CROSS DOMINANCE

[Golddollar]

Maybe this is a little premature but time has a way of sneaking by when you're not looking.

Each year I engage in precision pistol shooting, formerly known as bullseye shooting. I am right handed and right eye dominant. Last week I suffered what was diagnosed as a hemorrhage in my right eye. It has caused a number of floaters and visual distortions in my right eye. One of those floaters is a spot right in the center of my right eye's field of vision, where a front sight or red dot would be. It makes seeing the front sight impossible at this time.

Happily, to me it seems like the vision in my right eye has improved, which was confirmed by the doctor today. I'm going back to the eye doctor in 2 weeks with the hope that everyhing will have cleared up.

I have heard about shooters who were cross dominant between their eyes and hands. I don't plan to give up bullseye shooting. It doesn't seem like a major effort, with enough practice to lock in the muscle memory, to just sight with my left eye while holding the pistol in my right hand, but I'd like to ask for advice from anyone who might have had to switch eyes for handgun shooting. The Wednesday night .22 league starts in May and if I have to change techniques I want to get a start on it now.

 

[Baxter6551]

I’ve never had to switch but I am right handed left eye dominant. I close my right eye and cock my head to the right to align my left eye with the sights. Other technique is to keep head straight and slightly cant gun to left about 5 degrees to alight left eye with sights. It will be trial and error but you’ll get it ! I’m also fairly competent shooting left handed.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Maybe this is a little premature but time has a way of sneaking by when you're not looking.

Each year I engage in precision pistol shooting, formerly known as bullseye shooting. I am right handed and right eye dominant. Last week I suffered what was diagnosed as a hemmorage in my right eye. It has caused a number of floaters and visual distortions in my right eye. One of those floaters is a spot right in the center of my right eye's field of vision, where a front sight or red dot would be. It makes seeing the front sight impossible at this time.

Happily, to me it seems like the vision in my right eye has improved, which was confirmed by the doctor today. I'm going back to the eye doctor in 2 weeks with the hope that everyhing will have cleared up.

I have heard about shooters who were cross dominant between their eyes and hands. I don't plan to give up bullseye shooting. It doesn't seem like a major effort, with enough practice to lock in the muscle memory, to just sight with my left eye while holding the pistol in my right hand, but I'd like to ask for advice from anyone who might have had to switch eyes for handgun shooting. The Wednesday night .22 league starts in May and if I have to change techniques I want to get a start on it now.

I don't have any advice for you on switching eyes for shooting, but I do want to express my best wishes for a complete recovery. Please keep us posted...

 

[Benton Quest]

Just rotate your head a few degrees and bammm! You are back in business. You might want to wear a device that blocks you dominant eye...drive on and I hope your situation improves.

Sent from my SM-A025V using Tapatalk

 

[LVSteve]

I’ve never had to switch but I am right handed left eye dominant. I close my right eye and cock my head to the right to align my left eye with the sights. Other technique is to keep head straight and slightly cant gun to left about 5 degrees to alight left eye with sights. It will be trial and error but you’ll get it ! I’m also fairly competent shooting left handed.

I'm in much the same boat. I am also a switch when it comes to batting and throwing. I bat right, but throw left.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Saw a Jerry Miculek video where he recommended that when using the isosceles stance, simply raise the sights to the dominant eye. Works well for me.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[robvious]

prayers for a positive solution to your dilemma... hoping for the eyesight to correct itself...

 

[Nightowl]

My left eye is dominant, and I used to shoot bullseye with my left eye. I just moved the gun to the left. When I went to contacts, I learned to close the left eye and shoot with the right eye. In retrospect, I should have probably just learned to shoot with both eyes open and used the left eye. But, now, after all the years using the right eye, it has become stronger and the left is not so dominant.
I have shooting glasses cut for the right eye to focus on the front sight, and regular vision for the left, so that I really can't use the left eye anymore for shooting.
The other option is to shoot left handed!

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My best friend is Left, Left dominate. I am Right, Right dominate. When we use each other's 1911's, The windage is off for both of us! If you find yourself with windage problems, resight one gun for left and have stand out grips on it, so you can keep track.

