Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

I am teaching a 9-year old girl and a 12-year old boy to shoot.

The girl is primary left-handed, but is ambidextrous and uses her right hand when strength is needed. She is definitely " left eye" dominant. I tried her on a left-hand bow and a right-hand bow. She pulls the right-hand bow without difficulty, but cannot do so with her left-hand.

I am in a quandary as to whether I should go with her right hand (arm) since it seems stronger, but then I have the dominant " left-eye" problem to deal with. I am sure I can get her left arm strengthened and coordinated, but she is resisting, only because she is presently comfortable with pulling with her right arm.

As her instructor, I know that regardless how much longer it takes, or how frustrating it may be for her, I should teach her in a way that the package is complete. Anyone dealt with this before, personally or with someone else?

How about hearing from some of you right-hand shooters having a left dominant eye. How problematic is your ability to sight a bow properly?

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

c903, I am left handed but right eye dominant. It has always been a strugle to keep my right eye from taking over. This past season I strarted shooting a right hand bow and am getting great results. The only negitive I have experienced is that my right hand is not as solid as my left so I have had to decrease my poundage. I have been shooting about 30 arrows a day and the strength is starting to come around. It was frustrating not being able to hold my draw as long as I was use to but I am getting more comfortable now. I only wish I would have changed much sooner. Another concern is the availability of off the shelf left hand bows. I think you would be doing your students justice by correcting the problem at a young age. LOL.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

I' m Right Eye Dominant and right handed. When I went to the No-Peep I had problems with my left (non-dominant) eye tried to take over the aming alignment. I solved this problem by either squinting or closing my left eye. Problem soplved.

Now I can shoot with both eyes open . . . but if my left eye tries to take over . . . I just close it.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

I am right handed, but left eye dominant. I shoot with my left eye closed and have never felt that it hindered me or my accuracy. I say shoot what ever feels comfortable and works. I shoot with lots of guys who are same hand/eye dominant and they all close one eye for a better sight picture.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

Wife is righty w/ left eye dominant she shoots with a $1.99 eye patch available at local pharmacy. Did the trick.Hopethis helps

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

Use the no-peep and keep both eyes open. Concentrate on the target!

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

Geronimo:

That is a contradiction. How do you concentrate on the target and watch the " No-Peep" at the same time? :D

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

I' m right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot with a peep sight and I close my left eye when aiming. It does not affect me at all. I' m not the greatest shot out there but can keep them all in the vitals to 50 yards. As long as you close or cover the dominant eye it won' t be a problem. Close the dominant eye and the open one becomes the dominant eye.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

C903...you know what you need to do. Teach her to shoot left handed. She' s only 9, got plenty of time to practice, and build up her strength. In the end, it will be for the best.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

left eye dominate, right handed shooter. I too close my left eye, been doing it all my life.:)

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

Im left handed with a right eye dominant. I presently shoot left handed. Everything works as long as I close my right eye. The sight pins also have to be projected out well right of the arrow to sight in. I did shoot right handed for a few years but had to switch back due to ghost vision in my right eye.
I do seem to shoot better and more consistant left handed now that im used to it again.
I would recommend suiting the shooting hand with the dominant eye. I just know from my experience that it would have made things alot easier if I could have started that way.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

As my forum name states, I shoot left but I' m right handed and left eye dominant. As a kid starting off, my father determined I was left eye dominant and made me always shoot left handed with both eyes open. However I was not a bowhunter as a kid so I feel for your struggle with this girl because she cannot pull the bow back left handed.

Many posters have stated they are left eye dominant but close that eye when shooting right handed. I would think that is the only way you could shoot right handed since the dominant eye will ALWAYS take over if left open. God made us that way.

It was real easy for my dad to help me determine. I cannot just close my left eye, only my right eye so in the beginning I was having fits trying to sight in with both eyes open and shooting right handed.

So it seems you have two options: 1) Strengthen her arm over time and have her shoot left handed/left eye dominant and be able to shoot with both eyes open or 2) Shoot right handed and close her left eye.

You do lose some depth perception when you close one eye so my vote would have been option #1 but gee, I might just be a little bias!!! :D

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

This thread is like a support group... I' m left eye dominant but shoot right handed, and always have. I close my left eye and that seems to work pretty well.

RE: Left hand shooting right hand with dominant left eye dilemma!
 

I am a right handed person with a dominant left eye and have been shooting lefty for over 20 years but I switched to right hand shooting this year and with practice I am getting pretty good at it. I have to close my left eye to shoot righty but keep both eyes open to shoot lefty. I switched for several reasons, one being that it seems alot of the good stuff, sights and rests, ect. are easily available for right hand bows and if I want to try a bow at a pro shop, they always have right hand models to try but not lefty bows, at least not around here. I would try to work her into right hand shooting unless left eye dominance is because of a poor vision problem in her right eye. I have a stigmatism in my right eye but am doing very well to work around it. (might cause low light hunting problems, I' ll have to wait and see).