Handedness and eye dominance

[Cave_Dweller]

Hi All,

I'm just getting started in clay shooting, and I'm already confused - I'm hoping to get some advice before I get too many bad habits!

My problem is that I'm (mostly) left handed. For anything 'one handed' (tennis, squash, writing) I favour my left hand. However, for most two handed things (golf, cricket, baseball etc) I have always done things the 'right handed' way. That includes shooting (when I shot air rifles).

So... last week I spent some time at the local clay shooting club, and discovered that I'm left eye dominant. I spent that day shooting 'right handed' with, I'm told, reasonable results for a beginner.

Now though, I'm wondering if I should 1) Poke out my left eye, 2) Learn to shoot left handed or 3) Something else  :sarcastic:

Any advice for a confused novice out there please?

Ta!

 

[shootinguru]

:fie:  It could be a great help if you had your right testicle removed! this would make you dress on the left, shake yourself dry  left handed, and generally help your prediciment? :crazy:  

 

[Hamster]

1) not recommended under any circumstances

2) is what you should do as Tinker advises but you must make sure you defo are left master eyed

3) should be irrelevant so long as you get on OK with 2

 

[Cave_Dweller]

shake yourself dry  left handed, and generally help your prediciment? :crazy:  

Good lord man, that's what the butler is for! 

I reckon a bit of trial and error might help. I'll have a go at shooting left handed and see where that gets me!

Edit: I've tried a couple of simple 'hold your hands up and cover an object' type eye dominance tests, but is there a reliable way to determine which eye is in charge?

 

[Will Hewland]

Why not use the gun? Point it at a distant object. Then shut one eye and see if you were on it with the remaining open eye. It is possible to be mid dominant of course..

 

[RobertBeard]

You need to sort out for certain your eye dominance and then if right eye dominant shoot right handed or if left eye dominant shoot from your left shoulder.

Clearly you can't buy a gun yet until this is resolved then buy an appropriately handed gun that fits for which you ought to get some professional guidance.

 

[westley]

Well Cave Dweller, that just goes to show one's ignorance. It is NOT one's Butler BUT one's Valet, that would be tasked with such a BA of a job ! 

 

[Skeet UK]

Steve Lovatt, is a member on here.

http://www.clay-shooting.com/features/beady-eye/

 

[Oldblaster]

Confirm if you really are left eye dominant, if so start shooting with a left handed gun, shouldn't be too much of a problem as you are just starting, and save a lot of problems later on!

 

[Finners]

Agreed, I think the key here is to confirm which eye is actually dominant.

Static tests (pointing and closing eyes etc) will give you an indication, but the other eye can take over when things start to move around, as clays tend to do.

Do nothing until you've had proper professional advice from a qualified coach (not a well meaning mate)

Then as has been said, shoot off the shoulder corresponding to your eye dominance. Best not to "try it out" yourself as you will almost certainly settle for the shoulder which feels best.

I'm in the same position as you, although I'm left handed but right master eyed. However, I've been shooting for around 30 years and had I known about all this malarky back then, I would definately have gone with learning to shoot off my right shoulder.

Good luck :good:

 

[Sian]

Of course they are all correct but I am a right shoulder, completely 100% left eye dominance and I just do not want to change over shoulders so I am finding ways of working with what I have got and although frustrating whilst I go through the process of trying different things I am actually not doing too badly.  I take heart and confidence that there are some excellent shots out there who are like me (for clarity I mean eye domiance/shoulder) who seem to have found a way to deal with it without changing shoulders to good effect so I am not going to beat myself up about it.

 

[Finners]

Of course they are all correct but I am a right shoulder, completely 100% left eye dominance and I just do not want to change over shoulders so I am finding ways of working with what I have got and although frustrating whilst I go through the process of trying different things I am actually not doing too badly.  I take heart and confidence that there are some excellent shots out there who are like me (for clarity I mean eye domiance/shoulder) who seem to have found a way to deal with it without changing shoulders to good effect so I am not going to beat myself up about it.

Can we swap eyes please :biggrin:

 

[Gene Holmes]

Shoot left handed, but right eye dominant. Also need prescription glasses for shooting.

I use a little opaque patch on the right lens and everything is sorted.

 

[Cave_Dweller]

Thanks for the advice folks.

It's a bit confusing since a lot of good shooters have been keen to tell me about the importance of shooting with both eyes open in order to maintain 3D vision. Others reckon shooting with one eye dimmed or closed is just fine... I guess it's a case of finding what works and then working hard to get good at it! 

I may do some experimenting on Saturday and see what happens when I shoot from the left shoulder. Just for kicks!

 

[Santa2512]

Thanks for the advice folks.

It's a bit confusing since a lot of good shooters have been keen to tell me about the importance of shooting with both eyes open in order to maintain 3D vision. Others reckon shooting with one eye dimmed or closed is just fine... I guess it's a case of finding what works and then working hard to get good at it! 

I may do some experimenting on Saturday and see what happens when I shoot from the left shoulder. Just for kicks!

 
Did that last time i took a group shooting, its an eye opener...

apart from feeling wrong, the hold, pick up, and kill points just go to pot .

:santa: