Open or closed stance with right handed left eye dominant

[Scott Barr]

I am right handed. Recently lost most of the vision in dominant right eye. Good news is that my brain is making the adjustment and making left eye dominant.  You archers that are left eye dominant and shoot right handed, I have a question.  I found that if I open my stance more, more directly facing the target with both eyes, that my accuracy is better.  So I am curious about your experiences with opening your stance or not and what you found?

[Biathlonman]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant.  Afraid I've never paid any attention to stance, I just pick a spot and let fly, I've not found any issues with it.

[longbow fanatic 1]

I'm RH dom. and LE dom. too. I shoot a squared off stance and close my left eye. In your situation, you may want to consider making the switch to left hand. Best of luck!

[Bowwild]

I shot RH with left-eye for 28 years. I switched to LH shooting in 1996. A very good move for me. I shoot open stance.

[Danny Rowan]

I am strong right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot both eyes open and squared to target. Been at this for 50 years. Never a problem for me.

[damascusdave]

My basic position, shooting left handed or right handed, is closed...however hunting situations do not always allow for a preferred stance so I practice from a variety of positions...each person needs to find out what works for them

DDave

[David Mitchell]

I am very left eye dominant but right handed.  Tried shooting right handed for years with tons of frustration.  Mike Fedora told me I should be shooting left handed and sent me a left handed riser to try (his limbs were not L/R specific).  What a difference!  Made the switch and have been shooting under my dominant eye ever since.  Things look so much better that way.

[tom cunningham]

Hey Scott.  Sorry to hear of your vision issue.  Don't have any answers but wish the best in the journey....Tom.

[the rifleman]

I have very little vision in my r eye and am r handed.  I learned as a kid that BB guns shot guns etc would not work for me r handed and when I began shooting l handed I began hitting.  Transition for bow took some work but I shoot lh and could not imagine trying to adapt my " sight picture" using Dom l eye and shooting r handed.  I know some can and do, but my advice is to make the switch to lh.  Best of luck.

[Ron Vaughn]

I am left eye dominate and shoot a gun left handed, but being right handed, I began to shoot a bow right handed when I first took up archery in 1958. In fact, in the beginning, shooting my bow right handed with left eye domination didn't even occur to me that it would be a problem. With a lot of practice over the many years, I really haven't had any issues with the left eye dominate/right handed combination. Because of all the arrows that I have shot, perhaps my brain has made some sort of adjustment that has allowed me to maintain accuracy.

I use both the open and square stances when I practice because I feel in actual hunting situations, you may need both. When using the open stance, I need to make sure I keep my right elbow tucked in and not let it fly out. This insures a good crisp release.

[Keith Zimmerman]

What Danny said.

[Biathlonman]

I suspect my lack of problems is also from about 20 years on right handed competitive shooting of rifles and handguns before I picked up a bow.  When I started in my sport there were no left handed rifles, you just made due.

[beaunaro]

I have a friend who has ambleopia.

Not exactly sure what that is, although she has explained it several times.

I should listen better...

For her it affects her eye dominance.

She squints the weaker eye, I believe, and although she could switch to become a leftie, she manages to shoot very well as a righty.

And she took Rod Jenkins class with us, so I know she does not use an open squared off stance.

Perhaps an optometrist opinion would be good.

[Keuka]

I shoot right hand and left eye dominant and have for over 50 years, too old to change. My stance is somewhat open but not exaggerated or extensive.

The main thing I've noticed is I tend to cant the upper limb a little more to the right than other archers. The further you can't your limb to the right, the further your arrow will hit to the right. Anyway, this brings the arrow in line with my left eye.  I shoot with both eyes open.

 Do a search, Howard Hill shot right handed and left eye dominant and he didn't have an accuracy problem.

[Scott Barr]

Thanks ya'll for the tips and advice.  Very helpful. I also found what Keuka stated.  That is, that canting the bow further brings my left eye more in line and opens the sight picture for me.  What a great site for getting pointers from fellow trad folks with years of experience.  Thanks.