Right handed, left eye dominate

[UncleJak]

I've been trying to teach my daughter to shoot.  She was horrible doing it how I showed her.  I started watching her to see what I had taught her wrong and noticed she is left eye dominate and right handed.  When I showed her to shoot lefty, she improved.  I think she would shoot better right handed but I have no clue how to instruct her.  Any pointers?  BTW, she is 7 years old so it has to be simple.

[monkeylizard]

I'm also RH/LE. I close my right eye and lean my head over. I know it's not how I'm supposed to shoot, but I'm worthless with my left hand. Shooting clays, I put a sticker over my left lens to force my right eye to provide a single image to my brain. It works well for that, but I can't do that with handguns and rifles. From what I've read from the "experts", learning to shoot lefty is the best way to do it, but most guns on the market are righty, so that adds some challenge to an already uncoordinate left hand.

Edited May 12, 2013 by monkeylizard

[BrasilNuts]

I'm cross dominant, left eye/right hand.

I shoot pistols right handed with both eyes open, but my left eye aligns the sights.

I shoot rifles (aimpoint) right handed with both eyes open, but my right eye sees the red dot.

I'm considering getting another set of gear and switching to my left hand for IDPA.

I'm guessing that you were shooting a rifle. Since she is just beginning I would suggest you teach her to shoot left handed.

Larry Vickers is cross dominant LE/RH, he shoots pistol right handed and long guns left handed.

[Guest Grout]

I'm the same way.If she's shooting long guns then she will do better shooting lefty.I've done that all my life and never been a problem unless shooting a bolt action.Handgun  shoot right hand and sight with left eye.To add another name to the list one of the best handgun shooters of all time Brian Enos is LE/RH.It's not really a big deal,let the shooter do what feels natural,she'll figure it out

[Keyless]

When I was young I couldn't hit anything with a rifle. I tried and the only way I could hit with a long gun is to shoot it lefty. I just can't see the sights well enough to shoot right handed .When trying to lean over and use the left eye , your hold on the rifle is terrible and it just never worked for me . So I just learned to shoot lefty. I also never bought a Lefty rifle , but rather just shot them left handed . I did however end up with a lefty shotgun last year.

 

 As for pistols , I pull the trigger and hold it with my right hand . I do hold it over to the left and use my left eye with both eyes open. The pistol ends up postioned in the same place a left handed person would have put it.

 

 Shooting left handed does limit your selection a bit. But I have only had a few semi auto's that I had a problem with the brass in the face . I can't even remember what they were now .Other than semi auto's , I prefer lever actions and pumps as far as no problem to shoot left handed . Bolt actions are the worst but I have several and they are fine for target practice. Hunting with one ( And I have done it ) place your shot well and hope you don't need a quick follow up shot.

 

 To me the extra cost and limited choice caused me to buy right handed guns. I only ended up with the Lefty shotgun because it was cheap and needed repair work.

 

 I believe Hicock45 is the same way and I sure wouldn't want him shooting at me .

[NRA]

I'm also RH/LE. I close my right eye and lean my head over. I know it's not how I'm supposed to shoot, but I'm worthless with my left hand. Shooting clays, I put a sticker over my left lens to force my right eye to provide a single image to my brain. It works well for that, but I can't do that with handguns and rifles. From what I've read from the "experts", learning to shoot lefty is the best way to do it, but most guns on the market are righty, so that adds some challenge to an already uncoordinate left hand.

Same trouble here,  I have to use my left eye and my right hand.  I have to aim just a tad high right to hit center mass at long range with a pistol.

[dats82]

I am sure this will be desputed, but eye dominance does not matter as long as you keep one eye closed.  My advise would be to make her use her right eye and keep the left one closed.  If you do this enough, you can change which eye is dominant; just the same as you can teach yourself to be left handed.  Given the availability of right handed guns verses left handed guns, I would most certainly not teach her to shoot left handed, rather teach her to shoot right eyed.  Same principle, just different parts of the body. 

[NRA]

It does matter http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-Eye-Dominance

[dats82]

Yes, that test is with both eyes open to determine the dominant eye.  The OP has already established that.  I said it does not matter if you keep one eye closed.  Do the same test with your dominant eye closed, and tell me to which eye it migrates.  I bet I know...

[TMF]

I've dealt with folks with this issue. We had one in infantry school that had to have it beaten out of him. I thought it was just a case of the dummies, but I've come across so many that have this issue. Seems like an impossible problem to definitively "fix"; either learn to overcome it or keep shooting wrong eyed. It looks incredibly unnatural but I've seen folks make it work.

[Will H]

I have delt with this problem in myself for a lot of years.   Eye dominance is a different thing for different people.  I am right handed, left eye dominate.  It is more than a dominance issue with me as my right eye is barely above the limit for glasses and my left eye is better than perfect vision.  If I blink one eye then the other everything in my vision jumps back and forth a couple of feet.  

 

I shoot right handed with my right eye closed and my head tilted over.  It's very stylish to say that people should shoot with both eyes open, but I actually want to hit what I am aiming at.

[KaNaPaPi]

I am opposite, I'm left handed, right eye dominant.  I can close my left eye by itself.  If I attempt to wink my right eye, they both close.  Therefore, I shoot right handed.

