right handed but left eye dominant
- Thread starter fgr39
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shermacman
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She is probably going to have to learn both. Hand guns can be fired either way but not so easy with long guns. You can make it a whole lot more fun if you try to learn with her. Learn to shoot left-hand also. It is amazing how dependent we become on "handedness". Make it a game, a challenge. Teach yourself some new tricks at the same time. I have a friend who is cross dominant.
Chris Pinkleton
Member
I have the same issue, and I just close my left eye and shoot right-handed. This may not be the "proper" way to do it, but it works OK for me, in fact I have pretty much trained myself to sight out of the right eye, even with the left open. This has come in handy now that my vision is becoming more and more problematic in my dominant eye.
I've tried a bit of left hand shooting, it's no trouble with handguns, but it would take a lot of work for me to have any skill with longarms. Then again, I have terrible dexterity.
Hope this is of some help!
Chris
I've tried a bit of left hand shooting, it's no trouble with handguns, but it would take a lot of work for me to have any skill with longarms. Then again, I have terrible dexterity.
Hope this is of some help!
Chris
Chris Pinkleton
Member
One other arguement against learning to shoot lefty exclusively -- it doesn't work too well with many rifles, especially autos (ak, etc.).
You never know what your daughter might want to shoot next!
You never know what your daughter might want to shoot next!
stealthmode
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i am right handed and use my left eye. if i try using my right eye it doesnt seem right to me because its my weak eye. when i use my rifle and scope i use my right eye no problem. i dont think i have a point just an observation about myself.
Andrew Wyatt
Member
there is no eye dominance "problem". let her shoot left handed. trying to change a kid's eye dominance is, no lie, the worst thing you can do to your kid.
i shoot left handed exclusive,y and i have no problems with most guns, the exceptions being pre brass deflector ars and all bullpups.
i shoot left handed exclusive,y and i have no problems with most guns, the exceptions being pre brass deflector ars and all bullpups.
Okiecruffler
Member
The wife is left handed/ right eyed and we tried both ways. She switches from time to time, but mostly she shoots right handed. Turns out it was easier to retrain her hands than her eyes. Of course, now she's into my contenders, so it makes the whole thing alittle easier to deal with.
30Cal
Member
I'm in the same boat, except I shot right handed for a long time. I'm finally switching to left handed and in everything except the offhand position, I've seen immediate and definite improvement.
Have her shoot left handed.
Ty
Have her shoot left handed.
Ty
Kestryll
member
30Cal, is it that significant of a difference?
I was taught shoot, handgun and longgun, right handed and to sight right-eyed. When I really started getting interested in firearm I discovered that I am left eye dominant.
I have muddled along doing fairly well playing the 'cross-dominant' game but now a co-worker and friend wants to get into IPDA shooting and wants me to go with him. I don't know if I should stay with the cross-dominance concpt or try to retrain myself.
I write left-handed but use most things, silverware, mouse, sword, spear, right handed.
I guess my question is was the improvement worth the effort to retrain?
I was taught shoot, handgun and longgun, right handed and to sight right-eyed. When I really started getting interested in firearm I discovered that I am left eye dominant.
I have muddled along doing fairly well playing the 'cross-dominant' game but now a co-worker and friend wants to get into IPDA shooting and wants me to go with him. I don't know if I should stay with the cross-dominance concpt or try to retrain myself.
I write left-handed but use most things, silverware, mouse, sword, spear, right handed.
I guess my question is was the improvement worth the effort to retrain?
pauli
Member
i gotta shake my head at you guys.
i'm cross dominant - right eye, left hand - and the way i see it, i've got an excuse to fire four times as much ammo (that is, each combination) as any one eye, one hand for life ninny!
'retraining' is nonsense. simply train yourself to be proficient with either hand, and either eye.
as for the kid in question - let her pick her own hand and her own eye. from *there,* you instruct her.
i'm cross dominant - right eye, left hand - and the way i see it, i've got an excuse to fire four times as much ammo (that is, each combination) as any one eye, one hand for life ninny!
