Right handed left eye dominant daughter

Lowg08

WKR
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
Messages
2,145
I’m right hand left eye dominant. My dad switched me to lefty at 6 but I still shoot a bow right handed and right eye. I just had to think about it and now it’s not a big deal
 
Joined
Aug 22, 2019
Messages
787
Location
Idaho
I used to be left eye dominant but have always shot bow and gun righthand. Now neither eye has dominance. DIY eye dominance tests vary and I can make them come out however I choose if I feel like it. It hasn't made any problems for me but it could be because I didn't have a strong dominance.

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Txrookie

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 10, 2018
Messages
241
I’m right handed, left eye dominant. When I started out in archery it was a bit of a struggle with the draw but it didn’t take very long to build up the strength. It won’t take her long to get the hang of it, good luck and enjoy it.
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
662
Location
British Columbia
Nope. Will definitely make it easier for you if you're able to pass down your sons bows/rifles to her when he outgrows them but will make consistency tough for your daughter and may make archery unenjoyable for her before long...this is the instant gratification generation, working hard for minimal improvement is enough of a struggle for them as is, if they feel like they're barely treading water you'll feel like you're dragging them to the range and forcing them to shoot even just a couple arrows pretty quick.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
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Lenexa, KS
I was a grown assed man before I switched to my dominant eye. It was a matter of days before it felt natural.
 

74Bronco

Lil-Rokslider
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Jan 20, 2020
Messages
113
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West of Duluth
Go with dominant eye. Son was left handed everything, but right eye dominant. He would hit a target once in a great while. Finally convinced his stubbornness to try it, and all of a sudden he is 60%. My case it happened to save me a ton of money also...
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
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Location
Idaho
I'm a lefty that is right eye dominant. I can't hit the broadside of barn shooting left handed, heck the mechanics of it don't even feel right! It's hard to fight nature.
 

hountzmj

FNG
Joined
Aug 12, 2019
Messages
11
Location
SE Indiana
My second son is right hand, left eye dominant due to congenital ptosis. He shoots youth archery. He was terrible unit we tried one of his eye patches. Now he's a deadeye. Eye doc said he'd be best this way so we're going with it.
 

vermeire

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 6, 2017
Messages
121
Obviously you've heard from both sides of this situation. I'll add my story. I grew up shooting right handed. I didn't shoot a lot of archery and never hunted with a bow. Around 11 we learned I had a lazy eye and I wore a patch for about 2 years. A few years after that I took it upon myself to start shooting left handed to match my eye dominance. So for about 10 years I was ambidextrous but was only shooting rifles and primarily with a scope. 4 years ago I decided I wanted to get into archery hunting. I had been shooting a little bit of trap as well. I made the decision to get a left handed bow and am so glad I did. There hasn't been any awkwardness shooting the bow left handed and since I got the bow I also committed to shooting shotgun left handed as well. Without someone experiencing shooting with a non-dominant eye I don't think you can understand how much better it is when using the correct one. I still shoot anything with a scope right or left handed which comes in handy in the woods sometimes.

One more thing to add is that I do not have any left handed guns. It is horribly unnatural for me to cycle a left handed bolt. I did convert my Ithaca (bottom eject) shotgun to a left handed safety so... When I get a semi-auto shotgun I will buy a left handed one and I shoot an over/under on the trap field.
 

BFR

WKR
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
411
Location
Montana
When I saw that my grandson was left eye dominant I started having him practice handling the rifle as a lefty, daily for a couple hours with no ammo, then a day on the range. After 3 weeks he finally told me he didn’t like it and wasn’t comfortable so I taped over his left lens on his shooting glasses. After a couple of times at the range he said he liked it this way. Now he doesn’t have to use the cover but still prefers it except when hunting.
 

rhusby28

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 17, 2019
Messages
107
Location
South Dakota
My little brother went through the same thing when he was younger. He’s right handed. I remember the first BB gun he got with a scope. He would hold it right handed and lean across the stock and look at the scope with his left eye. Eventually my parents asked the question and took him to the eye doctor. He has 10/40 vision. His stigmatism in his right eye was so bad that it gave him almost super vision in his left eye. He actually adapted pretty quickly to shooting his rifle left handed as a youth. He took up archery as an adult and honestly out shoots both myself and his other brother shooting left handed.. I wouldn’t worry about making the switch from right to left. Be patient and eventually your daughter will excel shooting with her non dominant arm.
 

