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Thread: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    1,769

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Quote Originally Posted by ajr5406 View Post
    Good tip. That would mean I would still shoot right handed for both?
    Yes you still shoot right handed. The other symptom which is quiet common is cross dominance. This is when your right eye is dominant sometimes, and then your left eye takes over. Another poster mentioned peripheral vision as over rated. Could not be further from the truth. I shot one eyed for about 30 years. Keeping one eye closed will reduce peripheral vision. I switched over to two eyes with a patch or dot on my left eye. When shooting doubles, I am now much quicker at acquiring the second target than I was as a one eyed shooter. My depth perception has also improved using this method. Would strongly suggest, based on 40 plus years of trap and skeet shooting, you use the method I suggested earlier. Start by using a set of cheap safety glasses, and test drive this method. If it works for you, which it most likely will, then explore buying a set of Decot or Randolf Ranger shooting glasses. They will probably set you back $200 - $300 , but will be well worth it.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Walnut Grove
    Posts
    1,075

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Quote Originally Posted by VLD43 View Post
    Yes you still shoot right handed. The other symptom which is quiet common is cross dominance. This is when your right eye is dominant sometimes, and then your left eye takes over. Another poster mentioned peripheral vision as over rated. Could not be further from the truth. I shot one eyed for about 30 years. Keeping one eye closed will reduce peripheral vision. I switched over to two eyes with a patch or dot on my left eye. When shooting doubles, I am now much quicker at acquiring the second target than I was as a one eyed shooter. My depth perception has also improved using this method. Would strongly suggest, based on 40 plus years of trap and skeet shooting, you use the method I suggested earlier. Start by using a set of cheap safety glasses, and test drive this method. If it works for you, which it most likely will, then explore buying a set of Decot or Randolf Ranger shooting glasses. They will probably set you back $200 - $300 , but will be well worth it.
    Good advice - appreciate it!

    I have shot bows right handed and it feels much more natural than trying left (even though im left eye dominant). I like the idea of training my brain to use my right eye as you stated. I dont want to go through the effort of re-learning later on, so would prefer to start the right way from day one if possible.

    Cheers

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    1,769

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Quote Originally Posted by ajr5406 View Post
    Good advice - appreciate it!

    I have shot bows right handed and it feels much more natural than trying left (even though im left eye dominant). I like the idea of training my brain to use my right eye as you stated. I dont want to go through the effort of re-learning later on, so would prefer to start the right way from day one if possible.

    Cheers
    Hope it works for you. Have seen many people find success using the method. Stick with it, and it will become very natural.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern West Kootenays
    Posts
    1,461

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Quote Originally Posted by VLD43 View Post
    Yes you still shoot right handed. The other symptom which is quiet common is cross dominance. This is when your right eye is dominant sometimes, and then your left eye takes over. Another poster mentioned peripheral vision as over rated. Could not be further from the truth. I shot one eyed for about 30 years. Keeping one eye closed will reduce peripheral vision. I switched over to two eyes with a patch or dot on my left eye. When shooting doubles, I am now much quicker at acquiring the second target than I was as a one eyed shooter. My depth perception has also improved using this method. Would strongly suggest, based on 40 plus years of trap and skeet shooting, you use the method I suggested earlier. Start by using a set of cheap safety glasses, and test drive this method. If it works for you, which it most likely will, then explore buying a set of Decot or Randolf Ranger shooting glasses. They will probably set you back $200 - $300 , but will be well worth it.
    Where were you 35 years ago? lol.
    "Target archery is seeing how far away you can get and still hit the bull's eye;
    Bowhunting is seeing how close you can get and never miss your mark."

    "A man's got to know his limitations"

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    709

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    I just had eye surgery a week ago and got my eye sight back after 3 months of no vision in my right(dominant) eye. I tried shooting a couple of times using my left eye and it was pretty hopeless, about 2 1/2" - 3' left at 20 yards, I gave up and waited for the surgery, all good now.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern West Kootenays
    Posts
    1,461

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Another big plus for shooting a bow right handed is selection and selecting in particular. It's a chore to dig up enough left handed bows to try out to find the right one. No problem for right handed. A lot easier to buy and sell a right handed bow as well. Just going to the range for a day will give you lots of opportunities to try right handed bows.
    "Target archery is seeing how far away you can get and still hit the bull's eye;
    Bowhunting is seeing how close you can get and never miss your mark."

    "A man's got to know his limitations"

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Burnaby
    Posts
    325

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    I have the same issue, when I found out I was left eye dominant things finally started making sense...when shooting a pistol or rifle with open sights I've always tilted my head to the right in order aim with my left eye and have always hated rifles with scopes, now I know why. Never even experimented shooting a bow right handed, was told it's ALWAYS best to stick with the dominant eye so I started out left handed and stuck with it. Hardest part was getting used to nocking arrows with the left hand but it doesn't take long to get used to. Have seen people shooting with eye patches for ages, seems a lot easier to just spend a couple months getting used to nocking arrows and clipping in your release with your non-dominant hand than wearing an eye patch or tape on your glasses to every archery event for the foreseeable future but that's just my $0.02!

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    1,769

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Quote Originally Posted by Brez View Post
    Where were you 35 years ago? lol.
    Good one. I was shooting pretty good back then, so wasn't listening to well. Took a while, but now I am paying attention and shooting even better scores. Just takes some of us a little longer i guess

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    2-4
    Posts
    630

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    I am right handed, play every sport with either a right hand or foot as my dominant. I am left eye dominant though and found this out when I was looking at archery equipment. I got into a left handed bow and it took a little bit (a few days) to get used to it and now I would never go back to right handed. You want to shoot with both eyes open so you MUST listen to your dominant eye when buying a bow. If you don't believe me, try guessing 20-30 yrd targets with one eye closed...

    Don't let 'lack of choices' or 'smaller used market' keep you from getting into the right equipment for you.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    271

    Re: Eye dominance and shooting a bow?

    Dominant eye almost always wins.

    You can try and get over it but it won't go away and is constant adjustments easier than a reset?

    Boring generic advice again, clubs/proshops are your friend now, use them and try switching using someone else's gear for a session, 5 minutes of that will tell you more than 5 weeks of the internet. You will know then if you can.

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