Any cross eye dominant shooters out there?

[steeliedrew]

Hey all,

I’ve been shooting a bow for eight years now. It hasn’t been consistent though. Sometimes taking 6+ months off at a time and then scrambling a few months before season to get dialed in again. I’m working on changing that this year.

Last night I decided I’d try shooting both eyes open to help with low light target visibility. I immediately noticed a big difference in being able to extend my shooting session in the dwindling light. The target appeared much brighter compared to one eye shut, which got me pretty excited about learning to shoot both eyes open.

I’m 34 years old and from the moment I first picked up a BB gun when I was a youngster I always shot right handed and with my left eye shut. Nobody ever told me otherwise. When I picked up a bow eight years ago I naturally got a right handed bow and began shooting with my left eye closed from the get go.

Last night after shooting pretty tight groups at 50 yards with both eyes open I did some reading on the advantages of both eyes open versus one eye shut. Then it dawned on me that I’ve never really checked to see which side my dominant eye is on. So I performed the test where you make a triangle with your hands out in front of you and focus on a target somewhere. Then you close each eye individually to find out when the target stays framed in the triangle with whichever eye opened. For me, when my left eye is open and right eye closed the target stays framed. Thus, I’m left eye dominant. And since I shoot right handed that makes me a cross eye dominant shooter.

Last night while shooting both eyes open I noticed that my pins are fairly blurry but I can still make them out. I shoot a 3 pin slider. The target is clear. I also noticed with both eyes open I can’t focus on my bubble level. Maybe that will change over time if I keep training to shoot both eyes open? I’ve read that some folks have success by placing a piece of scotch tape over the lens of safety glasses on your dominant eye side. The idea is to get your brain to take input from the non dominant eye and over time that eye “can” become the dominant eye for some shooters. Others will change to an opposite handed bow. The latter seems like a daunting and expensive task for me though.

Have any of you successfully trained your non dominant eye to be dominant? Or are any of you cross eye dominant shooters and doing just fine like that? I’m wondering if with both eyes open would my sight picture differ between shooting right or left handed? I’m a decent shot but I’m curious to know what kind of shooter I could become if I were to be shooting with my dominant eye inline with my peep. I’d have to either switch to left a left handed bow or train my right eye to be dominant to accomplish that.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully this is an interesting topic.

Drew




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[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Much like you, I grew up shooting right handed.
I did notice that while I was a decent shot, I often won bets by shooting left handed.
When I got into archery I naturally bought a right handed bow.
I practiced, got fairly decent using sights, but kept getting stray flyers..
That one arrow that went off.
When I switched to traditional (no sights) I had to practice consistency, then worked on accuracy.
I shoot both left and right now, both eyes on target.
I am better right handed because it is more comfortable, but able to change it up.
I keep hearing about how I would benefit from just shooting lefty because of eye dominance, but Fred Bear and Glenn St.Charles both shot cross dominant.
If it worked for them, I see no reason to change.
But that is just me.
I don't compete, I just practice.
As long as the arrow goes where I want, I am happy.
But I shoot instinctive, I am looking at target , not the arrow or sights.
Concentrate on where you want the arrow, and let fly.
Your eyes don't need to change, just your perspective.

[ridgefire]

I am left eye dominant and shoot right handed and it took some time to train my non dominant eye to be dominant. My problem is I can't close my left eye and keep my right eye open so I used to have to shoot and hunt with a patch over my left eye. Over time my right eye got trained to be the dominant eye when im shooting. Kinda weird but now I have very little problems shooting right handed.

[steeliedrew]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Concentrate on where you want the arrow, and let fly.
Your eyes don't need to change, just your perspective.

I like it! Seems like with both eyes open I’m looking past the pins and just focused on the target. I can see the pins but they’re like ghost pins if that makes sense. The second I close my left eye the pins are clear and the target is maybe a little less clear but I become much more focused on aim and how much the pin is floating. I think there’s definitely something to the two eyes open shooting.


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[brokentrail]

I am cross eye dominant, found out in basic training but I had already been shooting right handed since I was a little kid.  I do fine shooting right handed and have all my life but I can shoot better left handed, as far as seeing, etc but it is just akward and not fluid like I am right handed.  So, I have chosen to stay a right handed shooter but left eye dominant.

I did qualify as an expert left handed in basic training after a shot of hot oil emitted from a rifle and hit me in the right eye the day before qualification.  As long as I have a rest or am prone and stay that way, I can shoot well left handed.  The issue comes with the comfort level of quickly shouldering etc for me. 

If you were to practice left handed, until it felt like it does right handed, you may be a better shooter because of it but man, that's a lot of work/practice.

