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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:27:02 AM EDT
[#1]
I didnt know eye dominance could change.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:27:44 AM EDT
[#2]
I've seen people successfully do it both ways and it really depends on how they are wired IMO. Some people can change the eye they use, others I've seen do well shooting with their non-dominant hand. I haven't seen many who can successfully shoot with their dominant hand and lean themselves over the gun to shoot with their dominant eye though.
Pistols are easy with new shooters. Just have them learn in isosceles and it's much easier for them. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:28:04 AM EDT
[#3]
Rifle shouldn't be a big deal, but for pistol and shotgun, this
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:30:01 AM EDT
[#4]
I'm right hand, left eye.
I shoot right handed unless I am practicing shooting on corners or using a pistol. I like to use a red dot on long arms to compensate for the cross-dominance. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:31:54 AM EDT
[#5]
Get them to switch hands.
I am left handed except to write with and play guitar. I shot pistols righty but long guns lefty for several years due to learning bad habits when I first started shooting handguns. I shot patterns, not groups, with my pistols until I switched to shooting them left-handed. The difference was almost immediate. Try it out. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:41:57 AM EDT
[#6]
I'm cross dominant...with pistols it's easy, just shoot with both eyes open. I used to turn my head to the right to align my dominant eye with the sights, until i realized that does exactly dick.
With long guns, just close your left eye. (note, if you're using a dot, just roll both eyes open) I'd never switch to a weak hand to correct eye dominance. it's a lot easier to learn to close an eye than to try to acquire the same dexterity in your left hand as your right. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:55:34 AM EDT
[#7]
I'm right handed and left eye dominant as well and shoot pistols right handed with both eyes open and rifles left handed with both eyes open. If I need to aim small, I'll close the left eye on pistol and right on rifle. Just the way I've always done it. When we run into students that are cross eye, they almost always hold the pistol with the dominant hand because it yields a tighter grip and better control. If they cannot use the weak eye, I try to keep them in the isosceles position. It's easy to slightly lean your head in this position to align the dominant eye if you have you head down in vulture and your arms high and shoulders rolled forward. We encourage them to close the weak eye until they become more advanced. It is much more difficult to do this in weaver or chapman stance because you have to move your head so much and you tend to lose you peripheral vision.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 7:57:53 AM EDT
[#8]
For handguns, turn head, tilt head, tilt gun, any combinations of these. For long guns it's not so easy. Shoot other handed, train the other eye, or install offset sights.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:07:29 AM EDT
[#9]
I'm right hand left eye. For pistols, shift Gun to left eye and or a dab of chapstick on glasses.
For rifle, embrace the suck. Shoot close in both eyes open |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:09:02 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm right hand, left eye. I shoot right handed unless I am practicing shooting on corners or using a pistol. I like to use a red dot on long arms to compensate for the cross-dominance. I am this situation too. Shoot long guns left handed (pretty easy), hand gun goes back and forth ok, my problem was with shooting a bow. Had to conciously close my left eye, and use my peep sight. I shoot a bow right handed. After a while of practice, can now aquire, then open my left eye and still hold target. Not changing dominance, just training the brain to use both. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:11:52 AM EDT
[#11]
No need to change much, I always teach that you shouldn't fight your natural instincts. For pistol, just cant the pistol however far you need to to bring the sights in line with the dominant eye.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:13:17 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I didnt know eye dominance could change. I used to be left eye as a kid. Wrapped my head around the gun. As I got older I self corrected it and now am right eye dominant. It can happen. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:14:05 AM EDT
[#13]
you can switch eyes, I was born left eye dominant
started by wearing an eye patch on my left eye at all times, then switched to only while training now I shoot pistols and long guns both eyes open, sighting easily and naturally with my right eye |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:20:46 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
you can switch eyes, I was born left eye dominant started by wearing an eye patch on my left eye at all times, then switched to only while training now I shoot pistols and long guns both eyes open, sighting easily and naturally with my right eye So is that why people will obscure the eye while shooting? |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:20:51 AM EDT
[#15]
It really depends on the person. I'm cross dominant and because I might as well be blind in my non-dominant eye (right) I will shoot rifles, shotguns, and bow left-handed. For pistols I can cant my head enough to allow me to still shoot right handed.
