Eye Dominance****UPDATE****

[Will]

A friend is cross dominant and was talking at a DU function years ago.  The way that he and his counterpart showed to test for dominance was to point at an object like a light switch across the room with both eyes open.  Maintain the point, and cycle through a closed right eye and then a closed left eye.  The point will be precise with the dominant eye and "off target" with the inferior eye.

My older friend with the cross dominance used a highly bent stock to address it.  A lot of people use tape on shooting glasses over the cross dominant eye.

There is a lot of materials out there in gun publications and youtube.  A session or two with an instructor that knows gun fitting and cross dominance issue will be a lot of help for your son.







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7QEUKslIvU

Great video
Thank you

[Bowguy]

Question for everyone? I've never encountered this issue until my youngest began shooting and is going to start hunting. My son is fine shooting a scope however not so much open sights, mainly a shotgun. It appears he's right handed but left eye dominant. When we shoot open sight B.B. Gun I can watch him adjust. It appears he using his left eye dominant to shoot right handed but this is only after a few misses he figures it out. I'm told the reason he shoots a crossbow fine and slug gun is because of the scope. This is new to me and need some advice on how to deal with the shoutgun for Turkey. He is 11 years old and I'm wondering should I just teach him to shoot left handed considering he is so young or just scope the shotgun for Turkey season? He will be watefowling eventually when he becomes more experienced I guess when I get him shooting good at things in motion. My goal was to involve him skeet shooting this Summer. I'm just wondering has anyone ever dealt with this and if so how did you adjust?
Thanks
Will

if competition or self defense is the case, then maybe teach him to shoot left handed but if not then simply tell him to close his left eye. I am right handed and left eye dominant. I trap shoot, shoot my bow, and open sights all right handed. I keep my left eye open as I'm watching the target and then close my left eye as I get on target and shoot. Has not ever really been a problem for me...

My father was a smoker for a long time. Was never really a problem for him either. Til he got throat cancer., Our parents, uncles, whoever were not instructors otherwise they'd have shown you dif. You'd be way ahead of the game instead of trying to band aid a real easy issue to avoid.
Someone young, new to shooting hasn't even developed a feel for a hand.
The safety aspect I spoke of and perhaps have not read is a very big reason to Keep BOTH eyes open the whole time you shoot.
I'm not a young man, I've shot all my life. I got lucky, I was strong side hand and eye dominant on the same side.
Shot a minimum of 400 rounds a week and up to 1500 a week for about 15 years. My hands are practiced.
Recently I became sick, my dominant eye is cloudy. Can't see.
I've been mounting a gun on the off side cause now that eye has become dominant.
Sounds lazy not to try and switch (I'm not calling you lazy  it's my mentality on myself.)
Point was w my father, and the child we need to look ahead. We weren't all taught this way as obviously you weren't but why on earth sway a man from giving his son the best chance at success? I know that was not your intent but think about it.
You started out saying if competition or self defense was the case you'd maybe advise learning a dominant eye. Let's think about this, he's a little kid, who's he gonna compete with or defend himself from?
What if he enjoys it and decides to compete or later in life becomes a cop, ranger, what have you? Do you recommend he switch than or should a father know he won't go those routes? Should every non dominant eye shooter be never allowed these options.
Again I know it wasn't intent but think about these things.
Hope it gives you food for thought

[Tail Feathers]

It's not hard, especially at a young age, to have him switch to left hand shooting.  I think that's easier than all the tricks and exercises to defeat left eye dominance.
I do realize the shooting world isn't real friendly to lefties, such as not many autos or pumps well suited for them.

[Will]

It's not hard, especially at a young age, to have him switch to left hand shooting.  I think that's easier than all the tricks and exercises to defeat left eye dominance.
I do realize the shooting world isn't real friendly to lefties, such as not many autos or pumps well suited for them.

No the shooting world sure isn't. It baffles me because I'm sure there is a fair amount of left handed shooters out there.

[Bowguy]

There's tang style guns that operate with a thumb safety wise

[HFultzjr]

Here is how US Olympic medalist Corey Cogdell does it.
http://john1911.com/olympic-medalist-shooting-tip-cross-eye-dominance/

[Phire Phite]

One of my buddies is right handed, but shoots billiard's south paw.  He's cross eye dominate, what are you gonna do, shoot pool squinting? 

I only started shooting 7-8 years ago or so.  I started out shooting right handed because I am.  As said, shooting through a scope is no problem using one eye, and that's how I started.  I then read about the importance of shooting both eyes open and tried it.  Eye yi yie.  Quickly learned that I was cross eyed   Been teaching myself to shoot from the other shoulder. 

I started bowhunting 3 years ago.  Knew about it at that point and bought a lefty bow.  Unreal difference, best thing I ever did.  Point to your son, if it's new enough to him start him out on the correct eye.  Lots of useful info in this thread.

