both eyes or one

[LinemanARK]

I am a right handed shooter but the left eye dom. so do I have to shoot with both eyes open to shoot better or can I learn to shoot with one eye  and it be alright.Like Ive said before I have only been shooting a recurve for 4 days know any help would be great also how do you tune your bow, tiller arrow spine and making the arrow hit where you aim at 10 yrds. thanks Mike

[LinemanARK]

ttt

[dragon rider]

You're going to find it  easier to be accurate if you close your left eye at the point that you immerse into aiming. Get your range with both open so you have your best depth perception and then close the left one as you come to full draw.  You can learn to shoot with both eyes open, but it takes longer because that way you have to deal with not only range and elevation but also the angle created by the fact that your arrow is not under your dominant eye.

[Mitch-In-NJ]

I know I have posted in a few threads about this.  I am lefty but was right eyed.  I trained myself to be left eyed.

It can be done, but maybe not everyone can do it.

That doesn't answer your question, but it's something to consider.  You may also want to consider shooting lefty.

Back to your question - you can shoot with one eye but you lose depth perception which is pretty important in my book.

So, I would either retrain your brain to be right eyed or learn to shoot lefty before closing one eye.

The 2nd part of your question is one that can't be answered in a single post.  You'll have to do some searching and ask some specific questions, but here's a short summary.

There are lots of ways to tune a bow.  From brace height adjustments to point weight to arrow spine, etc.  In short, arrow spine can be changed by changing the length of the arrow or the weight up front.  Shorter arrows are stiffer, more weight up front makes them weaker.  Brace height changes the power stroke of the bow, effectively changing the energy imparted to the arrow.  Lower the brace height and you increase power.  That makes the arrow appear weaker.  Raise the brace height and the arrow appears stiffer.

There are other factors to consider but those are what I consider the basics.

Start with arrows that are close to the spine for your bow and then tinker.  No magic, just hard work.

And don't expect to be able to tune perfectly.  My experience has been that as my form gets better I need to keep retuning and as I retune I get closer to the sweet spot.

As for form, Terry Green insists that alignement is the most important factor.  I agree.  It makes other issues go away, especially release issues.  Read some of the threads at the top and then come back with specific questions.  There are lots of folks here with, I would estimate, thousands of years combined experience that are more than happy to help.

I hope that gets you started.

[machomanandysavage]

I am left eye dominant, but have always shot right handed. I shoot with both eyes open though and it works for me. It took a lot of practice getting to where I can "hit where I'm looking," but it can be done.

[Whump]

Whump Sez: you can close the left eye just as stated above when you are reaching full draw. You can also change eye dominance. I worked in a dusty dirty environment for 30 yrs and people got trash in their eyes quite often. There were times when a doctor visit was required to remove the object and the person had a patch over his eye for quite some time. I have seen eye dominance change in these people if the dominant eye was the one that was covered.You could ask your doctor about covering the eye for a few hours each day--like when you practice archery.I would get some medical advice before doing it for long periods but eye dominance can be changed.  Hunt safe.

[Ricker]

Ya don't drive down the road with one eye closed or throw a ball that way either....
Binocular vision in my opinion makes you a better shooter, unless you use the point of the arrow to aim with or a sight pin to line up.
Instinctive shooting is just easier to look with both eyes and let your muscles motor skills do the rest.  More natural feeling and better accuracy.  Practice practice practice and you will be successful.

[reddogge]

Binocular vision is great until you run up against shooting RH opposite your dominant left eye.  Then the dominant eye takes over and you'll have to aim way to the right to hit the target.  My friend has the same problem.  It can be frustrating.

My advice is to either switch hands or block the left eye.

[LinemanARK]

so I can shoot with one eye and it will be fine I have a 1200 dollor bow and I would rather shoot this 50 dollor bows but dont tell the wife . please help, so how do I get the tiller fixed on this old bows and what about brace height also what kind of gold tip arrows can I get started with thats what kind I use on my other bows what grain practice point do I need going to bow shop friday morning please help me so I can pick up all my stuff

I shoot both left and right. When i am starting to split the difference between eyes and get left to right misses, I take a bunch of shots squinting the eye not over the arrow.  With split vision your dominant eye will tend to make the arrow a little more distinct than the other, if you squint the off arrow eye just a little it will clear up the vision of the eye over the arrow so you can tell if it is lined up or not.  I would suggest to do this only for part of the last 8 inches of draw and have them both wide open at anchor.

[Whump]

Whump Sez; First --get on de-cafe, or don't drink 6 cans of Red bull before posting.  My screen was smoking reading your last post. We will most def. need some more info before answering that last one, and try and divide it up into 2 or 3 smaller posts instead of one brain bumper.        Hunt safe

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I shut one eye these days for normal ranges. I shut my left one, and I shoot right-handed-and-eyed. It has really helped me. I gap, too. For the longer distances (non-hunting, really), I have to use both eyes.