I'm sure for those who don't have poor eye sight in their non-dominant eye you can either learn to shoot correctly over time or with some aid (eye patch, closing dominant eye, piece of tape). |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:21:46 AM EDT
[#16]
You need red panties a jeep and a periscope.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:39:35 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So is that why people will obscure the eye while shooting? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
you can switch eyes, I was born left eye dominant started by wearing an eye patch on my left eye at all times, then switched to only while training now I shoot pistols and long guns both eyes open, sighting easily and naturally with my right eye So is that why people will obscure the eye while shooting? Like the national match guys? I assumed they did that regardless of eye dominance. Just a focusing issue. I'm going to try and keep her on some rifles for a bit, red dots to build confidence/reduce frustration. She didn't like shooting left handed, said that was more awkward than trying to close her left eye for magnified optics. I figured since she is just starting to shoot, this might work out with her learning habits. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:41:44 AM EDT
[#18]
My wife is right handed, left eye dom. She shoots left handed.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:45:52 AM EDT
[#19]
I think it would seem to come down to what is easier. Is using the non-dominant eye easier for the person, or shooting with the non-dominant hand? In any event, training someone to do both over time is very helpful. The time to try out using your support hand/non-dominant eye is not during a gunfight when the other eye/hand is injured/not functioning for some reason :)
Learning to use my non-dominant eye with support hand shooting took a while, but practice will allow muscle memory to take over as skills and muscle memory are improved. The red dot approach you mentioned is a good way to introduce her to it and allow her to develop the muscle memory for it. For pistol shooting, start her with both eyes open, and start squinting the dominant eye until the sights come into focus in her non-dominant eye. She may be almost fully closed in the beginning, but as she becomes accustomed to it, she will squint less and less until both eyes are completely open. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 8:54:24 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think it would seem to come down to what is easier. Is using the non-dominant eye easier for the person, or shooting with the non-dominant hand? In any event, training someone to do both over time is very helpful. The time to try out using your support hand/non-dominant eye is not during a gunfight when the other eye/hand is injured/not functioning for some reason :) Learning to use my non-dominant eye with support hand shooting took a while, but practice will allow muscle memory to take over as skills and muscle memory are improved. The red dot approach you mentioned is a good way to introduce her to it and allow her to develop the muscle memory for it. For pistol shooting, start her with both eyes open, and start squinting the dominant eye until the sights come into focus in her non-dominant eye. She may be almost fully closed in the beginning, but as she becomes accustomed to it, she will squint less and less until both eyes are completely open. one of the side benefits of having to switch eyes, is that when shooting weak side my left eye will sight quite well |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:04:06 AM EDT
[#21]
I shoot right handed for both pistols and long guns, but shoot left eye dominant on pistols and right eye dominant on long guns. Is this unusual? I have no idea.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:16:12 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Rifle shouldn't be a big deal, but for pistol and shotgun, this https://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com/archive/jan12/images/cross-dominance.jpg I have the worst of the worst issues, short of being blind. I'm ambi-dextrous, and that generally extends to my eye. My eye switches dominance based on where the object is. generally, but not always, the side of the body that the object is on, that eye takes dominance. as a clay crosses from left to right, the left eye has it, and as it crosses to the right side, the right eye takes over. hitting clay is hard. the picture above is the best place to start. If you can get the off eye obscured, or blurred, that'll be enough. sometiems you can just rub some water or something one the lens and get it blurry and that'll push dominance to the other eye. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:16:27 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I shoot right handed for both pistols and long guns, but shoot left eye dominant on pistols and right eye dominant on long guns. Is this unusual? I have no idea. Yes, you are unusual 
Apparently, it's a lot more common than I thought |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:19:13 AM EDT
[#24]
Im cross dominate, I just shoot with my weak eye all the time. Its probably not toally ideal, but I think Im actually a better all around shooter using my weak eye rather than my weak arm.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:19:57 AM EDT
[#25]
My daughter is cross dominant. After doing a bit of research, I felt it was easier to teach her to shoot lefty than to change eyes. So she shoots lefty pretty darn well.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:20:30 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I didnt know eye dominance could change. when I had my lasik done the Doc was able to help me change my eye dominance. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:21:20 AM EDT
[#27]
Quoted:
Do you get them to learn on their right eye by closing their left and let it get stronger over time? For pistols it can be easier to live with it but for the new shooters that really like rifles and shotguns, what do the Tier 1 pros recommend? put a piece of tape over the lens of the shooting glasses on the side of the now dominant eye. keep both eyes open and shoot. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:22:13 AM EDT
[#28]
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:23:10 AM EDT
[#29]
Had cataract surgery October of last year and needless to say my dominant eye(with new lens) is not clear at the distance of my pistol sights just yet, just recently went back and tried pistol shooting; this time w/ my left eye, cocking my head to the right a bit. This will take some time, but it's a work in progress.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:25:23 AM EDT
[#30]
took my mom shooting instructor guy discovered she was left eye dominate so she just shot the rest of the day lefty. It was a vast improvement over shooting with her right eye she wasnt hitting crap that way but was 100x better when she switched. A matter of getting used to it imo.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:25:46 AM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
Do you get them to learn on their right eye by closing their left and let it get stronger over time? For pistols it can be easier to live with it but for the new shooters that really like rifles and shotguns, what do the Tier 1 pros recommend? I'm more tier pi and only a software pro, but... I'm cross dominant, probably because my left eye is stronger (better, clearer vision, less astigmatism) than my right eye. I use my left eye (cross dominant) for handguns and my right eye for rifles and shotguns. For scopes and red dots on long arms, it is not an issue. For iron sights on a long arm, it can be problematic. I usually just close my left eye if I need to when I fire. ETA: change "p" to "pi" since it would not let me cut and paste the symbol |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:26:22 AM EDT
[#32]
I'm left handed and right eye dominant. I shoot rifles right handed and pistols left handed. If I was younger and starting out shooting pistols, I would try to learn to shoot pistols right handed.
