Question on eye-dominance

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  • teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    The kids had their intro for their school clay shooting team. My son is a lefty, but Right eye dominant. The coach wants him to shoot Right handed. He isn't happy about it at all. I understand the theory, but is it that important? Should I just get him to practice handling the shotgun Right handed?
     

    zxcvbnm

    Member
    Jun 14, 2008
    86
    The kids had their intro for their school clay shooting team. My son is a lefty, but Right eye dominant. The coach wants him to shoot Right handed. He isn't happy about it at all. I understand the theory, but is it that important? Should I just get him to practice handling the shotgun Right handed?

    FWIW I am right handed and left eye dominant and shoot right handed. I do not have a problem shooting rifles or shotguns but I cant seem to shoot a handgun very well. I think shooting left handed would be the way to go unless there are shells ejecting into his face (if using right handed pump or semi auto).
     

    rdc

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 3, 2010
    3,690
    Middlefingurton
    The kids had their intro for their school clay shooting team. My son is a lefty, but Right eye dominant. The coach wants him to shoot Right handed. He isn't happy about it at all. I understand the theory, but is it that important? Should I just get him to practice handling the shotgun Right handed?

    My wife is cross eye dominant-right handed but left eyed. Her shooing improved greatly once she started shooting left handed.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    My wife is cross eye dominant-right handed but left eyed. Her shooing improved greatly once she started shooting left handed.

    We were just analyzing how he holds the shotgun lefty. He tilts his head in an awkward manner to try to align his right eye with the barrel. It looks like he's gonna need to shoot righty.

    He's going to be shooting my Browning Broadway, so no issue with ejection.
     

    GUNSnROTORS

    nude member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 7, 2013
    3,620
    hic sunt dracones
    The kids had their intro for their school clay shooting team. My son is a lefty, but Right eye dominant. The coach wants him to shoot Right handed. He isn't happy about it at all. I understand the theory, but is it that important? Should I just get him to practice handling the shotgun Right handed?

    Particularly with shotgunning & clays (IMO), where it's advantageous to have both eyes open.
     

    Hyper-W

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 24, 2010
    1,189
    Cooksville
    First: I'm not an instructor

    I'm a righty but am left-eye dominant. It's not comfortable for me to shoot long guns right-handed. I can't get good sight picture and struggle to place shots. I shoot left handed with long guns. It's more natural and I feel like I'm a safer and more accurate shooter that way.

    Two things to add to that. I am not ambidextrous but am close. I am efficient enough with my left hand that I can do most tasks left handed - writing is about the only thing that is a clear difference in my abilities. That and pistol shooting. I think its a fine motor skill and/or strength thing. In fact, I've always fished left-handed.

    The other thing is finding firearms to 'fit'. Most are designed for right-handers and using them left can be awkward. I prefer Mossberg shottys to Remingtons because of the safety location. Reloading the shotty can be a little awkward but it's not awful with a bottom load. Bolts are awkward and semi-autos are a little odd. My AR is a lefty model. The benefit to your son here is that right-handed guns are plentiful.

    As "cross-dominant" person, I recommend that he shoots what is natural to him. I would never let a person who is not cross-dominant try to tell you otherwise. They simply cannot put themselves into that situation. That being said, there are 'cross dominant' shooters that stick with their dominant hands. Listen to those people. Try to find an instructor or at least an experienced shooter that is cross dominant and shoots 'cross-eyed' (as I call it) to spend some time with your kid.

    In summary: let your kid try both and pick what they are more comfortable with. Whatever they can shoot more comfortably and safely is the right answer.
     
    Last edited:

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    You will get two catagories of answers, in about equal numbers :

    I switched, and it was great.

    I didn't switch, and still get by ok.

    ( I didn't switch, still get by, but don't claim that to be singular answer.)

    The switchers claim that after a little while you get used to it. But some people really struggle with it. In agreement, it is easiest to do so when starting out. The more experience with shooting ( dominate hand) the difficulty of switching goes up exponentially.

    Not switching makes two eye open shooting difficult to impossible.

    In your son's situation, switching will let him use the ubitiquos normal handed guns, instead of searching out wrong handed guns. ( Only tongue in cheek poke at lefty people, but left handed guns and musical instruments are woefully unavailable in relationship to left handed population.)
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,817
    I know this is different, but most cross-eye dominant archers shoot with their dominant eye. That's why there are so many bows made for lefties(eye).
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
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    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    Seems to me it is easier to change your dominant hand than dominant eye.
     

    Sig Snob

    Active Member
    May 20, 2012
    281
    I'm an instructor and can tell you that most people who are cross dominant will be better off shooting on their eye dominant side. There are exceptions and it will take some getting used to, but he'll probably be better off in the end, especially with shotguns.

    If he just can't stand shooting right handed, it's not terribly hard to force his left eye to be dominant. Anything obscuring his right eye will do it. Anything from a small piece of transparent tape right in front of his right eye on his glasses to a full flip-down cover will work.

    If he can shoot with both eyes open, that will be best in the long run. There is also a fiber optic sight called the "EasyHit" that only allows the eye that the shotgun is mounted on to see the sight, not allowing the other eye to see it and create a false picture.
     

    jrwhitt

    Active Member
    May 27, 2012
    282
    I'm cross dominant -- Righty with a left Master eye. I shoot long guns Lefty and handguns Righty
     

    august1410

    Marcas Registradas
    Apr 10, 2009
    22,561
    New Bern, NC
    I am right handed and left eye dominant. I had always shot long guns lefty and handguns righty, with lousy results with handguns. Kept shooting long guns lefty and switched to my left hand with handguns as well with great success. Shooting long guns righty is uncomfortable and awkward for me.

    I have had no issues with "shells in the face" with either handguns or long guns.
     

    JPG

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 5, 2012
    6,996
    Calvert County
    I'm cross dominant and when I switched to shooting long guns "lefty" it made a difference. It was't too difficult to switch.

    If your son doesn't want to you could always get him a custom stock. :D
     

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    Tracker

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2011
    587
    Anne Arundel County
    Another thing no one has addressed is that it may be harder for the coach to help your son. He may have trouble seeing/understanding what is going on with his form.
    I'm not advocating either way just thought I'd throw it out there as food for thought.
     

    bpm32

    Active Member
    Nov 26, 2010
    675
    I'm cross dominant and shoot with my dominant eye. It's not that big a deal for plinking, but it's hugely important if you want to compete, mostly due to the dominant eye's ability to focus for a bit better and longer.

    There are also degrees of dominance. People who are very strongly dominant in one eye have no problem shooting with both eyes open.
     

    doggyjacket

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 3, 2016
    1,532
    MoCo
    Seems to me it is easier to change your dominant hand than dominant eye.

    In your son's situation, switching will let him use the ubitiquos normal handed guns, instead of searching out wrong handed guns. ( Only tongue in cheek poke at lefty people, but left handed guns and musical instruments are woefully unavailable in relationship to left handed population.)

    I'm no expert but these were my two immediate thoughts as well.
     

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