I just started learning to shoot a recurve. I bought a rt hand bear 45# kodiak hunter. I can shoot some really consistant groups out to 12 yds (3" - 4" but they are all to the left. My left eye is dominant, does this mean I should be shooting a left handed bow?
I am left eye dominant and shoot right handed. Granted, I don't shoot really good, but I don't know that its because of that. Howard Hill shot cross-dominant, one of the best ever. Your eye to hand coordiantion will simply develope in my opinion, much like I shoot basketball or throw a football. They go where I want them to, and thats good enough for me.
Try canting the bow a bit, it helped me a bit in my shooting. Also, make sure your arrows fly really good - impossible to shoot great groups with poor arrow flight.
And have fun shooting, accuracy developes with practice.
Unless you use a sight system of some sort, e.g. sighting down the shaft, using the point of the arrow as a sight pin, there is no need to be concerned with matching the shooting side and dominant eye.
Cant the bow a little, keep your shooting elbow high, tuck your head into the bow and stare a hole in the spot you want to hit. Don't lift your head or you'll shoot high. I have missed 3 cake shots at deer that were...ah, very close when I lifted my head.
its either that or the nock of the arrow is to the right of the eye, condsidering you think you are pointing straight ahead but really you are pointing a little to the left due to the nock being right of you eye.
That or you could be really pinching the nock. Have someone video you....everyone thinks I am nutz but I have the video to prove it....when ever the arrow was bent, the arrow hit left..heck I split arrows left but damn if I could get them in the bull till I figured it out! I would check it all out to include arrow spine but I wouldnt jump to spine just yet when it probably has more to do with shooter error!
Buda,
I too am left eye dominat and shoot right handed. What the guys have told you is correct. I tend to shoot to the left also if I dont cant my bow consistantly enuff. I have aquired a left handed bow and shoot it very well out to about 15 yards or so. I just find that my muscle tone is not adequate to shoot left handed for a very long period of time. I thought about switching and making a committment to go left handed all the way. Time and practice would surly cure the muscle tone problem. Damn hard decision to make, I promise ya. I find myself thinking about the money I have invested in right hand bows and just cant bring myself to make the switch. I am fairly accurate with shooting right handed at a hunting distance (for me, 20 to 25 yards max). Better think about it hard before ya tie up a ton of money in RH or LH equipment. Awww heck its only money!!!! Ya cant take it with ya!....LOL...Go for broke, i sure as heck am! Good luck with this dilema my friend......Jaw<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>
Liike yourself, I am cross dominant. Left-eyed, right-handed. If you are just beginning your archery journey, switch to left handed. The NAA advocates it for all beginning archers. There are numerouse reasons. Shooting wrong handed will always present alignment problems, unless you shoot with your left eye closed, like I do. If you shoot with one eye closed, you then reduce your depth perception, which will affect your shooting. Moreover, the squint factor will reduce your vision in the remaining eye by 20%. If you instead switch to left handed, you will have the added advantage that your stronger arm (right) will become your bow arm; allowing for a steadier hold. Even with experienced archers, the NAA claims that the switch can normally be accomplished in a couple weeks of practice, following which your scores will dramatically improve. Having said all that, I have to admit that I still shoot wrong-handed with one eye closed for the reasons Jawbone mentioned: money. I have too much invested in equipment to change at this point; bows, gloves, quivers, etc. But if you're just starting out, make the switch now before you become committed and you'll never regret it.
I just started a couple of months ago, but I did like Jack suggested. I'm right handed but left eye dominant and since I figured I was learning from scratch I might as well learn how to shoot left handed. It felt awkward for a couple of days but now I'm glad I stuck with it. My wife thought I was crazy but after watching me shoot right handed and left handed she was as convinced as I am. I could shoot about as good with either hand (which at this point isn't realy very good), but I had to concentrate a lot more right handed to shoot as well as I did with little effort left handed.
Boy, there are a bunch of us! I'm left eye and right handed but tend to shoot to the right. My left eye seems to reference the point of the arrow and I push the arrow to the right. Oh well! Dick
right or left
but they are all to the left. My left eye is dominant, does this mean I should be shooting a left handed bow?