Crang

FNG
Joined
Feb 6, 2020
Messages
14
Location
Texas
Yeah Im left handed and right eye dominant. You cant retrain your eye but you can retrain your body. I shoot right handed as a result. Shes young enough get her started shooting lefty-
 
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
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Chugiak, Alaska
My son, like me, is right handed, left eye dominant, and also like me, he has just learned to close his left eye and shoot right handed. About 2 years ago, when he was 14, we got him into competition skeet shooting and he struggled hard. He did a little better using a patch, but still struggled. Then after a few months we just said screw it, you’re going to have to learn to shoot left handed. It took a little bit, but now he is pretty consistently hitting 22-23/round shooting left had, but still can shoot a rifle right hand without any issues. I think that the younger they are, the easier it is to learn to be ambidextrous, and it’s definitely doable if you set your mind to it.


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CB2900

FNG
Joined
Feb 10, 2020
Messages
15
A tripe to the eye doctor is good. I am left eye dominant and right handed but my vision is poor in my right eye as well. For a long doctors would give me glasses and they gave me bad headaches. When I was in the army the eye doc said there was no need in improving my right eye because I had grown so accustomed to my left eye being much more dominant. He said that most children under ten can get treatment to help them be more balanced. Your daughter might not have this but it plagued me for a long time. I didn’t start shooting left handed until I was in the army.
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2017
Messages
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Location
Oakley, CA
Went through this with both my kids same issue. By daughter now 15 fought me on going LH as a young kid so scope rifles not an issue closes her left eye. My son now 11 made the switch to LH at 4 and never looked back and with a shotgun has been outshooting his sister for two years now. Actually looking for a SBII LH for him now graduated to the 12 gauge this year.
 
Joined
Jan 19, 2020
Messages
413
Same here. Righty but shoot bow and gun lefty. Always have. Wish I could shoot righty as bolt actions would be a heck of a lot easier to find. My son is 6 and grandpa just got him his first BB gun. I let him shoot both ways and asked which he felt better and could see better and there you have it, he is shooting lefty now too.


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Joined
Jul 31, 2017
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Oakley, CA
Both my kids are the same way. My daughter now 16 fought me on shooting leftie strugges with the shotgun but does well with a scoped rifle. My son from the time he was 4 now 12 had the same issue but made him shoot leftie and he struggled at first but now has no problem at all with his shotgun handgun or rifle and kicks her butt all the time.
 

bmod93

FNG
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
18
My wife is in the same situation. She's right handed but left eye dominant. I bought her a right handed bow and she shoots it good as long as she only shoot with one eye open. Her next bow will be left handed though.
 

Ctitus25

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Jan 17, 2018
Messages
251
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Lochbuie, CO
I'm the same way. I shot left handed growing up, but hated it because I'm not left handed. When I joined the military I learned to shoot with my right eye because its a right handed world out there. Started archery and kept with a right handed bow. Do whatever is comfortable for her, but if don't have a bow with a peep and sight for her to focus on then you'll want to go with a lefty. Just my two cents
 

Marbles

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May 16, 2020
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AK
Dominant eye matters more than dominate hand, so train her to shoot left handed. The hand can be learned pretty easy in only the shooting context, however the eyes are always doing the same thing, so the only way to truly retrain the eyes would be to have her wear an eye patch 8 or more hours a day for years. Closing one eye, or wearing an eye patch to shoot is also a poor solution.

My wife is left handed, but right eye dominant (99% of the time, it is wired) so I taught her to shoot right handed at 21 years old and she picked it up fast. Only problem is now she out shoots me.
 
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