I think you can be ultimately faster and more accurate by using the same side for holding the pistol as you do for looking through the sights. It's easier to find your natural point of aim. There are some top pistol shooters who are cross dominant though. I believe Dave Sevigny is cross dominant. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:29:27 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No need to change much, I always teach that you shouldn't fight your natural instincts. For pistol, just cant the pistol however far you need to to bring the sights in line with the dominant eye. Don't cant the pistol. For isosceles just move it to the left (or right) keeping it level. For modified Weaver, just turn your head slightly to the right (or left) to line up the left (or right) eye. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:29:53 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm left handed and right eye dominant. I shoot rifles right handed and pistols left handed. If I was younger and starting out shooting pistols, I would try to learn to shoot pistols right handed. I think you can be ultimately faster and more accurate by using the same side for holding the pistol as you do for looking through the sights. It's easier to find your natural point of aim. There are some top pistol shooters who are cross dominant though. I believe Dave Sevigny is cross dominant. My son is the same way (in reverse). He is left eye dominant, and shoots rifle left handed for that reason.One of the first things I do when teaching shooters is check their eye dominance. At intermediate levels, I move them towards shooting with each hand, as I believe that's a useful skill in many circumstances, along with one-handed shooting. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:31:27 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No need to change much, I always teach that you shouldn't fight your natural instincts. For pistol, just cant the pistol however far you need to to bring the sights in line with the dominant eye. This. Plus, the rule "do what works for you", like the person further down whose mom could not shoot long arms right handed/eyed and just switched to left. For most cross dominant people I know (all right handed), we shoot pistols right-handed and left eyed and long arms right handed and right eyed. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:33:06 AM EDT
[#36]
I am cross and shot competitively in .22 3-pos for quite a while. Just used glasses that had an opaque cover on my left eye. Pistol, I hold right and sight left. Shotgun I'm planning on teaching myself to shoot left.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:37:03 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Like the national match guys? I assumed they did that regardless of eye dominance. Just a focusing issue. I'm going to try and keep her on some rifles for a bit, red dots to build confidence/reduce frustration. She didn't like shooting left handed, said that was more awkward than trying to close her left eye for magnified optics. I figured since she is just starting to shoot, this might work out with her learning habits. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: you can switch eyes, I was born left eye dominant started by wearing an eye patch on my left eye at all times, then switched to only while training now I shoot pistols and long guns both eyes open, sighting easily and naturally with my right eye So is that why people will obscure the eye while shooting? Like the national match guys? I assumed they did that regardless of eye dominance. Just a focusing issue. I'm going to try and keep her on some rifles for a bit, red dots to build confidence/reduce frustration. She didn't like shooting left handed, said that was more awkward than trying to close her left eye for magnified optics. I figured since she is just starting to shoot, this might work out with her learning habits. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:37:57 AM EDT
[#38]
My brother was right eye dominant, and recently became left eye dominant. It was pretty entertaining seeing him try to get used to it, bringing his left eye in behind the sights, or switch which hand he shot with. I think eventually he said "Fuck it" and just embraced the suck
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Posted: 5/9/2014 9:57:59 AM EDT
[#39]
My wife was right handed and left-eye dominant. I had her wear an eye patch.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 10:15:45 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My wife was right handed and left-eye dominant. I had her wear an eye patch. This is how my son is. I have just been putting tape over the left lens of his shooting glasses but after reading this thread maybe I'll have him try shooting left handed. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 10:18:44 AM EDT
[#41]
I am right handed, left eye dominant. I taught myself to shoot with both eyes. Now I can shoot either left handed or right handed pistol and rifle.
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Posted: 5/9/2014 10:23:11 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
when I had my lasik done the Doc was able to help me change my eye dominance. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I didnt know eye dominance could change. when I had my lasik done the Doc was able to help me change my eye dominance. Wow, I didnt even know that was possible. |
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Posted: 5/9/2014 10:30:35 AM EDT
[#43]
My daughter is mostly right handed (slightly ambidextrous) and left eye dominate. I have taught her to shoot left handed.
When I bought her a bow, I bought a left handed model. |
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