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Son is cross-eye dominant #7532943 06/12/19 11:25 AM
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My 6 year old son's been shooting his bow for a about a year now and has developed pretty good form. But recently I started to teach him on a rifle and realized he is left eye dominant, right handed. So I immediately started him shooting the rifle left-handed and he took to it well. But when he tried that with his bow it was very awkward for him. It is a recurve with no sights so it isn't a big deal now..but if he ends up shooting a compound with sights he will have a problem because he can only independently close his right eye. Apparently that is kind of common for people to have a hard time closing only their dominant eye. Any tips for this guy's?

Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7532960 06/12/19 12:13 PM
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I am in the same condition, left eye dominant and right handed. I just learned how to focus shooting right handed. You will get a multiple suggestions including shooting left handed. You could start out with a pair of glasses and block out left lens forcing the right eye to take over.


Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7532985 06/12/19 12:41 PM
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Shooting left handed would be best. However, he can learn to close his dominate eye as well. A shoulder injury has me shooting on my weak side with my non dominate eye, so i just close my dominate eye. I learned to close my dominate eye when i was a kid in the course of one evening because, I am left handed and my dad bought a 300 win mag with a stock that was not conducive to shooting lefty

Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7533018 06/12/19 01:27 PM
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RJH1 how did you learn that in one evening?


Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7533035 06/12/19 01:51 PM
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I am right handed and left eye dominate, I started out shooting right handed and finally learned to shut my left eye. I now can shoot with either hand but took tim and practice.

It depends on the person though, I have had some on the range that could not shut their dominate eye without shutting both eyes, in that case no matter how akward they shot better with the dominate eye in control


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Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7533179 06/12/19 04:30 PM
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option 1 in my opinion shoot with both eyes open option 2 just have him wear a eye patch over non shooting eye and keep them open. My daughter is left handed and left eye dominant but still wears a patch on her right eye because she tends to squint when trying to close her right eye.

Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7533502 06/12/19 10:10 PM
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Originally Posted by magspa
RJH1 how did you learn that in one evening?


I sat around and closed both eyes, then as I went to open them i would hold the dominate one shut with my fingers. Then I would hold the non dominate one open while squinting. And just more excorcises like that until i could get worked out in my brain which muscles were supposed to relax and which were supposed to contract. I wasn't perfect at it in one evening, but could do it. After a short time it was like i had done it forever. And i can still do it 30 years later

Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7536205 06/17/19 01:47 AM
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I have recently had to switch from right handed to left due to loss of vision. When I shot right handed I was very accurate and stable, I was also shooting 60#. When I switched hands I lost the accuracy and stability, I started shooting at 60# again because that is the bow I had. It did take me about 4 weeks to build the muscles up for my stability and I am about 6 weeks in and still working on the accuracy. I will probably be at the same point I was in another 2 weeks(shooting 1-2 times a day). I do not wish it on anybody but if your son were to lose vision(16-21 people lose the crown in their eye, this hurts people that have a major eye dominance) and have to switch it is a big hiccup. The awkwardness will go away fast compared to a 2 month readjustment in my opinion.

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Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7536264 06/17/19 03:11 AM
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Lefty/righty here too.
The only time I have had any issue in my life is shooting birds. I have gotten pretty good now that by habit (lots of shooting) I close my left eye to view down the barrel right eyed. I suppose learning to shoot birds lefty would have been handy and taken years off the learning curve. I discovered this in my 40s.
Shooting with a scope the left eye automatically closes to site through the scope. And makes zero difference on accuracy, I shoot as good or better than my righty/righty friends. Same with a bow for me.
I broke three fingers on my right hand during freshman basket season. I had to learn to dribble and shoot lefty just to practice with the team. I discovered quickly that I shot better lefty, I later learned this was because I was shooting in front of my dominant eye. Defensive players looking for a dominant hand were thoroughly confused.
As a baseball player I was a heck of a batter. Being left eyed I was able to view the pitcher and ball better.
I shared these things only to help, shooting is only one of the things that will be noticed.


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Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7538207 06/19/19 09:26 PM
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Thanks for all the replies. For now I'll just have him keep shooting his bow right-hand and hopefully he will learn to close his left (dominant) eye if he starts using a compound with peep & pins. Or he can just keep shooting a recurve traditionally. He is doing well with a rifle left-handed l, just dryfiring for now but he seems comfortable.


Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7567901 07/30/19 05:36 PM
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I have the same problem with multiple issues. I'm right handed with left eye dominate. My issue is I can close/wink my right eye. When I try to close/wink only the left eye I just end up making funny faces. It refuses to cooperate! For rifles I learned to shoot left-handed. I learned to shoot fairly well with a right handed bow naturally with no sights. However, after missing a few close and easy shots on deer I started to use a black pirates patch over my left eye. It really became the only way I could shoot accurately. I tried a left-handed compound bow and it never felt comfortable or natural.


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Re: Son is cross-eye dominant [Re: magspa] #7568121 07/30/19 10:05 PM
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Ben McDonald the Pro Baseball pitcher shoots with an eye patch. He is left-eye dominant but shoots a rifle and bow right handed when I have seen him on hunting shows. He will flip the patch down right before he draws or shoots.


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