  I have fooled around with shutting my left eye, but it feels alot more natural with both open.  I would say just shoot how it feels best.  I think the best thing for me would be to switch to left handed bows.

[JamesV]

Welcome from the Mississippi Delta.

I think after you shoot for a while it will work it's self out. You will develop the style that works best for you over time.

James

[Alexander Traditional]

I keep both eyes open,but I shoot right handed and I'm right eye dominant. I think a lot of guys might tell you to try and switch to a left handed bow. I do hear of guys doing it the way you are,but it might be easier to go ahead and start shooting left hand now instead of after you get more and more used to it this way. If you are brand new to this it would be way easier to make the switch now.

[Dan A]

Thanks guys. For right now, there will be no switching to a left handed bow. I dropped over $800 on a right handed bow so there isn't any going back right now. Maybe down the road but at least for me its too expensive to switch to a left handed bow right now.

In my research it seems the consensus was just that ... go to a left handed bow. For now I can't.

So my choices are close left eye or shoot both open. From my research its toss up on which way to go.

Hoping a training guru or another archer that is left eye dominate and right handed shooter chiming in.

[moebow]

Dan,

It is not clear as to why you bought an expensive right handed bow when  you do everything else left handed.  My first suggestion is to sell the right handed bow and get a left handed bow.  That will remove MANY obstacles in your shooting.  Take the $$ hit if necessary and count it as a lesson learned.  It will allow you to learn easier/better if you get it right NOW.

IF you can't/aren't willing to do that, IF you wear glasses, put a piece of scotch tape over your left lens BUT keep your eye open!  If you don't wear glasses get a CHEAP pair of sun glasses, knock the right lens out and shoot with both eyes open.

You will have better luck IF you keep light going to both eyes than trying to shut one or patch it like a pirate.

You say you are one week into this, you will have no accuracy to judge for a while so do not judge yourself on that. Keep both eyes open, work on the shot sequence and obstruct your dominate eye but be sure to still allow light to that eye.

Arne

[Pat B]

If you are shooting instinctively eye dominance doesn't matter. I'd keep both eyes open for binocular vision and depth perception.

[Dan A]

Hey Arne, thanks for all the info. I bought a bow (didn't think it was that expensive since my compounds cost a good bit more) and got it in right hand because for the last 8 to 10 years I have been shooting a right handed compound bow. My ignorance.

Not for sure I could sell the bow.

And yes Pat, I plan to shoot instinctively so that is great if the eye dominance thing doesn't really matter.

[Bladepeek]

I have to agree with moebow - you are fighting an unnecessary problem. If you have $800 tied up in that bow and it's like new, you could get $400 - $500 out of it. For the same amount of money you could have your pick of a lot of used bows that are also like new. I'm a right-hander who is left-eye dominant and did the same thing you did; bought a right hand bow. Several in fact  

I was nearing my seventies when I started shooting a bow again for the first time since high school. I reached a plateau shooting right handed and just wasn't getting better. You can use a patch on your left eye as moebow suggested, but you will never be quite as "instinctive" as you will be shooting with your dominant eye.

[Dan A]

Thanks BladePeek, if I decided to go that route where would one go about trying to sell this new bow?

Howard Hill was left eye dominant and shot right handed.  Fred Bear was right eye dominant, and because of a finger injury shot left handed.  Years ago I did the sunglasses trick when I had an injury to my right hand fingers, just to keep the any eye ball arguments to a minimum.  I have always had no clearly dominant eye, but there is still that acquired hand/eye coordination thing.  The biggest mistake is to start looking at the arrow directly.  See it indirectly.  The steadier and more precise your focus is on the target, the less confusing what your eyes see secondarily will be.  Your eyes will see the same thing secondarily no matter what your dominant eye is..  When shooting right handed and if the arrow is under your right eye, secondarily you will see two arrows.  The one that is up and to the left is what your right eye is seeing and that should be aligned somewhere near and under the target at closer shots.   After a bunch of days shooting for form and acknowledging that arrow position, it will transfer into a conditioned habit and will seem virtually instinctive.

