How Important is the Dominate Eye?

[Gatekeeper]

A few days back one of our gang members was wanting help with finding a bow that he and his children could all use. One of the issues that he had to deal with was that he is left eye dominate but right hand dominate. The rest of his family is right eye and hand dominate. I suggested that he try instinctively shooting right handed because of an article I read.

I was rereading one of the books that I own and found the section that was written about the dominant eye. The name of this book is “Instinctive Archery Insights” written by Dr. Jay Kidwell.

He writes (on page 28) that a person (when shooting instinctively) should pick the side to shoot from (right or left hand) based off what feels natural to them and not to pick the side you shoot from based off of what eye is dominate. He also says that this is a very controversial subject matter between archers.

I personally am left handed and left eye dominate but I can’t imagine trying to go against what feels natural to me. I throw a ball, shoot my guns, shoot my bows, write, draw and typically carry things with my left hand but get this, when I throw a Frisbee I use my right hand because this feels natural to me.

Because I am new to this sport I don’t want to just throw information out to another member and cause frustration for them so please answer this question.

How many of you ignore the dominate eye theory and shoot the way that feels natural to you?

[TexMex]

Wow, he is gona be shooting with a big gap  :D  
My son is left handed and right eye dominate, he shoots right handed -just the opposite- and my son shoots real well.

I am right handed, but when I eat I use my left hand to grab the fork, spoon, tortilla, etc.  

[longbowben]

I had the same problem with my son ,so he is left eye dominate i made him shoot left handed he had no problem.But i had a right handed extra bow sold it to friend.

[laddy]

For me this a timely topic.  I got myself a self pignut hickory bow and added a grip and left and right arrow shelves.  I just got in from shooting lefthanded.  After fifty plus years of shooting my spine is getting a bit bent. I went after this idea thinking it couldn't ''hoit'', but I'll be, I can shoot just as good left as I can right, maybe even a bit better.

[Bjorn]

I am left handed and right eye dominant and shoot rightie. Do as you do in any hand-eye coordination activity. Forget that it is a bow and arrow, and instead think about throwing a ball, swinging a bat, hockey stick etc and do what comes naturally.

[Deadsmple]

Yup, do what feels best for you. It shouldn't really matter if you shoot "instinctively" anyway.

[Charles K.]

imho...you'll be years ahead on the learning curve to shoot on your dominant eye side....

[longbowman]

I think a person can learn anything out of necessity but I agree that if you're dominate with a particular eye then why not shoot that way and kill the curve.  I bat both ways, I shoot guns both ways, and I've shot bows very well both ways but I'm right eye and I shoot right handed.  Fred Bear was opposite eye dominate also.  When he shot tournaments with a sight he was right handed but when it came to hunting instinctively he shot left handed.

[laddy]

I should have added that I am ambidextrous and I don't have a dominant eye.  I throw better right handed and was encouraged to do things right handed mostly because of the availability of right hand bows.  I know that in the Kidwell book he talks of the unimportance of eye dominance. I believe in many cases that is correct, since more center shot bows really don't put your eye over the arrow in extreme canted shots, the arrow tends to get pointed to the left for right handed shooters.

[Gatekeeper]

Laddy

Yes that is what Dr Kidwell is saying.

[Blackhawk]

A friend of mine was persuaded to switch to lefty (his dominant eye side) by Fred Asbell at one of our state events.  Long story short -- he is better than ever and glad he switched.

He stated it only took a short while of shooting for it to become "natural" for him.  

In other words, shoot from the dominant eye side.

[Caddo]

I'm right handed and left eye dominate, shoot with both eyes open. I've been shooting that way for 40+ years or so and never knew I had a problem 'till folks started to talk about it.

LD

[freeman]

My girlfriend shoots a sighted compound that way. Works fine for her unless she forgets to close her dominant eye. If she doesn't it's WAY off.

[Rico]

Caddo you probably don't have a problem I know there is quit a bit of difference between my dominate and non dominate eye. Maybe some don't have as much.

[bayoulongbowman]

Ive seen folks shoot non dominate side, but for longer shots past say 20 yds. go with ur dominate side , I did and it was like the light came on , it seem natural, it took some time and effort on my part , but it just started becoming more and more nATURAL...MY WORLD OPENED UP...respectfully , I know what others say, but my 2 cents pick up lighter bow and go with ur domiant side, you learn better shooting skills too. Close bale work and form 1st...after shooting ping-pong balls Im sold!!!

[laddy]

Try this sometime when shooting wrong handed or wrong eyed.  As you reach your anchor, blink the eye that is not over the arrow.  Of course, you will be able to see your line up immediately, but I'll bet that you will be able to keep that line up with both eyes open.  and don't pick on Caddo you'll give him a flinch, I'm feeling a little twitchy just thinking about all this.

[Doc Nock]

I love these threads!    

Ole Jay Kidwell made sense to me... I shoot both eyes open, looking where I'm shooting so I figure I'm using my binocular predator vision.

Seems form is way more critical unless you do gap or string walking or whatever else they call those more "aiming" methods.

Back in the 60's...I shot down the shaft... was pretty good, but as I aged, right eye lost dominance and that sure don't work...but canted bow, just stare and shoot... works just fine.

As long as my form is consistent... bale work and some tutoring has truly made a world of difference, but eye dominance...not so much..  

[Featherbuster]

I have a freind that is left handed and left eye dominant and can write with both hands, shoot guns and shoots bows both handed, but the kicker is, he can play golf both ways!!!!!

Shoot whatever feels right to you.

[Carpdaddy]

Well; you guys are destroying the best excuse I have for missing shots! now what will I blame it on? LOL
 I also am left eye dominate and right handed.

[Caddo]

Rico, you may be right. When folks first started talking about eye dominance I played around with it, trying to determine my own eye dominance. The one thing that I found was as soon as I hit my anchor and the arrow gets next to my right eye, it's like my right eye takes over as the dominant one. If my anchor is off or out to the side of my face, it's left eye all the way and I'm aimed to the left side of my intended target.

Laddy, heck I can find reasons to develop a flinch all by myself!    

LD