Eye Dominance

[jbeckstrand]

I wasn't sure where to put this so its here for now, do any of you know someone that is right handed and left eye dominant? If so, how do they shoot? I started working with a young shooter this weekend that is right handed for everything he does, but when it came to shooting he couldn't even see through a rifle scope. I told him to try left handed, and what do you know, his stance corrected itself, so for now I'm teaching him to shoot left handed, but I wanted some input from our vast pool of knowledge here at LRH if this would be the correct approach. I'm usually a "as long as it works don't question it" guy, but this is honestly the first time I've run across this. My thought process was that it would be easier to teach him to switch hands than to constantly fight with trying to make the right eye dominant. Any thoughts?


Justin

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

I have the same problem and learned how to shoot with either hand. Shotguns were the easiest to learn as you shoot with both eyes open and they can set up shooting glasses to help your eye dominance problems. Let him shoot where he is comfortable and adjust your gun buying to his preference.

 

[chas3stix]

I'm cross-eyed dominant and NOT happy about it. As a young teen, all I ever shot was a shotgun. Well, I've never been able to hit a bull in the *** with a scatter gun. Seeing double is a royal pain. I didn't know I was left eye dominant and right handed. Found out only 10 years ago reading about this problem in an NRA publication. I've tried to teach my right eye to be dominant while shooting with both eyes open but haven't been very successful.
Rifle and handgun shooting is not a problem....I just shoot with my left eye closed.

 

[jbeckstrand]

Thanks for the replies so far. Even with his left eye closed, he couldn't see through the scope. Usually with young kids, I see this problem in sports because they are just getting active enough that they are still learning whether they are righty or lefty. By the time I have them in junior high and high school I don't worry about it too much because they have played enough sports or done other activities that they know, so this came as a surprise for me. Shooting left handed, he did pretty well, had about a 5 inch group at 100 yds, I'm thinking that with some practice on muscle control with his left hand he should be tightening that up to where we need it.

Justin

 

[kiwi3006]

I am right handed and left eye dominant. I do the same as chas3stix, close my left eye when shooting. It is that simple. Rifle shooting is not as problem. I am an average shot with the shotgun though. I tried shooting with a shotgun right handed, both eyes open and I was a BAD shot.

Stu.

 

[mtnwrunner]

I have an EXTREMELY dominant left eye and I am basically right handed. I have always shot left handed with a rifle and I always shot a pistol with my strong hand which is my right. Several years ago, I made the switch with archery and went to left handed because of the dominant left eye. I have shot traditional archery for over 30 years and had thousands of dollars in right handed bows but I just was never as consistant as i would have liked to have been. So, i made the switch and I should have done it long long ago. It took me a little while for the muscles to develop but its been way worth it. So.......my two cents worth-----I would teach someone to shoot whichever their dominant eye is.

Randy

 

[RT2506]

I am right handed and left eye dominate. I grew up closing my left eye to shoot. I got into skeet shooting and learned to keep both eyes open by placing a small piece of scotch tape on the left lens of my shooting glasses in the spot that where it focused and it makes your right eye take over. I since have taught myself to shoot with both eyes open right handed with a pistol with my right eye. It was hard but with much practice I have accomplished it. I still close my left eye to shoot a rifle either with open sights or scope. If the youngster can learn to shoot lefty then let him do it.

 

[midnightmalloy]

I'm right handed at everything but left eye dominant and shoot left handed at eveverything (rifle, pistol, shotgun archery). My dad was an NRA instructor for 4-position rifle, shotgun and pistol for 20 years. Eye dominance is the absolute first thing you test a new shooter on and its much easier to start on the dominant side. Shotgunning is probably the most important but just look above, the guys that shoot on their non dominant side admit to being "not so good!" That should be enough right there. Shooting with both eyes open, even rifle and pistol is the best way.I taught youth shooting also and its the best and correct aproach to any new shooter or shooters with "mysterious" shooting problems. Harder to find left hand guns but I believe if you force them to shoot right handed they will most likely give up due to frustration (seen this many times when dads of their kids force them to shoot right or are ignorant to this fact). If any of you right hand right eyed guys don't believe me next time at the range try to shoot on your non dominant side and instantly you will understand the frustrations of left eye dominant shooters. If I didn't have an experienced instructor (luckily my dad) I wouldn't be shooting today. It was that frustrating.

 

[RDM416]

Good thread. I have been trying to decide how best to deal with this issue with my 10 year old son. He will be starting 4-H shooting sports next year. 4-H highly recommends left eye dominate kids be taught from the beginning to shoot left handed. I have kind of been resisting but from reading this thread it sounds like I should just start him out young shooting lefty.

 

[MachV]

Just about the whole family is right handed/left eye dominent. Us old timers have learned to shoot with our left eye closed or use equipment that only allows the right eye for sighting. The younger shooters have been taught to shoot left handed from the start and have a lot easier time with thier sight picture......Specialy in the field!
A nasty shoulder injury had me trying to shoot left handed, it works alright from the bench but in the field my right handed dominence rules
If the youngsters start left handed the left eye dominence thing is a non issue and they seam to do a lot better with less work.

 

[youngbuck]

I grew up with a couple buddies like this. We all learned about it when we got our first bows. The guys who were right handed and left eyed eventually learned to become a little more ambidextrous. The cheapest easiest way to solve this for rifle shooting is a patch. Sometimes it takes a lot of practice to learn how to close your dominant eye by itself.

 

[FEENIX]

 

[HARPERC]

If you or someone you're teaching is having problems (especially kids) don't assume perfect vision get it checked. Although a kid we struggled both ways to find something comfortable/workable soon after discovered the lenses in his new glasses had been reversed.

 

[SBruce]

Just about the whole family is right handed/left eye dominent. Us old timers have learned to shoot with our left eye closed or use equipment that only allows the right eye for sighting. The younger shooters have been taught to shoot left handed from the start and have a lot easier time with thier sight picture......Specialy in the field!
A nasty shoulder injury had me trying to shoot left handed, it works alright from the bench but in the field my right handed dominence rules
If the youngsters start left handed the left eye dominence thing is a non issue and they seam to do a lot better with less work.

+1!!

I didn't know I was left eye dominant untill I'd been shooting for quite some time, so i just kept shooting right handed and closed my left eye. That same squinting or closing the left eye really messed with my vision once both eyes were open and back to normal tasks (like looking through binoculars!!).
I now wear an eye patch over my left eye when looking through the scope for long periods......This has helped me recover from the "foggy eye" dramatically faster.