[steeliedrew]

If you were to practice left handed, until it felt like it does right handed, you may be a better shooter because of it but man, that's a lot of work/practice.

This is what I was thinking. Not to mention expensive having to get a new bow, rest, and sight...$$$$$$$$$



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[MAVsled]

have this issue of cross dominant eye. Mr Bear didn't use a peep.
I believe peeps add to the challenges.
for past several years, I shoot both eyes open, with no peep on string. but use the Anchor Sight alignment device. E'nuff practice with conditioning my form, hold and I hardly ever look at the Anchor alignment any more.
Just on difficult uphill, downhill distance shots.

my old eyes can still group 3-6 arrows inside 6" at 70 yards.

[steeliedrew]

have this issue of cross dominant eye. Mr Bear didn't use a peep.
I believe peeps add to the challenges.
for past several years, I shoot both eyes open, with no peep on string. but use the Anchor Sight alignment device. E'nuff practice with conditioning my form, hold and I hardly ever look at the Anchor alignment any more.
Just on difficult uphill, downhill distance shots.

my old eyes can still group 3-6 arrows inside 6" at 70 yards.

Interesting. I’ve heard of folks using no peep on compounds and I was wondering how they’re able to have consistency without the point of reference of framing the sight ring in the peep. I think I remember a guy with a TV show that was going after the North American 29 who shot without a peep actually.


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[Chesapeake]

I'm left eye, right hand. I shoot right handed rifles and left handed bows. I can shoot both left and right hand rifles and bows.

But......I always carry sling rifles on my right shoulder. Left shoulder feels unnatural. A left handed rifle bolt handle will stick you in the kidney if you carry it on your right shoulder. Plus working the bolt on a lefty rifle feels a bit odd. Pump shotguns are no issue.

Lefty bows are hard to resale, and harder to get some parts for. But if you do the left wing/right wing feather thing then feathers can be easy to come by.

I've tried the different methods to change eye dominance. It was easier to just shoot a lefty bow for me.

[Low Marker]

Take heart in the wide variety of issues & solutions in the replies. 
About 15 years ago I took up shooting a compound bow right handed, while still in my mid-50s, and already knowing I was left eye dominant.
I shoot firearms & throw left but bat and eat right.  Go figure.  It felt like my coordination was best with a bow from the right side.
Individual goals vary but a few deer & placing in some 3D shoots are what I've been able to do with the lesser eye.  Old eyes are more of an issue.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

steeliedrew, Take heart, I too found out the hard way.
 The Cow Elk was only 20 yards out as she passed behind a Big Ponderosa PIne, I drew my Bow and said to myself "She's Mine".
Pausing as she came back into view, I let fly my arrow and to my surprise, watched it burrow into the pine needles at her feet. 
 As her white rump bounced down the hill and disappeared out of sight, my mind raced, trying to decipher what had just happened.
It wasn't until I was back on the range sighting in my Bow that I realized that now I was keeping my left eye closed.
 But when I shot at the Cow, I was so excited I had both eyes open, causing my arrow to drop enough at 20 yards to have a clean miss.
Lesson learned.
Doug

[hunterofelk]

Right- handed, left-eye dominant.  I can close my left eye, but if I am aiming for a long time, I have to crack open the left eye.  Lately my old eyes can't focus on a pin and a target at the same time, so I gave up archery and open sighted guns.  I use telescopic sights all the time now.  I did observe one young man at the gun range shooting right handed, but extending his head over the stock so he could look through the scope with his left eye.  He was trying to sight in his new rifle at 100 yards and was all over the paper.  I built up my courage and butted in his business and when I pointed the trait out and gave my advice, he admitted that he had no idea what he was doing.  We put some tape over the left lens of some safety glasses and his groups got much better. 

[IFunk]

I'm in the same boat (left eye dominant, right-handed).  I didn't even realize it until last year and was surprised when I did the test.  I just always assumed I was right eye dominant.  I shoot my rifles right handed.  I shoot a right handed recurve instinctively with both eyes open and don't use sights.  I thought about trying a left hand bow, but think it would feel really awkward and take a long time as others have mentioned to get used to.  I may try it at some point, but am not optimistic that it will improve my accuracy.  I think there is something to be said for practice, becoming familiar/comfortable with your equipment and letting your body/mind follow suit. 

[Stein]

I taught myself to shoot a left handed bow.  I'm very left eye dominant and it ended up being the best solution by far.

With pistol, it's fairly easy to shoot left eye and be right handed.  With rifles - well, that's one benefit of a scope.

[IFunk]

Was it a tough transition or more easy than you anticipated?  What type of bow do you shoot?  Am curious about your experience.  Thanks