Eye dominance issue. What's your suggestion?

[stickbuck]

My wife and my two oldest children are left eye dominant and right-handed. With most sports that they are involved in, it doesn't affect how they perform them. However, when involved in the shooting sports such as shooting their bows,  it has created a few hurdles. Whether it be getting down on a gun or trying to lineup the target with their bows, it makes it a little difficult. I'm just trying to get a few suggestions and thoughts on how I can help them get past these issues. I was thinking about starting to have the kids maybe try an eye patch to see if that would help.


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[WA hunter14]

i dont know about shooting a bow, but my dad is right handed left eye dominant and shoots firearms very well he just closes his left eye

[CJ1962]

Haven't tried it with a bow.  But my Youngest son had this issue and never shot very well.  Recently we tried an eye patch at the range and his rifle shooting improved dramatically.

[wadu1]

Same here, I use a small patch of scotch tape (cloudy type) directly in front of my left eye. It still gives you pervisual (SP) vision to see. Learned that from a shotgun shooting instructor. I still close my left eye when using a scope. 

[fishngamereaper]

I close my left eye with scoped rifles, no problem shooting bow, and both eyes open with open sites, handguns etc. Took some getting used to but I shoot enough that it became easy to leave both eyes open. Dry fire practice could help them without having to go to the range.

[Johnb317]

I suffer the same issue.  Squeeze left eye, dot/ tape glasses only fix short of going left hand.   Tempted to suggest if I were young I'd learn to shoot lefty.

[raydog]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,170885.0.html

This topic was up not to long ago. If I remember correctly some people even switched handedness to match there eye.

[The scout]

I am left eye dominant, right handed. shoot rifle left handed and bow right handed. I would recommend not using eye patch or anything like that unless they are going to carry it around in the woods with them, need to just learn to close it if they are going shoot right handed, it will just become part of the mussel memory of shooting

[RadSav]

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/781205/field-and-clays-shooter-magic-eye-dot-system

Most candy stores will have small frosted dots for bag closers.  Those leave a sticky film on poly lense glasses, but they work good if you just want to try how it works.  Good excuse to buy some candy...then ask if you can have an extra dot or two

[rtspring]

Im right handed but shoot a bow and guns left handed..  Started at a young age and never tried to fight it..   

For the life of me I could never close just my left eye..

[coachcw]

Im left hand and left eye dominant but shoot right handed. Practice practice use the right eye.....

[RadSav]

Im left hand and left eye dominant but shoot right handed. Practice practice use the right eye.....

What a freak! 

 

[coachcw]

Why make it easy

[BOWHUNTER45]

Never had any problem ..always shoot all weapons with both eyes open ..but I have noticed over the last couple years a little blurriness  think its called getting old 

[Bigshooter]

I have always been told that it's a lot easier  to switch which hand you use rather than use your nondominat eye.  And I know a few people that is has worked well for.

[emac]

Pretty much my whole family is right handed but left I dominant. All of us just shoot guns and archery left handed easiest way

[Band]

Being right-handed I used to shoot guns and bows right handed for years (with my dominant left eye closed).  After reading about the merits of leaving both eyes open and shooting based on eye dominance I tried both gun and bow left handed and was surprised how easy the transition was.  Don't be afraid to give it a try.

[stickbuck]

Thanks for all the ideas everyone!! I started experimenting when the kids were shooting today so it will be interesting to see how things play out. It has definitely made things harder that's for sure.


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[bradleyr001]

Make the switch to shoot same handed as the dominant eye, you won't regret it.  Much easier to train muscle memory than it is to retrain the brain and nearly impossible to overcome a dominate eye.  I do everything right handed except shoot... left eye dominate so started shooting left handed at age 6.  Spent 24yr in the USMC and countless rifle expert badges and shooting competitions won shooting left handed.  After awhile it will become "natural" as muscle memory kicks in.  Much easier to shoot with both eyes open (and better IMO) when shooting same handed as the dominate eye. 

[Special T]

Rh Left eye dominate. shoot everything LH I think its harder to shoot a bow than a rifle or shotgun RH... Bows are easier to get LH than Rifles... But y9ou can shoot a RH bolt gun LH pretty easy, or get a lever gun...

[earlmarne]

I am or was left eye dominant. I shoot my bow right handed.As a kid I always leaned my head over the rifle to shoot with my left eye, and bird hunting was horrible til I closed my left eye.
Sometimes my left eye takes things over so I squint it or fully shut it but most of the time I can shoot my bow just fine both eyes open.

[ghosthunter]

Yep

Left eyed ,right handed.
Shoot right handed guns left handed.

[snarkybull]

Make the switch to shoot same handed as the dominant eye, you won't regret it.

 

[willapawapiti]

Discovered at an early age my oldest daughter (right-handed) was left-eye dominant.  We discussed it, let her shoot both ways, then she made the decision on her own to go left-handed.  Didn't take her any time at all to get adjusted, probably because of her youth, still flexible.  She's a crack-shot with her 7mm-08!  She also started archery hunting for elk a couple years ago with me.  By that point, the left-handed bow was, no question, more comfortable for her because of her rifle conditioning.  My