Ivan

 

[Sistema1927]

I am left handed, right eye dominant. I have always shot long guns from the right shoulder, but handguns on the left side. Other than the fact that left handed holsters are more difficult to find, it hasn't been a problem for me.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I'm right-handed and right eye dominant. At age 83, my muscle and eye memory is so ingrained in me now that it might not go so well to switch. The experts say that one should practice shooting with the non-dominant hand, but I never got the hang of that very well. It's well known that I'm a traditionalist - and I guess I'm going to live with doing it the same way I always have until circumstances absolutely demand otherwise.

John

 

[Skeet 028]

When I first saw this I was thinking whips and leather.. Got excited. I shoot handguns left eye as I lost eyesight in an auto accident in my right eye. Still shoot shotgun 2 eyed and do ok from the right side

 

[Tom K]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot handguns right handed but use my left eye, just cock my right wrist slightly. Long guns I shoot left handed.

I remember as a kid realizing that other people put a rifle to their right shoulder with their right hand at the trigger. I tried to do that and couldn't understand how it could possibly work because I couldn't get my head positioned to get my left eye lined up with the sights! After a few tries I realized that other people used their right eye. I could then do it but it never felt natural, so I've just stuck with shooting long guns left handed ever since.

 

[snubbyfan]

I've always been right handed and right eye dominant.
That is until my peripheral motor nerve condition started. Since it mostly affects my right side I had to learn to shoot left handed and I found it was easier to use my left eye as well.
Since then I've gotten enough strength back to shoot right handed again.
Now I can shoot with either hand.
Anyway, during this time I also found that I can see the sights better with my left eye and no prescription glasses. The target's a bit fuzzy but I'm still able to see it.
Now I'm left eye dominant and when I'm shootin' right handed, I turn my head a bit to use my left eye.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My dad was truly ambidextrous. Either hand, either eye, either shoulder, it didn't matter. (he kept both right handed and left handed clubs in his golf bag)

My brother was left hand/right eye. He was fine with handguns but gave up on rifles and shotguns.

Logan is right hand/strong left eye. He is also fine with handguns but has no desire to shoot rifles.

We are all wired differently.

 

[snubbyfan]

My dad was truly ambidextrous. Either hand, either eye, either shoulder, it didn't matter. (he kept both right handed and left handed clubs in his golf bag)

My brother was left hand/right eye. He was fine with handguns but gave up on rifles and shotguns.

Logan is right hand/strong left eye. He is also fine with handguns but has no desire to shoot rifles.

We are all wired differently.

Lisa's ambidextrous. She was working on her Sudoku puzzle book and I grabbed her right hand. Barely pausing, she grabs a pencil with her left hand and keeps puzzlin'.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Lisa's ambidextrous. She was working on her Sudoku puzzle book and I grabbed her right hand. Barely pausing, she grabs a pencil with her left hand and keeps puzzlin'.

My dad's handwriting mystified people. It was hard to tell which hand he had used.

While stationed overseas I injured my wrist and had my right hand in a cast for three weeks. It was all I could do to make an "X" with my left.

 

[Rodan]

Right handed, and I was always right eye dominant. Until a few years ago, when a cataract developed in my right eye. A dumb eye doctor originally misdiagnosed it and I ended up living with it about a year longer than I should have. During this time, the vision in my right eye degraded enough that I had to teach myself to shoot left eye dominant.

For a traditional bullseye stance, it's a little difficult, but if you square up on your target some, you can either move your head slightly, or bring the gun up to the left eye. I had no real issues transitioning to left eye dominance, but it did provide some challenges to shooting the right side of cover/barricades.

I also had to switch to left handed shooting for rifles. This was a little more challenging, but I have always done a significant amount of support side training, which made it easier.

Post cataract surgery, I'm back to right/right, but I'm still working out the muscle memory from bringing the gun up to my left eye... every once in a while the gun just ends up there...

It's not an insurmountable problem, and can be solved with training and practice.

 

[GypsmJim]

Right handed, STRONG left eye dominant. As a kid playing cowboys and uknowhat I got very used to shooting left handed. When I started shooting with Dad it began a lifetime of suffering with bolt action rifles.

When I started shooting handguns I didn't even think about it. I guess I must naturally move my arm to the left or cock my head.

My Bullseye days are long past, but when I did belong to a team my scores were't world class, but they weren't that bad.

 

[WardenRoss]

A little off topic...

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

I broke my right elbow (ouch!) in '06.

I did a lot of computer work back then, report writing, etc.

I had to learn to use my computer mouse with my left hand as I'm right handed.

I struggled at first, but I was surprised how well I adapted.

So, it can be done



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