Sound to me like you need to have someone go through your equipment with you in person.  A couple of good how to videos and books would help you a lot as well.

[LinemanARK]

well here is my equipment bow 1 is AMF wing archery hawk58" string set at 40#s  bow 2 is a Darton Ranger super flight string 58"s set at 40 to 45#s both at 28"s now what else do ya need to know from me I got a new 3 finger glove so thats what Ill be using.

[Whump]

Whump Sez: Thanks  for the seeds bro--I understand exactly where your coming from now! Get you some 125gn field points, some 3555 goldtips, set that brace height at 6.5" as you go by the broadheads grab some 125gn zwickey eskimos, rub that 3 finger glove on the first road kill you go buy cause that will keep you from chewing on it. Screw all that together, step back 10yds from the target, shut that left eye, draw and let er fly. Let us know how it goes, I will be getting shock treatment the next few daze so good luck and good hunting.          Hunt safe.

[LinemanARK]

ttt

[SEMO_HUNTER]

If you have only been shooting for 4 days, you aren't even close to seeing the target yet. It took me years for my "Instinctive Eye" to come into full focus, and even now I still fling some off the kill zone on my 3D buck, but that's an anchor problem and not a focus problem....long story.

Get your gear like Whump said, and pound the living crap out of that target. Shoot until it hurts, then put it away. Get it out the next day and pound it some more. Eventually your eyes will come into sync with each other and finally reach an agreement as to which one focuses on the target (Big Picture or the whole Deer) and which one focuses on the spot you want to hit (a hair or heart).

Here's a tip that really helped me tremendously. Don't start out trying to shoot spots, if your target has them on it....cover it up with something like a garbage bag so you can't see the spots. Now concentrate on focusing your shots on the center Mass of the Big Picture. When your groups tighten up, then take the bag off and pick a spot.    

Pick an anchor point that feels natural and don't fight it. Keep your anchor point consistent no matter where it is as long as you use the same one every single time. I can tell when I miss my anchor point immediately, arrows fly messed up and twirl around in an elliptical fashion and I usually miss 6-8" right or left.

Look at the clock on this website that has the picture of the bow shooter on it using perfect form and copy that as close as you possibly can and you will eventually get it.

You will get frustrated, you will get mad, you will want to quit and sell your equipment off, but don't allow yourself to get discouraged. It will all come together when you least expect it, and it's almost like stepping out of a dark room and into the sunlight......all will suddenly be revealed.   :cool:  

One last thing, don't rush into grabbing a whole cart full of junk all at once, because your needs may change as you go along and you will end up here in the classified ads section selling half of it off for a fraction of what you paid for it. You will determine what you need the more you get into it, and ask questions around here..... These Guys Know Their Stuff!!  

So pay close attention to what they are telling you.

Basically all you need right now is your bow, arrows with practice points, your shooting glove, and something to shoot at. Save the rest for later.

I'm no expert by any means, but I've made enough mistakes that I know what  "Does Not Work" from my own mistakes.
The hardest part is figuring out "What Does Work" and these guys can help you take a few years off the learning curve because they have already been there....Tried that, Several Times!    
Don't forget, we have all been there at some point.

Good Luck!
~SEMO~

My wife has killed several deer with a 40 Darton at her 26 inch draw.  I would advise to start shooting split finger, 1 over 2 under the arrow.  I would start with the nock on the string 3/8" above square. Your anchor on your face should be somewhere around the corner of your mouth with either your index or middle finger.  The exact fit is what would be most comfortable for you. Your bow arm shoulder should stay in line with the target and your drawing arm should be straight in line with the arrow when you at full draw.  If you you copy the form diagram you cannot go wrong.  The correct draw length will be what ever it will be, depending on your own size. When you establish a consistent draw length, it will easier to get the correct spine if you want to get carbons.  I would  suggest finding what your draw length is first, then get some cedar arrows because the bows you listed will handle quite a wide variety of arrow spines in the 40 to 50 pound spine range good enough for now. If you find that you are pulling these bows to 29 or more inches a 50 to 55 spine wood arrow made to your length will be better.  I am 5' 10" I draw 27" with a recurve and 26&1/4" with a longbow. I have seen some shooters my size draw to 28" with good form and I have seen many shooters that do not draw as long as they think they do. It is important to be honest with yourself on what that exact draw length is.

[LinemanARK]

thanks Paven and SEMO  that is alot of info to take in I have reid ur post two or three times thanks for everything if u come up with something else please post it for me thanks Mike

[59Alaskan]

If you search this topic in Pow Wow and Shooters Forum you'll find a bunch of information on this and even more opinions.

I shoot with both open, but do have issues with eye dominance changing through the draw some times.  I have to be careful.

My wife is RH with left eye dominance.  She shoots with one eye open and is pretty good for the amount of time she puts in to it.  

All I can recommend is to do what works for you, but be open minded to trying things.