Both eyes open: grip whacky when using dominate eye?

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Samgotit

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I'm right handed, left eye dominate. Also, I've been a one-eye, right-eye shooter since I was a kid. I know; I'm all screwed up. Anyway, I've been attempting to shoot with both eyes open with my dominate eye (Left) after seeing the overwhelming amount of people here who shoot with both eyes open. Here's the rub: I have to "cockeye" my grip to the left to use my left eye - that's not so good (Does that make sense?).

It's not terrible, but it just enough to make my grip feel unnatural. I'm more than used to using my right eye, coming from being a one-eyed (right) shooter.

So what do you think is better:

1) Get used to the "cockeyed" grip.
2) Stay with using my right eye, even though not dominate, given that I've been using that eye all my life.

Edit: It's not really my grip that's off; it's the positioning of my arms. I have to shift my arms left a bit to get the proper picture.
 
I'm in the same boat, but my grip doesn't change, what i do is cock my head a little to the right, which puts my left eye more in line with the sights.
 
Actually your grip should not change. Try this:
Hold you gun two handed like normal. Close your left eye and look at the front sight over the target. Now without changing anything else, close your right eye and open the left - get back on target.

If anything the only adjustment will be a minute change in your right wrists angle. I bet after a single range session concentrating that you can shoot just fine with that 2 or 3° shift.

This also may interest you because it sure did me! Part of my continuing training after obtaining a CHL included barriers and shooting left handed. I had NO idea how bad a shot I was left handed. I mean I was embarassed. Just something else to consider... maybe you are a natural at it??? :D
 
..."cockeye" my grip to the left...
Click to expand...

Does that mean you are tilting the gun to the left, in a "1/2 gangsta" position, or just slightly moving the gun from your shoulders to the left? I am the same, right handed but left eye dominant, but I don't understand why you would need to tilt the gun. Try what Markbo suggested, you only need to adjust your stance a tiny bit.
 
Thank for all the replies! I'll give it all a shot (pun intended).

No, I'm not going gangsta parallel. ;) I'm having to move both arms left, my wrist very slightly left, and my head right. So much so, it's very unnatural and actually a bit uncomfortable even though it's such a seemingly small shift (may be my body type).

I'm really wondering if it would not be best for me to keep using my right eye. I have used it all my life?
 
Same boat here. I don't change my grip at all. Just move my head enough so that sights are lined up using my left eye. Changing stance helps too, but I would also try to remember upper body position in case you're in a car, sitting down, etc.

I also practice with left eye closed sometimes too. Since there may be instances where I won't be able to put my head in the position needed to use my left eye. I also practice not closing my left eye altogether--just enough so the brain doesn't get confused--so that I can retain a little bit of the peripheral vision.

Shooting long guns, I pretty much have to use the right eye.
 
Right handed, left eye dominant as well. I turn my head a bit to the right to bring my strong eye into play. Simple and it works. It ain't a problem it's just the way it is.

tipoc
 
First, which stance are you using? If you're using a Weaver, you're going to have problems being comfortable. A proper Isoceles stance will permit either eye to come on the sights simply by turning the head, or shifting it left or right.

A couple of things I've tried, with some success:

Tape on the left lens of your shooting glasses. The Scotch Magic tape works well. You only need a strip on the upper part that you'd look through, and can leave the lower part uncovered so you can see to load mags, etc. The blurred image from the left side will force the right eye to establish (or try to) dominance. You might have headaches as the right eye tries to learn to make itself known, but with repeated usage (you can do that around the house, too) the right eye will take over.

I've tried squinting the left eye almost all the way closed to give the right eye the edge. I think I was right dominant until I was about 13-14, when my astigmatism in both eyes started progressing at different rates and forced the left eye to take more control. Now, through practice, I can force my right eye to take over by blinking the left and aquiring the sights at the same time with the right. This certainly doesn't help at longer ranges or with rifles.
 
Folks are gonna do what they like but I've had no problems over the years with simply turning my head a bit. I use a Weaver stance. I had more trouble adapting to bi-focals.

Now if I were a dedicated bullseye shooter I might try tape and various gimmicks, or shooting exclusiely weak handed. If I was a competitive benchrest rifle shooter I might do the same..

I also find that carrying a role of tape with me and asking a bad guy to wait a moment while I put it on my glasses is not all that appealing to me.

Cross dominance is not a problem. It's just is what it is and one adapts to it. The only folks to find it a problem, in most cases, are newer shooters who aren't cross dominant and figure that it must be a problem.

tipoc
 
cross-eye dominant

I shoot handguns from the Chapman stance (modified Weaver) and just slightly shift my head to the right to line the left eye up with the sights. Doesn't affect binocular sight or peripheral vision or any of that. It's not a big deal for most shooters.

I trained at the local regional police academy for 10 years and in the ANG for 10 years and as an LEO since 1982, and I think about 20% of the population have a cross dominant master eye.

When shooting rifle, I fire from the right shoulder, close my left eye, and shoot with the right eye. Some people (10%?) can't independently close one eye or the other and leave the other eye open (often can't close the master eye) and I'm not sure what the solution is for those folks when they're shooting a long gun. Some people have a greater natural tendency toward bilateralism/ambidexterity than others, and some can fire off the weak shoulder with some ability, but most people can't do that.

