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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check any new shooter to find out what their dominant eye is prior to trying to teach them how to shoot! Dominant eye is what matters, not dominant hand!

An easy way is for them to put their hands in a small triangle (as shown below) and put it out infront of them with their arms completely extended. Pick out an object on the other side of the room with both of their eyes open, put that object in the middle of their triangle, and then move that triangle slowly to their face, keeping that object in the center of the triangle. The triangle will come back to their dominant eye.

NOW.....MY METHOD! This is for shooters that may be too young to understand the method above, or they are confused about what to do. This is a SURE FIRE method for people who say they are "both eye dominant" because there is no such thing. No doubt you could have an injury to your dominant eye to where it could change on you at some point in your life, but you can't be "both".

You, as the teacher, go to the other side of the room. YOUR NOSE will become THE OBJECT the new shooter will use in their triangle. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT they make the triangle small, about the size of a silver dollar, and IT IS VERY IMPORTANT they extend their arms fully, and keep both eyes open.

You then, as the object, will be able to see which eye is inside the triangle, and THAT is their dominant eye.

DO NOT make a new shooter shoot with their dominant hand, they NEED to be shooting with their dominant eye. The dominant eye will take over at the exact wrong time (when a big buck appears, or a duck comes in to range, etc) if you try to work against the new shooter's personal biological makeup.

PLEASE! If you are going to be taking a new shooter to the range, this is one of THE first things you need to do with them after you teach them to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, and treat every gun as if it were loaded!

So, in conclusion:

No matter if you are left handed, or right handed, the gun should be on the same shoulder as the side of your dominant eye.

If you are right eye dominant, the gun should be on your right shoulder. If you are left eye dominant, the gun should be on your left shoulder.

The same is true for shooting a pistol. You will be much more accurate and more of a natural shot if your trigger hand is on the same side as your dominant eye. If you are right eye dominant, your pistol should be in your right hand, and if you're left eye dominant, your pistol should be in your left hand. (If you are practicing pistol shooting for self-defense though, you should learn how to shoot using both hands!)

IT DOES NOT MATTER which is your dominant HAND, its ALL ABOUT YOUR EYE. :cheers:

Parker

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:cheers: Cool deal. I'll be interested in the results, please let me know. He should be able to shoot with both eyes open if he has trouble closing one if the gun is on the side of his face with his dominant eye. :cheers:

I just had to try, whether I'm right or wrong in this instance. No one should have to go through what my wife has gone through with being taught to shoot with the wrong eye. :cheers:

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443127&tid=100960&author=Jeremy]never heard of that method, i'll give that a try just to double check Owen's dominant eye situation out. he shoulders the gun naturaly to his left, but uses his right eye. i tried the first method and figured out he's right eye dominant and have him shouldering right handed now, but it wont hurt to doublecheck:cheers:[/rquote]

:cheers: Let me know what you find out. I made this method up by combining two other methods and thinking about how I could become the object. I've tested it on probably 1,000 people so far with 100 percent success with it compared to the other two methods. :cheers:

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443137&tid=100960&author=bowrookie]Thanks Parker. I`ll try working with my 10y.o. this week shooting correctly. I`ve been shooting wrong my whole life I think. I`m left eye dominate, and I shoot RH. I guess I "lean over " my scope, but I look out it with my left eye, if I am getting what you`re saying? RH shooter should look through scope with Right eye? [/rquote]

:cheers: Good point. I guess I should make that clear. I'll add this to my original post. If you are leaning over the gun, it is MORE than likely, your dominant eye is trying to take over from being on the wrong side of the gun. :cheers:

No matter if you are left handed, or right handed, the gun should be on the same shoulder as the side of your dominant eye.

If you are right eye dominant, the gun should be on your right shoulder. If you are left eye dominant, the gun should be on your left shoulder.

The same is true for shooting a pistol. You will be much more accurate if your trigger hand is on the same side as your dominant eye. If you are right eye dominant, your pistol should be in your right hand, and if you're left eye dominant, your pistol should be in your left hand.

