Right switch to lefty

[Randle]

I am left eye dominant and shoot right hand bow.
Thinking about a new bow and should I make the switch to shoot with both eyes open.
I will go in and shoot lefty to see how it feels.
Has anyone made the switch?
Pros/ cons? Regrets?

 

[wildwilderness]

I know a couple who made the switch. Accuracy improved. Will be better in the long run

 

[richyrich408]

In my early 20s I switched from shooting right handed to left being cross dominant as well. Being a duck hunter it was the best thing I ever did. The Benefits in wing shooting with your dominant eye are huge. I then did the same with my compound. It was weird for a bit but now is normalized. Being right handed it actually helps having my strong hand support the riser/forend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Bulldawg]

When I was around 15 I needed to get a bow that was suitable for me, different from the 40 pound bow that was my moms decades prior. My dad wouldn’t entertain it (I don’t recall the reasoning because he was all about it), he said “just use mine, my bow is the nicest bow there is”. Well his bow is left handed. So I had to learn how to shoot it but I shot it for 6 years or so into college when that bow got stolen. At that time I had injured my right shoulder so I bought another left hand bow cause my shoulder was chronic and I was used to it. I never had any issues and shot well. Another 6 years I decided to switch back to right handed since I was right eye dominant and it’s easier to get accessories for a right hand shooter and resale is better. Been shooting right handed and I’ll stick with it unless I injure myself again and need to switch.

All that to say, in my opinion it is easy to switch back and forth and you can shoot pretty good both ways.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[30338]

Didn't know better and started righthanded shooting as left eye dominant. Did okay. Made the switch and it was quite easy. I'd follow your left eye on this one.

 

[LostArra]

The younger the shooter, the easier the switch.

I think the problems with cross eye dominance are much more pronounced for wing shooting as mentioned and barebow shooting than archery with sights (Olympic recurve, compound).

 

[jmez]

It really isn't hard to retrain your dominant eye either.

 

[LostArra]

It really isn't hard to retrain your dominant eye either.

Baseball players have done this for a while.

I actually got some dominant eye benefits after lasik surgery almost 30 years ago.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I made the same switch about 12 years ago. I had previously shot right-handed and just kept my left eye closed when looking through the peep. I was a decent shot, but I shoot much better now with both eyes open. It's also more comfortable in hunting situations, having the extra peripheral vision with both eyes open. Shooting a lefty bow will feel very awkward at first because you are starting at back at square one for muscle memory. Dial the poundage WAY down and focus on getting lots of quality reps in. I bet within a month or so you will be shooting better than you had with your right hand.

The only con I can think of is having to buy new gear- bow, rest, sight and quiver. But if you are wanting a new bow anyway this is a great time to switch.

 

[DWD]

Left handed, right eye dominant. Make the switch. For pistols it’s easy to shoot with the dominant eye by presenting a firearm under right eye, but long guns and archery it made a huge difference for me to shoot dominant eye and right handed.

 

[nm_nomad]

I'm thinking of making the switch this offseason. I'm right hand dominant but left eye dominant. I shoot a right hand bow and keep my left eye closed for shooting. I'm a decent shot righty but feel like making the switch can make me an even better archery shot. Anyone more insights on making this switch? Seems like it will just take lots of repetitions to get comfortable lefty and get muscle memory strength.

 

[blkqi]

Importantly, there are varying degrees of eye dominance. A weak eye dominance can switch based on direction of gaze, posture of your brow, etc. Without some standard way to classify each case, I'm afraid the experiences collected here will be purely anecdotal.

 

[nm_nomad]

Importantly, there are varying degrees of eye dominance. A weak eye dominance can switch based on direction of gaze, posture of your brow, etc. Without some standard way to classify each case, I'm afraid the experiences collected here will be purely anecdotal.

Yeah I suppose I'll just have to try it out and see what happens. I can always make the switch back to righty haha. Maybe I can shoot a lefty bow a few times before I venture out and buy a new bow.

 

[bpurtz]

I'm right handed, left eye dominate. When I first started bowhunting, I shot instinctive so the dominance didn't really matter. I eventually moved to a sight but had to close my left eye to see through the sight. I probably shot right handed for 35+ years before I decided to try shooting lefty. It took me 3 days to get the feel for it and I think I'm a far better shooter now.

 

[Fredcohunter]

My 18 year old son is right handed left eye dominate. He has always shot right handed. When he first got into bows he struggled with consistency shooting right handed. I am left handed, he shot my bow one afternoon, switch to left handed and never looked back. The improvement is like night and day.

 

[nm_nomad]

I'm right handed, left eye dominate. When I first started bowhunting, I shot instinctive so the dominance didn't really matter. I eventually moved to a sight but had to close my left eye to see through the sight. I probably shot right handed for 35+ years before I decided to try shooting lefty. It took me 3 days to get the feel for it and I think I'm a far better shooter now.

Good to know. Think I'll try it out and see what happens.

 

[Dunky]

I am left eye dominant left handed. Shot rifles left handed from the beginning but bow right handed for years because that was all I could find when I was younger. I switched to a left handed bow several years ago and shoot better overall.

 

[largerack]

I switched my son from right to lefty and his accuracy was significantly improved within two weeks. Strength took a little longer to build though.