'retraining' is nonsense. simply train yourself to be proficient with either hand, and either eye.
as for the kid in question - let her pick her own hand and her own eye. from *there,* you instruct her.
I run a program that teaches kids aged 7-12 to shoot; we did about 320 last year through the Scouts and over 400 are planned for this summer.
After a safety overview, the first thing we do is test eye dominance (about 10% are cross-eye dominant). Without exception, we see a significant improvement when the child shoots a rifle on the side of the dominant eye.
With some of the kids, it's a bit of a challenge to get them shooting from the 'wrong' side, but once they do, more often than not they start knocking the centers out of the target and won't go back.
When the child is more successful, he or she has more fun and is likely to continue shooting. And that's our secondary goal (gun-proofing the kids is primary).
Gun selection is a poor reason to handicap potential. I shoot left handed and don't have a problem with any rifles.
After a safety overview, the first thing we do is test eye dominance (about 10% are cross-eye dominant). Without exception, we see a significant improvement when the child shoots a rifle on the side of the dominant eye.
With some of the kids, it's a bit of a challenge to get them shooting from the 'wrong' side, but once they do, more often than not they start knocking the centers out of the target and won't go back.
When the child is more successful, he or she has more fun and is likely to continue shooting. And that's our secondary goal (gun-proofing the kids is primary).
Gun selection is a poor reason to handicap potential. I shoot left handed and don't have a problem with any rifles.
WhiteKnight
Member
I struggled with shooting open-sighted guns for years, until I finally figured out I was cross-dominant (left eye dominant, shooting right-handed). I typically use scopes 90% of the time, and I've pretty much excluded open-sight-shooting from my practice entirely, as I don't feel I have the time to relearn the mechanics of shooting left-handed.
JNewell
Member
LarryW's post makes a lot of sense, especially since you've got a clean slate to work with. I'm x-dominant. I have found that it can be, to some extent (1) trained and (2) tricked. But reading Larry's post I am thinking, "if this were my daughter, why?" I guess I'd try it both ways and see whether using the "wrong" hands with the "correct" eye is better than the other way 'round. Again, Larry's post suggests you follow the eye...for me, I think I'm better off the way I've done it shooting for 40+ years.
Tricks you can use involve anything that tends to emphasize the RH eye. I find that even a slight squint (not even close to closing the eye) will always tip the brain over to the RH eye. Using red dot sights shuts the LH eye down quite well. Less so with scopes, at least for me. I will say I find skeet hard, but even that is do-able.
Experiement, be patient and encouraging, and don't get frustrated. Make it a project to have fun over and with together and it'll work out. She has lots of company.
Tricks you can use involve anything that tends to emphasize the RH eye. I find that even a slight squint (not even close to closing the eye) will always tip the brain over to the RH eye. Using red dot sights shuts the LH eye down quite well. Less so with scopes, at least for me. I will say I find skeet hard, but even that is do-able.
Experiement, be patient and encouraging, and don't get frustrated. Make it a project to have fun over and with together and it'll work out. She has lots of company.
WhiteKnight
Member
If you are cross eye dominant, and you attempt skeet/sporting clays/trap/upland hunting with the "wrong" eye, will you suffer a significant impairment of your shooting ability?
Andrew Wyatt
Member
yes. Eye dominance is the most important factor in shooting.
Sparky
Member
There was ...and probably still is...a product called Magic Dot. It is basically a dot of scotch magic tape that is placed on the lens of the "off" eye. It really helps neutralize cross dominance. I shoot rifles with my left....
dominant...eye closed and always have and will. I am so totally right handed I can hardly scratch my.... left handed ....you get the idea
Any way...the magic dot deal helps me a lot when shotgunning..and come to think of it I don't know why I haven't used it for rifle/pistol shooting!!!
A piece of scotch tape...the magic type..sort of opaque would work as well, but the magic dot system has little dots of the stuff to put on the lens in line with the pupil of your eye. So it's really unnoticible and works.
dominant...eye closed and always have and will. I am so totally right handed I can hardly scratch my.... left handed ....you get the idea
Any way...the magic dot deal helps me a lot when shotgunning..and come to think of it I don't know why I haven't used it for rifle/pistol shooting!!!