IT DOES NOT MATTER which is your dominant HAND. :cheers:

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443146&tid=100960&author=yankee]we use the method above that parker posted, with new skeet shooters, very effective[/rquote]

:cheers: Good to know others are using that method on new shooters. It takes out all the guess work. Your the first person I've talked with that has used it. :cheers: Its too easy not to use it if you're instructing a person one-on-one.

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443162&tid=100960&author=bowrookie]Just realized I do the same with my bow. I`ve killed everything I`ve shot, and man it doesn`t sound like fun trying to change now. Does that mean I should be shooting a LH bow? I just bought a brand new one 3 weeks ago, and have killed two deer with it since, and I have never even shot a bow before then.[/rquote]

Bow,

You'd have to decide man. I would personally switch, but it sounds like you've tricked your body into shooting with your non-dominant eye by closing your dominant eye every time. Where I see you running into some BIG issues is trying to shoot a shotgun with both eyes open. :cheers:

I would work my way towards switching, just to make it easier on my body when that big boy walks by and my dominant eye wants to take over.

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443174&tid=100960&author=citybowhunter]maybe i'm confused but the dominant eye takes over when both eyes are open. if you close the off eye when bow or scope hunting i don't think it's a problem at all. the open eye is dominant and the closed eye isn't. [/rquote]

Well, two places you shoot with one eye closed. Bow with a peep and a rifle.

Three places where you're better off shooting with both eyes open a majority of the time. Shotgunning, pistol shooting and instinct archery shooting.

Another thing to note.......your dominant eye is biologically BETTER than your other eye. Why use something that's inferior to something else sitting an inch away? :rof2:

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443198&tid=100960&author=Heeler75][rquote=1443174&tid=100960&author=citybowhunter]maybe i'm confused but the dominant eye takes over when both eyes are open. if you close the off eye when bow or scope hunting i don't think it's a problem at all. the open eye is dominant and the closed eye isn't. [/rquote]

I tend to agree with this thinking.

I'm left handed but shoot right-handed. When I started to learn to shoot (left handed) my left I would close and I'd aim with my right eye leaning over the stock. So, I switched to right hand shooting (after dad told me I'd bust my nose first time I shot a 12 gauge).

Oh, and I do the same "point" test you do and I am right eye dominant. [/rquote]

Heeler, you're helping to qualify the need to shoot with your dominant eye, and not your dominant hand. You ARE shooting correctly, with your dominant eye.

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443200&tid=100960&author=average joe]but what if you are like me and eye dominece changes from minute to minute some times its right eye some times its left eye what do you do then????[/rquote]

I'd recommend teaching someone that lives with you the second test I have listed in my original post here, and then you do that test for them once a day for a week. I'll bet another shiny quarter (I may already owe SHORTSHOT one) that its the same eye every time you all test it.

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443211&tid=100960&author=citybowhunter][rquote=1443204&tid=100960&author=Parker][rquote=1443174&tid=100960&author=citybowhunter]maybe i'm confused but the dominant eye takes over when both eyes are open. if you close the off eye when bow or scope hunting i don't think it's a problem at all. the open eye is dominant and the closed eye isn't. [/rquote]

Well, two places you shoot with one eye closed. Bow with a peep and a rifle.

Three places where you're better off shooting with both eyes open a majority of the time. Shotgunning, pistol shooting and instinct archery shooting.

Another thing to note.......your dominant eye is biologically BETTER than your other eye. Why use something that's inferior to something else sitting an inch away? :rof2:

Parker[/rquote]

i thought the normal eyes are 20/20. what makes the dominant eye better. it seems it's just the choice the brain makes to use that eye over the other one. i don't see through a peep site or scope any better with one eye over the other.
i'm just speculating. i'll leave it up to you guys. i'm just looking at it from common sense so i could be wrong. carry on. [/rquote]

I'm looking at it from a biological stand point. You can compare two things all you want to try to make them exactly the same, and when you get deeper and deeper into your comparison, one of those two things will end up showing as being superior. Even if both of your eyes show as 20/20, one eye over another is going to have a quicker route to your brain to receive and react to information faster, and in an overpowering (dominant) manner. Its just a fact of life.

