Cross Eye Dominant Shooting

[CEO]

My five year old son has become interested in shooting over the last year of so. When I started teaching him to aim I noticed he would lay his entire head over the stock and lean back trying to see the sight. I explained to him the proper form and eye to use but he would complain he couldn't close his left eye while keeping his right open. I told him to leave both eyes open but use the right to aim but he would always revert back to his previous form. This is on a red rider bb gun with the iron sights.

Last week we were shooting his bow in the backyard. His form is perfect and his head is in the right place. I tell him that's how he should stand and aim when he shoots his gun. He then informed me he's using his left eye to aim. So essentially he figured out where to aim the bow when he looked at the pins from his left eye. It makes sense because originally he was almost missing the target to one side.

After this I had him do the test where you bring your hands back to one eye and sure enough he came back to his left. Seems he is right handed and left eye dominant. Would it be easier to start letting him shoot lefty now? Or is he young enough to train to use his right eye? I have a cousin who is the same way and he's always shot rifles and shotguns left handed.

[BowhunterB]

I am in the same situation. I have to close my left eye to be able to shoot. I catch myself looking up as I shoot to see where the arrow is going to hit and have to really watch this. It also makes it harder to see what is going on with the animal pre-shot when you have one eye closed.

I think I might try letting him shoot left handed to see how he does since he is young - wish I would have given this a try.

[El General]

My five year old son has become interested in shooting over the last year of so. When I started teaching him to aim I noticed he would lay his entire head over the stock and lean back trying to see the sight. I explained to him the proper form and eye to use but he would complain he couldn't close his left eye while keeping his right open. I told him to leave both eyes open but use the right to aim but he would always revert back to his previous form. This is on a red rider bb gun with the iron sights.

Last week we were shooting his bow in the backyard. His form is perfect and his head is in the right place. I tell him that's how he should stand and aim when he shoots his gun. He then informed me he's using his left eye to aim. So essentially he figured out where to aim the bow when he looked at the pins from his left eye. It makes sense because originally he was almost missing the target to one side.

After this I had him do the test where you bring your hands back to one eye and sure enough he came back to his left. Seems he is right handed and left eye dominant. Would it be easier to start letting him shoot lefty now? Or is he young enough to train to use his right eye? I have a cousin who is the same way and he's always shot rifles and shotguns left handed.

The short answer is yes.

I have the same cross dominance, and I have struggled with it my entire life. When I picked up bowhunting in 2013, I bought a lefty bow because of it. Also, if he ever plays golf, start him left handed. Hitting a baseball is the same. Alignment is an SOB for cross dominance.

There are many methods to get around cross dominance, but none of them have been permanent for me. Some people have stronger dominance than others.

Anyway, there is nothing particularly right handed about shooting a bow, shotgun, or rifle. They require both hands.

Even without much practice, I can shoot a shotgun fairly well left handed. I am not as agile with it or good at mounting cleanly, but shots where I can premount, have plenty of time, and are far enough away that I don't need to be quick, I can shoot better left handed. I keep telling myself I will take some time one year and shoot a bunch of skeet left handed, but it ain't happened yet.

[hoythunter]

I'm the same way, left eye dominant but shoot right handed - Just had to teach myself early on how to use my right eye. If his form is good and he shoots well right handed, an eye patch will help force him to use his right eye to aim until he can control closing his left eye.

My wife is also right handed but left eye dominant. We just have her shooting left handed and all is well.

[Daddy D]

Same here... I have to close my left eye. I do fine with archery and rifles, but I struggle with instinctive shotgun shooting. My left eye really tries to take over when a shotguns in my hand... it's frustrating!

[kparker158]

I’m left eye dominant and right handed. Shoot rifles and bows right handed. I feel like if I switched to left handed bow it’d help me tremendously. Before I ever buy a new one I’m going to try it out.

[curtintex]

I had to teach my daughter to shoot a left-handed bow. She's right-handed, but left eye dominant.

[Huntindad]

I am in the same boat...sorta. I am left eye dominant. shoot a bow right handed(close left eye), but shoot a rifle left handed.

[Crash]

If you can get him to switch to shooting on the dominate eye side. That will be a much better scenario, long term.

If he balks at switching. What I do for the kids that I coach on the school shooting team, is put a small piece of tape, bought the width of a quarter, on their shooting glasses, over their dominate eye. In his case, the left eye. His eye ball should be centered in the tape when looking down the barrel of his BB gun.

I like to use scotch tape - satin. This is slightly see thru, but distorts the vision just enough that the brain switches the dominancy to the other eye.

Get him some clear safety glasses, put the tape over his left eye and have him repeat the test. See if he goes back to his right eye. If he still favors the left, even with the tape, then he will need to switch to shooting left handed. Reason I say this, I had a young man on the team that even with multiple layer of tape that you could not see thru at all, would still move his hands back to his left eye. He couldn't break any targets shooting right handed. Finally convinced him to try shooting left handed. He broke 15 out of 25 the first time. He is now one of my top shooters on the team.

[Low Fence]

This was my daughter’s issue. Switched her gun and bow left handed immediately. She shoots lights out.... she never knew any different

[UncleBubba]

I'm right handed but left eye dominant. I shot my bow with an eye patch over my left eye for years until I bought a left handed bow. GAME CHANGER! I would let him shoot what's comfortable to him this young. But if he's for sure left eye dominant shooting LH is the only way to go.

[KDinTX]

We thought this was the issue with they way our daughter would use her left eye instead of the right for thing. Turned out after we had a vision check she had astigmatism in her right eye, glasses now and shes good to go and right eye dominant after all. She never told us she had a "fuzzy" eye before, but she didnt know any different.

[El General]

If you can get him to switch to shooting on the dominate eye side. That will be a much better scenario, long term.

If he balks at switching. What I do for the kids that I coach on the school shooting team, is put a small piece of tape, bought the width of a quarter, on their shooting glasses, over their dominate eye. In his case, the left eye. His eye ball should be centered in the tape when looking down the barrel of his BB gun.

I like to use scotch tape - satin. This is slightly see thru, but distorts the vision just enough that the brain switches the dominancy to the other eye.

Get him some clear safety glasses, put the tape over his left eye and have him repeat the test. See if he goes back to his right eye. If he still favors the left, even with the tape, then he will need to switch to shooting left handed. Reason I say this, I had a young man on the team that even with multiple layer of tape that you could not see thru at all, would still move his hands back to his left eye. He couldn't break any targets shooting right handed. Finally convinced him to try shooting left handed. He broke 15 out of 25 the first time. He is now one of my top shooters on the team.

I've done this with scotch tape, vaseline, those little round dot stickers that aren't see through. Nothing worked longer than about 15-25 rounds on a clays course.

[friscopaint]

I've just had to force myself to close left eye when shooting shotgun

[CEO]

I appreciate all the responses. I think I'll let him try shooting left handed and see how he does.