Posted by Jim on November 08, 1999 at 10:49:22:
I am left-eye dominant but right handed. I have been shooting pistol right-handed and find that having to turn my head to the
right to use my left eye becomes somewhat fatiguing in a long session. I've wondered if switching to left hand would improve my
scores. (I've always shot long guns left-handed.)
Has anyone else tried this and did it make a difference? I suspect my right arm is somewhat stronger but not markedly so and I
do strength exercises with both arms.
thanks,
jim
Posted by PKuemin on November 08, 1999 at 11:21:59:
I did this two years ago, but not because of the eyes - I damaged my right elbow while snowboarding. I do know three other
shooters who switched, with various reasons and success. I think it is - dependant on your skills and expectations - quite
difficult to get back on the same level again. I'm coming to that point now, but I do practice quite a lot.
Personally, I would try and "turn" the grip, so you can use your left eye while keeping your head in a natural position. My sister
does this, quite succesfully, and one of the best shooters here in switzerland uses this method, too. I don't think that the old
argument - that "crosswise"-shooting (right hand - left eye and vice versa) was bad - can be kept up today.
Another variant would be using your right eye - it could work, but this depends more on natural abilities than practice. You
would have to cover your left eye with something semi-transparent, so it doesn't irritate the right one with blinking (the dominant
eye makes the other one follow its own movements). Hope to have helped :-)
Posted by Mark Shuman on November 09, 1999 at 08:22:36:
Dear Jim:
Been there seen that,done that. I did the same as you. TRied to shoot right handed. I could not do it. I then tried the right hand,
left eye deal. It worked slightly better but not very well. I had a friend and mentor quietly and forcefully tell me to put hte gun in
my left hand. I finally got irritated at him
and did so. Literally from one target to the next my score went up 20 points. He was right, very right. I suggest you do the
same. I will also note that there is varying degrees of dominance. I am severily left eye dominant. I also use a flip down blinder
over my right eye as well to avoid distraction. if you are only
slightly left eye dominant try a blinder. Another thing to try is an adjustible iris. I wear prescription eye glasses so using irises and
blinders is easy. Shooting glasses could also be used. I suggest a blue blocker set outdoors and a yellow set indoors as these
will help with contrast. And bring the sights and target ito sharper focus
Agean I would like to state that I am In the exact same boat as you as far as strong right hand and arm. However there is one
other thing I would like to mention. My left hand is my dexterous hand. I find I have better trigger control with my left hand. You
may also benefit from a more dexterous hand with better trigger control
I hope this helps.
Mark Shuman
Posted by Nicolas on November 10, 1999 at 15:13:36:
Jim,
When I first started I experimented with both right and left hands since I am both handed. I found that going with the strongest
arm is better. The vision problem can be countered by wearing a blinder (using shooting glasses or even just regular sunglasses
whited out). Make sure the blinder is light grey or white. You should be keeping both eyes open, thus having 100% of your
vision instead of utilizing 60% with one eye close since this forces your open eye to close to some degree. Basically you have a
truer sight picture. I hope this helps.
Nicolas
Posted by Naren on November 10, 1999 at 15:49:33:
Can someone please elaborate on exactly how the dominant eye is better?
It would seem to me that if you have one eye covered by a blinder, the only open eye is the dominant eye as far as aiming is
concerned.
Maybe I am missing something, has it got something to do with the non-dominant eye tiring out easily? Someone mentioned that
changing from one eye to the other alone made a difference of 15-20 points! That is incredible and I would like to know what is
the cause of this effect.
Thanks
Naren
Posted by mark Shuman on November 12, 1999 at 21:54:15:
Dear Naren and list:
One of the most important changes I saw was a considerably better head position. Better balance due to proper inner ear
alignment. The closer to verticle
you can get your head the better your balance. Your inner ear works best at keeping you balanced when your head is in an
upright position. Also the dominant eye
actually does the sighting and the nondominant eye is used for depth control as I am told. The dominant eye is used in normal
usage in everyday
life. I found it impossible to break this trend with my nondominant eye. I must also state that I only use iron sights on any target
gun I own. It is easier
to let the dominant eye take over and work naturally. Rather than force my nondominant eye to do the main job. It was another
thing I had to add to the concentration list.
I feel the smaller this list the better. I do not always succeed. My concentration and mental tools are horrid. This is where I need
work. And swithing hands
is making this much easier. These are my own experiences only other people may not gain as much as I did.
Mark Shuman
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