[gunwhatgun]

I to am LE dominant. I shoot pistols right handed. For a long time i thought I was just a terrible shot until, someone helping me noticed it, told me to lay my head over so I could use my left eye and then the rest was easy. The trick for you is forget tradition wisdom and just coach her through finding her way to do it. With her being just 7, you are in a great position to teach her to be ambidextrous with a weapon, which is, as we all know< a VERY useful skill. Just be patient and let her progress naturally. she will get it.

[Backon4]

I am cross eye dominant. I shoot pistols with a modified stance and squint my right eye. I shoot my rifles with red dots right handed both eyes open. I shoot scoped rifles right hand heavy squint left eye. Shotguns I shoot left eye closed or blocked off. Try not to close the eyes completely if she can. There are other ways to train you right eye to be dominant but going for months with a patch over you eye doesn't look cool unless you're a pirate.

[UncleJak]

Thanks for all the great advice so far!  I am going to work with her some more and see where we get. 

[Guest Wildogre]

Right hand, left eye dominate. I have to shoot rifles left handed but started shooting pistols right handed. In the past few years I started shooting pistols left handed and my shooting improved. 

 

Ambi pistols are nice but if they do not have a safety then you only have to worry about the slide release and the mag release. Both of which can be easily trained around.

 

Let her decide which way feels natural to her.  

[subsonic]

I'm LH/LE, but because of a nuisance level benign tremor I've developed in my left arm, I started practicing shooting RH/LE.....wasn't working, I was hitting consistantly right of center. I decided to try RH/RE and everything fell into place. I still use my left eye when shooting LH.

[peejman]

I'm also RH/LE. I close my right eye and lean my head over. I know it's not how I'm supposed to shoot, but I'm worthless with my left hand. Shooting clays, I put a sticker over my left lens to force my right eye to provide a single image to my brain. It works well for that, but I can't do that with handguns and rifles. From what I've read from the "experts", learning to shoot lefty is the best way to do it, but most guns on the market are righty, so that adds some challenge to an already uncoordinate left hand.

 

 

I'm LH/RE.  I grew up shooting left handed and never had any problems because I always closed my right eye.  Growing up left handed in a right handed world, I've always considered myself somewhat ambidextrous.  I catch and throw right handed, play golf right handed, kick right footed, etc.

 

When I began reading more about pistol shooting, I decided to switch to right hand shooting to match my dominant eye.  Accuracy was never a problem as long as I closed my left eye.  I still struggle with both eyes open.  I've tried the trick above of putting a piece of tape across the left lens of my shooting glasses and it helps.  I've read that if you do this often enough you can re-train your brain as to which eye is dominant, but I don't shoot nearly often enough for that to happen for me. 

[Murgatroy]

I am cross dominant.

 

Left handed, right eye.

 

I have shot right handed my entire life. As mentioned above, I am ambidextrous through life. I don't have a weak side.

 

My daughter is the opposite. Right handed, left eye.

 

I am raising her to shoot rifles left handed, pistols either hand. Same as me.

[itchytriggerfinger]

...

I shoot right handed with my right eye closed and my head tilted over.  It's very stylish to say that people should shoot with both eyes open, but I actually want to hit what I am aiming at.

 

I shoot pistols with both eyes wide open, but my right eye takes full dominance.  I'm RE/RH so I don't have the problem on this thread, (not to hijack the thread) but I used to always keep my left eye closed.  Shooting with both eyes open is all about practice, and it's hard to practice something when you're not good at it. I had to make myself do it.  It has actually become uncomfortable to close my left eye when I shoot, and I'm actually beginning to shoot long ranges with rifle with both eyes open.

 

It would be hard to explain to a 7 year old, but with practice you can put your focus through the dominate eye with both eyes open. 

 

I know it's just a repeat, but I'd say pistols with both eyes open, and then lefty for rifles.

[UncleJak]

She can now shoot rifles lefty with decent accuracy.  She was trying to lean over the rifle to look with her left eye whilst holding the rifle right handed.  That will never work!  I am trying to get her to do pistols both eyes open, right handed.

[Jonsaiga]

When teaching new shooters to shoot longguns who have cross hand/eye dominance issues, I have them put tape over the lens of their safety glasses on their dominant eye side. This allows them to focus on gun handling and marksmanship skills without the distractions/confusion associated with the cross dominance issue. Once they are proficient in doing this with their dominant hand side, we remove the tape and work them from the non-dominant hand side. Once they have the bilateral handling and marksmanship skills down, they will have a much easier time transitioning from shoulder to shoulder and aiming correctly. When it comes to handguns it is a non-issue. You just have them turn their head slightly to get their dominant eye in their center line if needed(generally not though) and bring the gun into the dominant eye's line of sight.

[Guest war_elephant]

I have helped people out with this issue by taking a pair of shooting glasses and covering the left side. Then with both eyes open, they are forced to use the right eye. Takes a bit, but they will ultimately get in the habit of using the right eye.

War_elephant.

 

Retired LEO, Firearms instructor, NRA Rifle, Pistol instructor.

[Clod Stomper]

I am cross-dominant as well. Right hand/left eye. I shoot long guns left handed and handguns right handed. Teach her that way while she is still young and it will be perfectly natural for her for life. Trying to shoot a rifle right handed with a dominant left eye is an exercise in futility.

[chances R]

With handguns it will not matter. Simply close one eye. I shoot support hand often , still use RE. Where it will really mess you up is shotgun; the handgun and rifle can easily be compensated for.