I know a minority of instructors try to take a cross-dominant shooter (right handed -- left master eye, for example) and try to teach them to shoot left handed. That's worked well for some shooters and not at all for others . . .

I can't use occluded eye gunsights with my particular set of vision characteristics, and in my experience most cross-dominant shooters can't either, but I do know a few cross-dominant operators who can without significant difficulty. So, it's a little hard to come to a rule that's "carved in stone", particularly since a person's eye sight may significantly change over the course of their lifetime/shooting career.

I think it's a non-issue. Turn your head a couple inches and line the master eye up with the sights and press on.
 
You've got three main choices:

Close one eye or try to force the right one. You lose a good chunk of vision in the former and both will fall apart under the relatively mild pressure of something like IPSC. Lord help you in a real scuffle.

Switch hands. Learn to shoot all over again. Boy won't that be fun? OTOH, it's certainly not a bad idea to have the primary hand in charge of things.

Live with it. Adjust it to where you can see it and just shoot. Unless you've got the biggest head in the world, it won't significantly compromise your grip.
 
I have the same problem. My solution was to keep using the right eye, but to also keep the left eye open. My left eye - though open - is not focused, and is partially closed. This allows light to enter it and provides greater peripheral vision. Most importantly, my right eye does not get nearly as fatigued during a range session. But the shooting is still done with the right eye. This is probably similar in effect to the tape method mentioned above, but without the tape.
 
One way to think on it is this...

You're prepped and lying on the table for heart surgery. The surgeon walks in and has scotch tape over one eye. He explains that he is cross eye dominate and is training his weak eye to take over. Or he explains that he's gonna use his weak hand to do the surgery and is that OK with you. Which way would you go?

I've worn a sight blocker over my left eye when shooting rifle off a bench for accuracy and was doing that for over an hour. Keeping the left eye closed for long periods of time tends to tire both eyes.

I would not use any such vision blocker while hunting. Walking over rough ground looking for hogs I need to lean on my strengths.

For this reason while shooting handgun in IDPA or IPSC type competition or practice in defensive handgunning I use no sight blockers.

Cross eye dominance is no more a problem that needs to be solved than is it a "problem" that most of us are not ambidextrous.

tipoc
 
I am also left eye dominant and right handed. I can barely read a stop sign at 20 yards with my right eye, but with my left eye I have 20/20. I shoot rifles left handed and handguns right handed with both eyes open. The strong eye just takes over. If the gun is protruding straight out from the center of the body, you strong eye should acquire the front sight without problems. It may feel wrong, but you'll shoot on target. At first I used to close the weak eye and align the gun (holding it right paw) with the left eye. My shooting sucked. The moment I opened both eyes and held the gun at the center, my groups magically improved.
 
First, which stance are you using?
Click to expand...

Weaver. Next range session I'll play with stance.

Thanks all. I've got lots of good info from you all. Unfortunately, the more advice you give me, the more ammo I need. ;)
 
gallo... that isn't left eye dominant, that is right eye needs glasses! Eye dominance is not about which eye sees more clearly... it's about which one you see out most - it is a neurological phenomenon. If you can't read a stop sign from 20 yards, you need to go see an optometrist and have a complete eye examination. :cool:
 
Markbo,

I have a lazy eye (right one). I have 20/20 with my left eye, but very poor vision with my right one. I don't have a restriction on my driver’s license because I pass all the test with flying colors. When they test my eyes independently, I can barely see the letter on the third row of the test. I always take a doctor’s note to convince the DOT that my vision is not corrigible with glasses.

This problem is caused by one eye being more dominant that the other. Vision is never equal in both eyes. When both eyes see about the same, the brain takes the separate images both eyes send it and merges them into one. However, when one eye sends to the brain a crappy image and the other sends it a sharp image, the brain completely discards the weak eye's image thus creating a lazy that works less and less progressively as the brain demands less from it. The other eyes becomes more dominant.

This problem is hard to correct past he age of 5. My mother detected I had this problem around the age of 8 when I first started shooting a 22 rifle right paw.
 
Markbo is correct. It also bears stating that eye dominance is hard wired in your brain. You can't train it away. A left eye dominant person can train themselves to shoot useing the right eye but they will still be left eye dominant. A lefty can train themselves to shoot right handed but they are still a lefty.


Gallo, having a lazy eye which forces the good eye to become dominant is not the same thing. "Lazy eye" is a particular medical condition, as you know. One eye, being the dominant eye, by contrast is common to all mammals.


tipoc
 
Exactly... my apologies for being crude in my statements... I had no idea about your medical history.

But if it makes you feel any better... you know the big E on the eye chart? Can't see it. Glasses/contacts correct for that of course, but that is about the only way I can explain to people how poorly I see.
 
When I shoot Weaver, I simply turn and tilt my head to bring my dominant left eye in line with the sights, if shooting right-handed. With any grip/stance other than Weaver, the most I do is slightly tilt my head as needed. Best to have a good grip technique, IMHO, as it affects pointability and recoil recovery, and this includes arm position. I don't quite understand the need to alter one's gripping technique and arm position to adapt to one's dominant eye. Get that pistol up there, in front of the eyes.
 
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