[Bvas]

X2 Pavan
My eyes are closely matched and and show no dominance. I can check one day and it will be left eye check the next and it will be right.
When I first started shooting instinctive, I had to force myself to turn my head to the left to ensure I was using my right eye. I knew I was messing up(or my left eye was taking over)if upon release I felt the string hit my nose. After awhile the head turn became natural and my right I took over.

[TRAP]

Originally posted by Pat B:
If you are shooting instinctively eye dominance doesn't matter. I'd keep both eyes open for binocular vision and depth perception.

X2

[yaderehey]

Couldn't disagree more with the statement eye dominance doesn't matter.  Sure anyone can learn to shoot either RH or LH irregardless of eye dominance.  But I truly believe anyone will achieve their best results shooting with their dominant eye "on top" of the arrow.  I've spent years helping young kids with archery at summer camps and when a right handed kid can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn I test eye dominance.  Invariably their dominant eye tests out to be their left eye.  Sometimes you'll see them drastically turning their head into the string in a natural effort to get their dominant eye in the correct position.  Hand the kid a left handed bow and his or her shooting immediately improves about 200%.  The difference is immediate and very dramatic in my experience.  And yes, keep both eyes open for binocular vision and depth perception.  I believe those who are successful shooting "against" their dominant eye do so by completely or partially "disabling" their dominant eye through closing it or squinting it. Just my observations.

[Bowwild]

I am cross dominant as well (RH, LE). I shot RH for 28 years. Switched to LH in 1995.  Never looked back (pun intended).

I had to close the left eye when I shot RH. Now I keep both eyes open.  However, some folks are not so strongly one eye dominant that even the bowstring can cause the dominant eye to change at full draw causing windage misses. This happens to me sometimes. When it does I will "wink" the off eye (right eye for my LH shooting) to force the left eye to be dominant.

[BelegStrongbow]

Dan, if you're looking to sell a bow there is no better place than here. Sure you pay a small yearly fee, but you get access to dealing with great guys and great deals. You don't really have to worry about getting scammed. Plus you'll find a great deal on a used left handed bow to start shooting with.

Alex

I find it interesting when an instinctive shooter insists that they do not see the arrow.  Quite often these same people will also insist that it is most important to get the dominant eye over the arrow.   I agree that being right handed and right eyed is a convenience.   I have seen that same thing with kids that are strongly eye dominant.  But in this case we are talking about a grown up that already has his money invested.  So besides learning basic form for him, he also has to groove in his eye control.  It is not as hard to do as some would suggest, it simply requires a bit of objective observation while shooting.   I would give the eye training a month after basic form becomes automatic, following a strategic development.   I have no dominant eye and am ambidextrous, the change to shooting left handed primarily took me three months, hand/eye coordination plus muscle memory takes time and many deliberate shots.

[Terry Johnston]

I shoot right handed and am left eye dominant as well. I wink my left eye while coming up on target just to be sure i am on line but immediately open both eyes when i settle in on my target. Took a little getting use to at first, but happens with out thought now. works for me anyhow..

[Dan A]

Thanks guys, I understand there is a differing of opinion and I respect and thank you all for your input.

I did try a left handed bow yesterday evening. Its not going to work for me because of a shoulder injury I had 30 years ago playing football.

My left shoulder dislocates fairly easy. I have a torn laybrum (however you say and spell that) with some bone spurs as well.

Drawing the bow was pretty painful and I got very sore quickly from the pulling. Holding didn't seem to impact it near as much. Pulling the 41#s back was trashing my shoulder.

So I am sticking with the right handed bow.

Only have to decide if I am going to close left eye or not. I am going to do some testing and evaluate this further.

I do appreciate everyone's input.

[Danny Rowan]

A few great archers, Howard Hill, Fred Bear and Glenn St. Charles shot cross dominant and I do not think anyone would say they were not good shots. I am right handed and left dominant and have been at this for darn near 50 years. If you want to switch to left then do so but it is not a requirement. Mr. St Charles had to switch to left hand due to a bad case of TP, as stated Mr. Bear had to shoot left due to injury, both were right eye dominant and Mr. Hill shot right handed and most probably was left dominant per some of his statements in his book.  As I said you should do what you want to do. Oh, and keep both eyes open