A piece of scotch tape...the magic type..sort of opaque would work as well, but the magic dot system has little dots of the stuff to put on the lens in line with the pupil of your eye. So it's really unnoticible and works.
The_Antibubba
Member
I'm the opposite-AND SO VERY CONFUSED
I'm left handed/right eye dominant, but for most of my life I had really poor, but corrected, vision in my right eye. I've always shot left hand/left eye with pistol and rifle, but my pistol accuracy left something to be desired. the rifle isn't a problem.
Last year I had the right eye Lasik corrected, and now I'm learning to pistol shoot right-eyed, but still left-handed. That's an adjustment. I do practice off-hand shooting, too. I still cannot shoot a rifle from the right-it feels utterly wrong.
It's a predicament!
I'm left handed/right eye dominant, but for most of my life I had really poor, but corrected, vision in my right eye. I've always shot left hand/left eye with pistol and rifle, but my pistol accuracy left something to be desired. the rifle isn't a problem.
Last year I had the right eye Lasik corrected, and now I'm learning to pistol shoot right-eyed, but still left-handed. That's an adjustment. I do practice off-hand shooting, too. I still cannot shoot a rifle from the right-it feels utterly wrong.
It's a predicament!
WhiteKnight
Member
So this means I should start shotgunning (which I have done only twice -Sporting Clays- as opposed to the years I've been rifle shooting) left-handed (ie the correct way for me as far as eye dominance)?
Andrew Wyatt
Member
it's worth a shot. (no pun intended)
fix
Member
Teach her the basics left handed. As she progresses, let her try both. I'm the same way, and I consider it a blessing. I can handle and operate long arms and handguns equally well with both hands/eyes. I was taught to shoot long guns left handed and pistols right handed. So that gave me two good trigger fingers. Then I just taught myself to use my right eye. From there, the rest is a matter of weapons handling practice.
Lennyjoe
Member
Yes.
I shoot pistols with either hand and use my left eye to aim.
I have to shoot rifles, shotguns and bows left handed because thats the eye I see the best from. Learning to shoot left handed with rifles and shotguns isnt hard at all.
Best to aim with your most accurate eye right?
I shoot pistols with either hand and use my left eye to aim.
I have to shoot rifles, shotguns and bows left handed because thats the eye I see the best from. Learning to shoot left handed with rifles and shotguns isnt hard at all.
Best to aim with your most accurate eye right?
30Cal
Member
I shot my way up to high Expert scores right handed and hit a definite plateau after about 18 months. The first time I shot a match left handed (after 2-3 weeks of standard dryfire practice) I was able to match my best right handed scores in sitting and prone. My aggregate that day was only 2 points less than my best aggregate score shooting right handed.
I am simply able to get a much better, clearer sight picture shooting with the correct eye. With a scope, it probably doesn't matter all that much, but it makes a world of difference with iron sights.
Ty
I am right handed and left eye dominate, I prefer to shoot left, I do better. My father made me shoot right handed. After I outshot him lefty he stopped doing that.
The military is where I had the hardest and best times. D.I.s did not like having a lefty to teach. However I was always popluar on Opfor because I could cover the righties weak side.
I am also always on their weak ends when we go pheasant hunting.
Juts here lately I have met a family whose father, 1 son and 1 daughter are all right handed and lefty shooters. The mother and one son are right handed shooters.
The military is where I had the hardest and best times. D.I.s did not like having a lefty to teach. However I was always popluar on Opfor because I could cover the righties weak side.
I am also always on their weak ends when we go pheasant hunting.
Juts here lately I have met a family whose father, 1 son and 1 daughter are all right handed and lefty shooters. The mother and one son are right handed shooters.
MrAcheson
Member
I'm cross eyed too. Handguns are easy because you just adjust your stance a bit and your shooting strong hand/strong eye. Rifles are tougher. Question: Can your daughter close one eye? I can but some folks can't. If she can then teach her strong hand and closed eye. She'll do fine. If not then train her lefty.
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