shooting with non dominant side

[marc]

I am switching back to right handed because of another shoulder injury to my left shoulder. Lets hear your tips and tricks for shooting on your non-dominant side. I have done it before but this time I am having a little more trouble with it.

[Fuzzy Dog]

Despite a lot of advice to the contrary, close your dominant eye when you're aiming. I know there's a lot out there about how if you shoot instinctive it doesn't matter which eye is dominant. It may even be true if you've never shot before. But if you're used to aiming with your dominant eye, it'll keep right on doing it when you switch sides and mess you up big time.

[topcamp]

might be something on this thread that helps a little marc..............

http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=426334&messages=16&forum=36

[Stykshooter]

You probably gonna laugh...

Our pistol team travels a lot... and generally wins. A lot of the matches require a fair amount, 20-30%, of our shots to be either weak handed or weak handed only. Matches are won or lost by tenths of a second and I hate to lose. Most of the guys are hard wired to be strongly left handed or right handed and resist the weak handed shooting.

I am not a psychologist but I believe that in order to be comfortable and consistent with doing things "wrong handed" we have to train our mind to perform these tasks subconsciously. I spend a lot of time on the range with the guys and hours working on weak handed shooting and gun handling drills. I see some improvement, but after a decade of training the team I realize that just practicing that skill set doesn't necessarily make them step up to the next level.

If you are serious and want to train your mind and body to subconsciously perform these routine tasks that are unfamiliar to you now.... play a couple of games of table tennis, left handed only. Nothing that I am aware of will build up your hand eye coordination and dexterity, for either side of your body like table tennis.

You will be surprised at how spending 15 minutes at a time playing table tennis left handed a couple of days a week will train you to use the left side or your body and more importantly, retrain your brain. It doesn't really take very long at all to see a major improvement in your left handed skill set.

If it is a problem only with shooting with your non dominant eye then your need to work on having the string being part of the alignment portion of your shot. It is easy to do for most folks. During your predraw super impose your string over the bullseye and watch it all the way back to anchor. An easy way to force yourself to shoot with your non dominant eye and still shoot with both eyes open is to use a peep sight for a little while. Once again, you have to train your mind.

[Jim Casto Jr]

I've had to deal with it too marc. I hate it for you, but .... a man's got to keep shoot'n.

Owing to my personal experience, I agree with Paul about the non-dominant eye business--for a while. My right eye is so strong, I had to close it when I first started shooting lefty. After a while, I could get along with a squint. Now, I can shoot with both eyes open. Over time, my brain finally began to recognize what was going on--I guess. Sort of along the lines of what Randy's talking about.

On the left side I've always had to concentrate on every aspect of my shot sequence to maintain control. Nothing has become automatic. I'm shooting well. Not that I'm going to win any tournaments, but plenty good enough to hunt at reasonable distances.

Best of luck to you.

[marc]

Randy, I am already cross dominant. By switching I will be shooting with my dominate side of my body, just left eye dominate. I am stronger with the right but my vision is what is getting me. I will try what Paul is talking about since I am a dirty gap shooter anyway!

[Kenro]

Yup, squint! (YOUR left eye)..Its what works for me. Doesn't even take much to get the other eye to take over..I don't even know im doing it anymore.
Be patient...keep shooting....it will come. Remember you dint get as good as you were lefty overnight either! Hell, there was a time quite a while ago that I used to be able to beat you! HAH!

BTW......Yesterday I went out and fired some arrows from (well, supposedly my new righty bow)...CANT DO IT!! Missed the whole fricken target twice from about 12 yards!!! not to mention full shotgun pattern on all the rest!!! (prolly about 9shot from an improved choke too! ) Yeah its GONE!

[tjdeerslayer37]

silly question, if you throw a peep on, what peep would work well without spinning out of alignment too much?

[nontypical]

I'm lefteye dominate and I'm righty for everything. I just close my left eye.