[Ozark Ridge Runner]

I'm a lefty but have a right dominant eye.  I got lucky and was handed a .22 by an old farmer and told to hold it on the right side.  I probably wasn't over 7 or 8 at the time so it was no big deal to learn to shoot right handed. I'm thankful that old boy didn't know any better and neither did I.  58 years later I'm still shooting right handed.  Get him 2 or 3 bricks of .22 and get him on the left side and have at it.

[born2hunt]

I am right handed and left eye dom. and I shoot right handed. When I was 5-6 I would lay over on the gun so I could line the sights with the left eye. My dad noticed the issue and would have me wear a patch over my left eye while target practicing. I guess you could say my right eye is now trained to pickup the sights and I have no problem wing shooting with both eyes open, but to this day, I will still test left eye dom.

I noticed the same issue with my son when he was around 4. I debated the left hand switch but he just didn't seem as coordinated on that side (which I can relate to)  so I have been taking the same approach as my father. He is 7 now and seems to be doing fine with his right eye, and over all handles a firearm safer and more fluently than most grown men I know.

There are obviously different opinions on this topic but for me, EVERYTHING I do left handed feels bass ackwards. I would much rather over come a small mental hurdle like eye dominance than change hands. Everything from reaching for a gun, gripping it, loading it, trigger pull, cycling a round, proper stance....it just all seems crazy to have to perform with your weak side when your other eye works perfectly fine. You just need to learn to use it if you can.

[Number17]

As a young kid i always picked up a gun and shot left handed, even though I was right handed. Everybody told me I was doing it wrong, but nobody told me about eye dominance at 6 years old.

My dad bought me my first model 700 .243 in a left handed model, but every other bolt action I bought from there on has been a right handed bolt. Why? They are easier to find and easier to get rid of if you don't like the gun.
Along the way I taught myself to shoot from both sides and I can shoot well from either hand. Still, by instinct I favor the left side. Wing shooting, I always mount left.
With a bow I shoot right.
With a baitcaster and spinning rod, I hold the rod in my left hand.....both casting and reeling.
With a fly rod, I hold the rod in my right hand. Cast with my right......but switch and reel with my right.


I got myself all turned around. LOL.

[appalachianassassin]

i taught myself to shoot right handed with right eye and left handed with left eye.

[Ozark Ridge Runner]

The way I see it we are a bunch of weird dudes with all this cross ways stuff.

[Phire Phite]

That's possible.

[Bowguy]

The way I see it we are a bunch of weird dudes with all this cross ways stuff.

Def not weird bud. It's weird you don't see it as the facts are. Can't look one way and aim another. As stated if you had sights you could dial them in for one exact place. Any further you'd be off, any closer you're off to the opposite side.
Try mounting a broomstick like a gun. Cheek it an point it at an object on both sides. You'll see you're absolutely off.
Idk why guys always fight this. Prob cause they do it wrong and don't want it to be wrong if that made sense.
We weren't taught anything bout eye dominance years ago. Why do you think so many people think they just stink at shooting?
I was teaching at an open house at the range. Kind of a family day combined.
This fellow came up and swore he was right eye dominant. He was never tested. He was a cop and said he was so so shooting . Hmmm I checked him. He was left eye dominant. I showed him some things and he was dead on. What miracously happened?! He had the barrel and his vision for once on the same side and lined everything up.
Do what you want but don't recommend a child shoot against their vision cause you think it's weird.

[Bowguy]

I am right handed and left eye dom. and I shoot right handed. When I was 5-6 I would lay over on the gun so I could line the sights with the left eye. My dad noticed the issue and would have me wear a patch over my left eye while target practicing. I guess you could say my right eye is now trained to pickup the sights and I have no problem wing shooting with both eyes open, but to this day, I will still test left eye dom.

I noticed the same issue with my son when he was around 4. I debated the left hand switch but he just didn't seem as coordinated on that side (which I can relate to)  so I have been taking the same approach as my father. He is 7 now and seems to be doing fine with his right eye, and over all handles a firearm safer and more fluently than most grown men I know.

There are obviously different opinions on this topic but for me, EVERYTHING I do left handed feels bass ackwards. I would much rather over come a small mental hurdle like eye dominance than change hands. Everything from reaching for a gun, gripping it, loading it, trigger pull, cycling a round, proper stance....it just all seems crazy to have to perform with your weak side when your other eye works perfectly fine. You just need to learn to use it if you can.

You say a little thing like eye dominance. It's not little believe me. Now you say everything you do with the opposite hand feels wrong. For starters do your hand and eye line up? If so there's nothing to discuss because you can't be sure how hard it is to shoot accurately when you're using the wrong eye.
Second if you ever drank coffee lefty it feels odd if you've always done it righty. What if you got some reason lost use of your right hand? Ya gonna quit life? No you're gonna start using a left hand. In time it gets easier. The point is though we're talking a child who has yet to develop a style. Why make things harder.,
You also say there's a difference of opinion. Who's different the guys who do it wrong? Not one person who does it right says either way is fine. The opposite is true. Last thing I might add eye dominance is not a mental hurdle, it's physical. Fighting it is a mental hurdle guys need to overcome so life is easier