You can muscle memory your body in to doing it against the way your body naturally wants to do it by closing your dominant eye, but your just fighting yourself, and the original reason for this thread it to help get new shooters interested in shooting, not frustrated about not being able to close an eye because that dominant eye wants to take over.

And you said common sense......wouldn't common sense say go with the method your body says is natural? :shrug:

Parker

 

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[rquote=1443216&tid=100960&author=citybowhunter]one other thought. i'd rather pull a bow with my strong side, right handed than my weak side left handed and closing one eye. i'm sure i shoot better that way than switching to the left side. I understand your original thought was about new shooters so this is more about the people that are already doing it backwards like me. jmo. [/rquote]

:cheers: You're right City. I'm not trying to convert you. No use in it now, and you obviously aren't interested in switching. There's nothing wrong with what you're doing if you're happy with it. :cheers:

I think if you set your mind to switching though, you'd be a more accuarate shot because of it in short time.

My wife can not do it the way you're saying, because she can't shut either one of her eyes, and I'm willing to say there's a lot of people out there that have given up on shooting at a young age, because they just couldn't be accurate, and it was because they were taught to shoot with their non-dominant eye.

I'm just trying to promote the shooting sports is what this all really boils down to.

Parker

 

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:cheers: I don't mind, its just a difference of opinion. I'm not trying to convert you, I'm trying to get parents to teach their kids right the first time. :cheers:

Parker

 

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:rof2: Oh, and have you seen this picture of the buck I got off of a scrape I started with a stick, and then whizzed in the scrape? :rof2:

Parker

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:cheers: Thanks for helping to top it off! More folks need to see this!

Parker

 

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:wave: Used my method listed in my original post in this thread tonight. Was able to tell my wife's cousin that his 3 year old boy was left eye dominant.

He was shooting a nerf gun right handed, and leaning over it to look down the 'barrel'.

:wave: Check 'em early, and get 'em used to the way that's right for their body!

Parker

 

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[rquote=2792875&tid=100960&author=JeffCoSteve]Can this be changed? What I am saying is my son is right handed yet left eye dominant. With the use of an eye patch, can this be corrected?[/rquote]

No. You want to change his handed in shooting. He should shoot left handed.

His eyes will take over in a heated moment. Buck fever, etc.

If you know this is the case, you should help him do it the eye dominance way the first time.

If you want to know how frustrating it is to do it the other way, which you would be forcing with an eye patch, go run a 40 yard dash, and then pick up your rifle and try to shoot it off-handed.

Parker

 

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If you take a 3 year old kid and teach them that they need to shoot a Nerf gun on their shoulder that's on the same side as their dominant eye, their body will naturally be ready to shoot a pellet gun.....22.....20 gauge....etc on that side.

I agree with golfnut on the eye patch thing. If you want to make something not fun for a kid....add an eye patch. I have seen very few kids (SHEDHEAD's kids) appreciate wearing an eye patch while shooting.

My oldest boy's (17y.o.) eye dominance has changed this past year to left due to an eye injury. He is right handed, was right eyed, and now he is left eyed. He is very frustrated with the idea of changing to a left handed bow this summer, but he knows it is time to make the switch now, rather than fighting it. He experienced this 'problem' this past fall with his right handed bow when buck fever hit him. Neither one of us knew what the problem was though. Now we know.

Parker

 

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Wing shooting with a shotgun (both eyes open) with the gun on your shoulder opposite of your dominant eye is a freaking disaster.

Parker

 

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[rquote=2793040&tid=100960&author=cshoff]Just remember that, for DEFENSIVE handgun shooting, you ALWAYS want to rely on you dominant eye AND your dominant hand rather than trying to "teach" your body to do something that is totally non-instinctive such as using your non-dominant eye or non-dominant hand for primary operations. [/rquote]

For immediate defense, I agree, but for shooting from a barricade, you horribly expose your body if you are leaning out from your non-dominant side. :shrug:

I see this as a reason to learn to shoot with each eye, and with each hand. Do you agree?

Parker

 

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:cheers: I say having it all in the same place is a great thing. :cheers:

I always enjoy your insight. :

Parker