Shooting with one eye closed?

[bgram]

Anyone shoot with one eye closed.  I just took the eye dominant test and found out I'm left eye dominant.  This is so strange, I've shot guns for years, made marksman and achieved expert with M16 and 9MM in the military, and now I figure out I'm left eye dominant?  I've been messing around trying to shoot gap recently, but the only way I was consistent was to close my left eye.  I thought it just made me focus in better.  Bad thing is, after numerous shots, start to feel the pain of focusing my right eye on targets that it starts to blurry or come unfocused.  Should I keep trying this or go back to both eyes open trying to learn gap or back to instictive?  I was wanting to broaden my shooting abilities, but I don't want to find out I messed up later on and have to redo everything.  I've managed to take a couple of deer shooting both eyes open before I played around with gap this year, but I did get a turkey, although the shot was only 10 yards.  Thanks  Bobby

[Danny Rowan]

You will have to stick with instinctive and shoot with both eyes open. Gap is not going to work with cross dominance. Only other thing you could do if you want to gap is switch hands.

Danny

[Whip]

I'm fortunate not to have that problem, but from what I've read and heard from people that have, you should really think about switching to shoot left handed even if you go back to instictive.  Those who have done it say that is the best way to reach your full potential regardless of the method used.  And of the ones I know that made the switch I don't know of any that regreted it and went back to the non-dominant eye.  After a learning period it will seem much more natural to you.

[wtpops]

As to your question i shoot with one eye. Not by choise, im blind in my left eye, so i guess you would say im right eye dominant.

[Deadbolt]

I have just started shooting trad and I have the same problem.  I have adopted gap shooting and I seem to be doing fine thus far.  I have done the same thing with my wheelie bow for 9 years now and yes my eye does get a little blurry sometimes but I dont seem to have a problem on game.  Only when target shooting or spot shooting.

Due to a shoulder injury I can't shoot left handed right now so I have just had to deal with it for the past few years.  So its not impossible and you can learn to shoot that way.  I just close my left eye and aim with my right eye over the shaft.

[bgram]

Thanks for your input.  Do any of you think it'd be possible to just continue shooting with  my left eye closed?  I know everything recommends switching to a lefthanded bow, but if I keep trying and practicing, do you think it could be done?  I think eventually it'd condition my brain to shoot like that.

[Fritz Brown]

Yes, you can train your eye dominance.  Through my interest in stereophotography I have actually trained my eyes to be equally nondominant (not the best thing to do for archery!).  I expect that you can do the same with practice.  What I would do is to wear a pair of glasses with a piece of tape covering the left eye when ever you shoot.  Eventually your brain should adjust to automatically using your right eye to sight with.  It's worth a try at least.

[jhansen]

The only problem with shooting with one eye closed is that you don't have depth perception to help you judge distance to the target.  But from what you say I'd guess you should just keep both eyes open and shoot because you are doing okay.

John

[Beau]

I moved my anchor point to the left corner of my mouth and lean over more to get the arrow under my left eye.

[Jim/LI]

For the past year I have been shooting with a friend who has this problem.  He is a natural lefty with right eye dominance.  He switched to a right hand bow for a couple of months, but that did not seem to work well.  He went back to a left hand bow.  He acquires that target with both eyes open and then just before the release, he closes one eye and adjusts the windage.  It seems to be working well for him.  I believe he shoots with instinctive aiming.

[calgarychef]

It's not as big a problem as some people say.

 If you're cross eye dominant you will probably see two arrow shafts when you focus on the target.  Choose the shaft that looks like it's "under" the shooting eye.  Line this shaft up under the target and you're good to go.  

You can also use both eyes to get the depth perception and estimate the elevation, then slightly close the dominant eye.  This will transfer "dominance" to the other eye and you can get the windage figured out.  

You can also open and close the dominant eye a few times while aiming this can breifly transfer the focus to the other eye.  This takes some practice though and you have to be careful to keep the focus in the non dominant eye.

I use all of the these methods to suit my mood and they all work fine for me. I shoot guns with the "wrong eye" too, I think the sights naturally make a person focus with the non dominant eye.  Shotguns seem to be different though because there is only the fron bead .  And I have just realized why I can shoot pool sober but not drunk!!!

the chef

[bgram]

Chef, my problem is I used to shoot pool the other way better!      

I've been shooting this week looking at the target drawing, closing my left eye partially and using the right to line the shot up.  It seems fine doing like this.  Sometimes I shoot a little high, but I believe it's just where I'm working on different anchors and form.  I appreciate all the advice from you guys, I'll try and post if I can find any better way, but right now, it's not to bad.

[Nakohe]

If you shoot instinctivly it does not matter which eye is dominate. Glen St. Charles wrote about it as did other great archers. No aiming just pick a spot.

[Drew]

I've been struggling with something similiar, I'm a lefty but shoot right handed. When I shoot with both eyes open my groups are decent, but if I close my one after picking my spot I get better concentration and a tighter group?

[Savate]

I'm so glad to see this thread.  I've been shooting rifles and pistols and just keeping my left (dominant) eye closed for rifle and two eyes open for pistol, but I wonder how to learn "gap shooting" so as to not have to close my left eye.

What is "gap shooting"?

[Lone archer]

BGram

I am a marksman also both with rifle and pistol.
I'm a natural righty but because I'm legally blind in my right eye, I taught myself to shoot my bow and rifles lefty. For pistol shooting it does not seem to matter I draw righthanded. If you look at yourself in a mirror while sighting down your barrel you will see just what eye your actually using, try it. With the pistol you will see it's actually  more to your dominant eye side of your body.

As far as the bow it took a month of shooting before I got use to it and I never looked back. I started with a compound then went to a recurve that might help.

[David Alford]

one eye closed can give good distance perception esp, under 30 yds. because the brain makes a judgment on distance based on it's size.

[Rod Jenkins]

Originally posted by calgarychef:

 If you're cross eye dominant you will probably see two arrow shafts when you focus on the target.  Choose the shaft that looks like it's "under" the shooting eye.  the chef

I have a friend who's left eyed dominant who uses a method similar to what calgarychef decribed......he leaves both eyes open and see two arrows, but set gap using the "fuzzy" one. Works well for him as hes a 2 time IBO World champ and was the dominant shooter in the early 90's

[bgram]

Thanks Rod, I was wondering about that myself.  I've been shooting this way since... whatever date I started this thread.  I shot split finger and killed one deer (15 yards) and one squirrel (20 yards).  I've switched to 3 under with a high cheek bone anchor point.  The hardest thing I've found is to find a spot to anchor that is consistent on my face.  I can shoot out of instict now quite quickly when  I need to, our take a longer time at full draw if shooting targets.  Like anything else, it can be done, just a whole lot of experimenting, practicing, and re-wiring in the cranium...but that's what makes it fun.      

Rod, I think I may try the fuzzy arrow to the right approach and see if I can get that to work.  Actually I was going to PM you a couple of questions last week, but now I've done forgot what I was going to ask!  

[Rod Jenkins]

I forgot.....where most right hand shooters aim off the left side of the string(even if they dont notice string alignment) but the friend I mentioned..aims off the right side of the string.