BobCo19-65

My wife is beginner acher that started shooting with me last year. She is shooting a right handed recurve currently (she is also right handed), but I noticed that she has to shoot with the left eye closed. I gave her a few tests, and guess what - she is clearly left eye dominant. Since she is pretty new to everything so do you think it would be a good idea to get her to learn shooting left handed? Thanks.

LBR

I think it would save her a lot of aggravation and headaches in the long run. My gal is left-handed, but right eye dominant. She's shooting right handed.

Chad

datamax

Howard Hill and Larry Yen are cross-dominant shooters.

They are/were pretty good I hear

Floxter

Have to agree with Chad. If she's just starting out and doesn't have a lot invested in equipment, why not start out right and shoot with her dominant eye. To do otherwise would just handicap her from the outset. To ever be truly accurate cross-dominant she'll have to close her dominant eye which reduces the visual acquity in her remaining eye by about 20% due to the squint factor. It normally only takes about two weeks of training and I'll guarantee she'll be shooting better than ever afterward. Remember, since she's right handed, now her dominant hand becomes her bowhand, allowing for a much steadier hold.

121553

Sorry I have to disagree guys. Bob, if she shoots with her left eye shut and is grouping well than don't fix it if it ain't broke. It would be a problem if she kept both eyes open but since she closes her left eye it shouldn't be a problem as she is just focusing on one eye and not two. If there is an alternate to being a southpaw and being just as good or even better than stick with being a righty, it sucks trying to find left handed equipment, good luck, Bobby

datamax

If she switches, then she should start using her left hand to eat with, to hold the phone, to throws a baseball, to shoot basketball .......... you get the picture, right ?

BobCo19-65

I'm not so sure about that. I am left handed, right eye dominant, and shoot bows right handed very comfortable (never even tried to do it differently). I eat and write left handed. Bowl, catch, bat, shoot guns, etc right handed. I even throw a football right handed, but baseball throw left handed (I catch right handed).

Arthur P

I could've written that myself, Bob. Actually, I can do pretty much anything I want with either hand. I used to get my grampa all ticked off, shingling the house. I'd get tired of hammering right handed and just switch to left handed. He hated that. I've set up the latest selfbow I made with dual floppy rests, so I can shoot it left or right handed.

You know, I closed one eye when shooting for many, many years - and shot really well like that - before learning that you're "supposed" to keep both eyes open. (Who makes up these rules, anyway?) When I really, really want to hit a small target, I still close my left eye. When I shoot left handed, I close my right eye. So, I think I'd leave the decision to her. Does having to close her left eye bother her? If it doesn't, and she wants to shoot right handed, then let her alone. If closing the eye does bother her, then it'd be best to make the switch.

By the way, Bob, you need to make room in your PM box.

BobCo19-65

Nope, she didn't even know she was doing it.

Thanks for letting me know.

Well, I'll talk to her about it. She just wants to shoot just to have fun, not hunt or compete. When I told her about the whole thing, her response was - "Do I have too" type thing. So I guess I'll let her figure it out. She is shooting an real old bear recurve bow that was my mother's when she shot competition in the 60's. It's a real sweet shooter. 66", 25# at 28".

LBR

Since it's just for fun, I'd let her do whatever she is most comfortable with. My gal does everything left-handed except shoot a bow, but we figured out which was her dominant eye and got her bow based on that. She's a decent shot too.

Like most things in this sport, nothing is written in stone. There are basic "rules", but there are always exceptions. I still think she would improve faster and be a better shot using her dominant eye, but as long as she's happy I wouldn't worry about it.

Art, I did the same thing--I'm right handed/right eye dominant, but I shot with one eye closed for years--didn't know any better. I gap shot then, now I shoot "instinctive". Having both eyes open helps me a lot about judging distance.

Chad