Need Help with a New Shooter.

[Acera]

Hey guys,

I need help finding some web links to techniques for helping a new shooter overcome a severe cross eye dominance problem. Ideally he will be able to read up on, and correct, or adjust to this problem.

Right handed shooter.
Strong left eye dominate.

We have tried, closing the left eye, putting tape over the safety glasses on the left side, both eyes open, all to no positive result. He is a little uncomfortable shooting left handed with a rifle.

The pistol shoot was easier as he was able to shift the gun over to the left eye, while using his right hand. This worked out well for both scoped and iron sighted handguns.

Would like to be able to forward him some published information that might help him before our next range session.

I defiantly need to get him some help before introducing him to the shotgun.


Thanks,

 

[bobotech]

I have a lazy eye. I am strong left eye dominate but am a righty.

I end up shooting most of my rifles left handed when I feel like it and if I'm tired, I will switch to right handed rifle shooting. I taught myself to shoot left handed when I first started shooting. Shooting with my right eye fatigues me much more than with my left so I don't shoot righty as much.

I can easily shoot either way now.

Due to the nature of the eye problem, the shooter probably has zero depth perception like me. I cannot use both of my eyes at the same time at all. Its either my left or my right. My brain automatically shuts off the unused eye. That is due to the fact that my left and right eye do not see exactly the same and can't put the 2 images together. A lot of lazy eye people have that same problem or one of their eyes just eventually shuts down completely for good.

The only solution I have is to learn to shoot left handed.

 

[oneounceload]

The only solution I have is to learn to shoot left handed.

Second that - in the long run, that will be his best option. We see it a lot at my shotgun club - some can adjust with the fuzzy lens but some just have to switch shooting sides....

 

[Brian Williams]

I have a son and a daughter who have left eye dominance, my son shoots right-handed and uses his right eye for longguns and shoots right handed and uses his left eye for handguns. My daughter shoots longguns left handed and uses here left eye for all.

 

[hso]

My wife and a friend of ours are left eye dominant and right handed.

My buddy shoots long guns on the left and pistols on the right. He rolls the pistol sights slightly over to the left to align them with his left eye.

My wife shoots pistol right and rolls the sights to the right as well. She shoots long gun left as well.

I've worked with cross dominant shooters and have found that if they're not comfortable switching to the left side to shoot long guns then the best approach is to practice, practice, practice with something blocking the left eye so they have to use the right to sight. It is usually easier to teach them to shoot left handed than it is to switch eye dominance.

 

[bobotech]

There is a big difference between left/right eye dominance and having a true lazy eye. If you have a true lazy eye like me, then your vision in the lazy eye is usually quite a bit poorer than the dominate eye which is why when I shoot right handed, it is tiring and I can do it for long.

Normally being left or right eye dominate just means you use both of your eyes normally (stereo vision) but one is just the one your brain concentrates on. But us lazy eye people have a different problem, quite often, we can't use both eyes together at all and either left/right dominance means we are only using that eye.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I found the article at http://www.hockscqc.com/articles/binocular-monocular/index.htm helpful...

lpl

 

[PT1911]

use the panties and a periscope method...

 

[jpwilly]

Sometimes the best way to learn is to see how NOT to do it:

 

[fishinfoo]

i am right eye dominant and left handed. i learned to shoot right hand my first time shooting when i was six and have always shooted right handed. so i guess teaching him to shoot left handed is your best bet

 

[Sunray]

I'm left dominate. Shoot a long gun left, handgun right with both eyes open. Concentrating on the front sight is what matters, not which which eye does it.
"...able to shift the gun over to the left eye..." Move the hind leg to bring the sights over with a handgun. Both eyes open is best with iron sights with a handgun.
Not making a big deal out of it and letting him sort it out is best with a rifle. Scoped or not. Teach trigger control, sight picture, breathing and nothing else. Forget the scope until he can do that. Then, think red dot.
You fretting about his eye dominance causes him to worry about it.
Same thing with a shotgun.

 

[ThrottleJockey72]

Try poking him it the left eye using a sharp stick J/K of course. I used to be left eye dom, but after years of practice, it seems to have just worked itself out. It could be that subconsciously I just got tired of missing.