MUDRUNNER Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 My boy is naturally a lefty. He bats left, throws left, eats left, writes left, and casts a fishing pole left. I want to get him started shooting a bb gun a little this summer, but not sure if I should start him lefty or righty. His dominant eye is oddly enough his right eye, so I was thinking he should shoot right handed? Anyone else have any experience with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 It all comes down to what youre taught. If you know for a fact he is right eye dominant I would go with that and have him shoot right handed. My brother is right eye dominant and left handed. He grew up using dad’s guns, bows, etc. like I did. To this day (he is 44) he shoots a gun left handed and a bow right handed. It has never negatively impacted him. He is a great shot. I would start the boy right handed to both pander to his dominant eye and to ultimately make it easier for him to find guns and or bows in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clrj3514 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 At the age it sounds like he is, whatever you teach him should stick easily. I'm the complete opposite of your son. I do everything (including shooting) right-handed, but I'm left eye dominant. Being a righty would be simpler, but if it doesn't work for him you can always switch it while he's so impressionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zizzer59 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Dominant eye question I'm the same way. I shoot with my left eye which is the weak one and I shoot just fine...most of the time lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiganbowhunter_SQ2 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I'm left eye dominant, shoot guns left handed, write left handed, but am right handed when shooting my bow and do everything else. It's a comfort thing. I was never "taught" which hand to shoot with. When we went and bought my first gun it I was more comfortable shouldering it left handed. When I bought my first bow I was more comfortable shooting right hand. I say hand him a BB gun, and just let him shoulder it on his own, and then teach him from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missilelock Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Right eye dominant would lend itself tward right hand shooting......there is no benefit to shooting left handed ( now pitching a baseball is another thing), in fact shooting right handed is a benefit due to the availability of firearms and archery equipment......my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted June 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Good advice...thanks all. Oddly enough when he plays with his toy gun he shoulders it right handed. I think we'll start there, and figure out which bow hand to use later on. I didn't realize there were so many ambidextrous people out there lol. I eat and write left handed, bat both, but throw and shoot right handed. I'm also right eye dominant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NS whitetail Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Dominant eye question I would say, what ever comes natural to him. Start out with the most comfortable way to shoot and stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I'm right handed and left eye dominant and shoot left handed. I've tried to shoot right hand and just find it very uncomfortable so I say let him shoot what ever way is good for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowhunter97 Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 My brother is the opposite. He shoots a gun lefty but does everything else right. So i'd say stick with his dominant eye on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 I agree with teaching him to shoot right handed with his dominant eye. My brother is right handed and converted to shoot left handed with his dominant eye after passing hunter safety when he was 11 or 12. He still shoots bow right handed due to dominant hand and muscle tone. Shooting archery with the subordinate eye will pose a challenge and require him to practice even more. His sight picture through a peep sight will be distorted because he will be fighting his dominant eye. Trigger time will be key here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 (edited) Is this my dominant eye?.......http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/0/7666/930460-cyclops.jpg all joking aside, my right was dominant until I had an eye injury...then the left eye took over, I always shot both right and left, handed ayways, so the switch was no biggy. Edited June 21, 2013 by Mathews XT Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorado bob Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 I shoot left handed but my right eye is dominate. I've got no problem shooting a rifle but a shotgun---I'm a one eye jack. My right eye is closed. Depth perception is handicapped. Plus when shooting trap I lift my head to see a hard left hand bird. I wish I was taught to shoot right handed. Make him shoot right handed. That way he can shoot with both eyes open. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrich Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 If he is shouldering his toy gun right handed already then it sounds like he is comfortable with it and you should encourage him to shoot that way. When he is older he will be able to try it left handed if he wants, and he will already have the baseline of a good shooting routine on the right side. I write, throw, shoot guns, and am predominantly left handed/ left eye dominant. But I can't swing a bat or club left handed to save my life, and naturally picked up a bow and started shooting right handed. He will figure it all out as he ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 i'm the opposite i'm right handed but left eye dominant. I shoot everything right handed bow and guns. I will say it's better to shoot a shotgun for him right handed because his right eye is dominant. shotguns are different and aren't really aimed, so much as shouldered and aimed by line of sight. that's what a few very good shotgun shooters have told me. aiming and looking through a scope on a rifle or pins of a bow is different. i'm a pretty decent shot with bow or rifle, shooting right handed and left eye dominant, so if you had him start out left I can't imagine it'd be that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 I'm one of those weirdos too. I write left, but do most things right. I'm left eye dominant. As long as I close my left eye when shooting I'm fine, if I leave it open, I miss pretty bad. As long as I use a peep on my bow, I'm good. The only real trouble I have is shotgun hunting. I typically don't wink an eye, so I sometimes miss on right to left crossing shots if my left eye takes over. I'd suggest you let your boy choose and go with what he's more comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 I'm right handed, but legally blind in my right eye so I shoot everything left handed. I taught my kids to shoot according to their dominant eye. If anyone needs a simple test for kids to determine eye dominance... Arrows, youth longbows and kids archery accessories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 There has been good advice here but it is very important to get kids acclimated to shooting with their dominant eye before they learn the bad habits that we all have as adults. Changing mid-stream later on in life is much harder than doing it as a youngster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlriggins Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 I would agree with Pothash I have had several people that I have taught to shoot and would recommend shooting to favor the dominant eye. A friend of mine actually shoots a shotgun right handed and a rifle left handed per my instruction and his groupings shrank drastically and he stuck with it actually purchased a left handed AR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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