TargetTalk

I know that this subject has been discussed in the past, but as a basic trainer I come across (rifle) shooters who are righthanded, but have a dominant left eye.
What are the known options for correcting this? (apart from placing the sights offset on the rifle - not possible with a standard club rifle that is used by many others, or changing to left handed shooting).
Any advice greatly apreciated!

Albert
(The Netherlands)

When I frist started coaching I thought "How common could this be?"
Well I was floored when I found out that is is pretty darn common!

I've been taught to teach for the dominant eye, so even a right hander with a dominant left eye should shoot as a lefty. It turns out, for the most part a shooter has done some compensating in their other life skills so it >>MAY NOT<< be as hard for them as you think it might be.

I've had shooters both in Air Rifle and Archery with this issue, and about 90% are able to shoot with the dominant eye/side ... not that there aren't some issues. Some just refuse and give up.

Note: I've got 2 of my 25 regular shooters that are like this.

If anyone has tricks for that 10% I've not been able to help, please share!

What happens when I block the left (dominant eye) with a blinder and let them aim with their right (not dominant) eye? Does instabillity occur or other disturbing factors? (A headband and a piece of cardboard are very easy to fabricate.... )

Albert

Albert,


For precision rifle shooting you can do it either way. They both seem to work fine.

With my own 2 cross dominant sons I had them shoot from the dominant eye (left) side.

The reason I had them shoot off the dominant eye side is because we also hunt and shoot shotguns. Ocluding the dominant eye is not always the best for those situations.

I generally tell the shooters if all they plan on doing is precision rifle shooting to shoot with their dominant hand side and oclude the dominant eye. We require all shooters to wear safety glasses so a small piece of adhesive tape on the lens of the dominant eye works well. It's also ver easy to fashion a blinder that attaches to the rear sight of the rifle.

If they plan on also hunting or shooting shotguns I recomend they shoot with the dominant eye.

We have had very good luck with rifle shooters using their dominant eye. I would say we probably have 4 or 5 of our 25 rifle shooter that are cross-dominant.

Our best precision shooter (top-10 at the 2005 NRA air gun championship) is RH and left eye dominant. When she started shooting she tried both, and found that LH worked better for her. Her sister, also one of our top shooters, is the opposite - she is LH and shoots RH.

You can occlude the dominant eye, but I feel it is better in the long run to go with the dominant eye for aiming.


Jay V
IL

Hi

I'm guilty of being crosseye dominant. I'm slightly left eye dominant, and I shoot equally well in Shotgun from either side. Unfortunately, I can't walk around holding a gun left handed, I eventually switch it back. I'm nearly as bad with a pistol. I have a few sets of Radian Revelations with a tan target paster on the inside of the left lens...

Mike

Thanks guys,
I will try both ways with my pupil to see what works best, and will come back on it when we have a final result.

Albert
(The Netherlands)

I have met some very high level shooters who are left eye dominant and shoot right handed. I personally think too much is made of this in our sport since we blind the non shooting eye anyway and that not enough is made of the practical issues of limited lefthanded equipment. I know lefties who both target shoot and shoot sporting rifles and all their life they are very limited number of sporting rifles that are available to them. With lefthanded juniors who grow into and out of equipment it is very expensive for lefties since hand-me-down's are few and far between.

Hi

I know my Dad feel strongly about this, he was born in 1919 and is a retired high school math teacher. Today's schools (from say late 1950's on) attempt to make you write right-handed. He disagrees with this, but being a high school teacher, he wasn't in a position to change it. This enforces right handed batting (baseball), throwing (most sports), and shooting. I did't realize that I'm left eye dominant until I was say 39, so I have a VERY strong habit of doing things right-handed. In a way I have a VERY Strong BAD habit of doing things right handed. It messes with your balance if you cover your "non-shooting eye", and for hunting it's a bad thing all around.

If I was a lot younger, or had a lot of time, I would re-train myself to shoot left-handed, but I'm not, and I don't so I stuck closing my left eye when I pull the trigger on a Pheasant. I don't know if I can / could shoot pistol with both eyes open if I was robbed or not. Sure hope I don't have to find out. I've tried shooting the .45 ACP with one eye closed, and it bothers me more than it does with the shotgun.

Mike

Hi guys,
I promised to let you know how things develop, so here it is.
At my shootingclub I had to instruct a lady in the art of rifleshooting. She is short, sturdy built and has some physical problems assuming the normal standing position for rifleshooting. Also she has not much muscle strengt so we started shooting standing position and elbows supported with a lightweight Ruger 10/22.
She had been instructed by an other instructor once before but was not able to hit the target! I knew her left eye was dominant and she told me she shot lefthanded.
After a while it was clear that under these conditions she could not even hit a 10m pistol target at 10 meters. Desparate I started to ask all sort of questions. Turned out she was righthanded. We switched shooting position to righthanded shooting and blocked the left glass of her spectacles with a small piece of white paper. After 10 shots and determining the right aiming point (sub 6-o'clock hold with open rear and front sight) she was hitting the bullseye of a 10m air rifle target (at 10m distance) 75% of the shots. As long as her dominant eye was blocked she experienced no problems aiming with the non dominant eye and could assume a (relative) comfortable shooting position.
Very pleased with the results, she left the range. I wonder if she will start a fanclub for me.

Albert
(The Netherlands)

mikeschroeder wrote:Hi

It messes with your balance if you cover your "non-shooting eye", and for hunting it's a bad thing all around.

If I was a lot younger, or had a lot of time, I would re-train myself to shoot left-handed, but I'm not, and I don't so I stuck closing my left eye when I pull the trigger on a Pheasant. I don't know if I can / could shoot pistol with both eyes open if I was robbed or not. Sure hope I don't have to find out. I've tried shooting the .45 ACP with one eye closed, and it bothers me more than it does with the shotgun.

Mike

Mike,

You don't have to completely block your non shooting eye, just block enough of it to obscure the front sight. A small piece of scotch tape, in the right place, on the lens of the shooting glasses is enough.

Another technique shown to me for shotgun shooters is to simply raise the thumb of the left hand up when holding your shotgun (assuming shooting right handed and left eye dominant). It blocks enough view of the barrel and front bead that the right eye acquires the target.

TWP wrote:
Mike,

You don't have to completely block your non shooting eye, just block enough of it to obscure the front sight. A small piece of scotch tape, in the right place, on the lens of the shooting glasses is enough.

Another technique shown to me for shotgun shooters is to simply raise the thumb of the left hand up when holding your shotgun (assuming shooting right handed and left eye dominant). It blocks enough view of the barrel and front bead that the right eye acquires the target.

I'll try both, I'll try walking around somewhere uneven with the tape, and try shooting with the thumb up next time I shoot. The thumb thing sounds good for shotgun.

Mike