TargetTalk

As per thread title, anybody else on here with the same problem. Ive started taking my shooting serious over the past month or two and this is looking like its becoming an issue. I plan on getting a coach (after xmas when funds are in order)- but for now Im just doing as much reading and as much practicing as I can.

Thats why they make eye blinders.

Zoe22 wrote:As per thread title, anybody else on here with the same problem. Ive started taking my shooting serious over the past month or two and this is looking like its becoming an issue. I plan on getting a coach (after xmas when funds are in order)- but for now Im just doing as much reading and as much practicing as I can.

Hi, Cross-dominance is not a problem; don't listen to anyone that tries to

convince you that it is....

Tony

I'm one of those folks too. Not an issue with a blinder and rifle. For pistol, that's a different issue - I find myself (with both eyes open) moving the gun about 2 inches to the left to align with my dominant eye. It works for me.

Telecomtodd wrote:I'm one of those folks too. Not an issue with a blinder and rifle. For pistol, that's a different issue - I find myself (with both eyes open) moving the gun about 2 inches to the left to align with my dominant eye. It works for me.

Pistol is the same as rifle, a blinder over the non shooting eye works just the same.

Rob.

No argument for target shooting, but for self defense drills, you need both eyes open and that presents a challenge to cross-dominant shooters is all.

I shoot air and smallbore rifle. I'm left handed and right eye dominant. I have a lazy eye and other issues with my left eye so I shoot right handed with a blinder. I tried shooting left handed when I started but I can't see anything when I try to look through the sights with my left eye, its just black. I can't get my left eye to focus.

Thats good news. I was thinking I might be told that cross eye dominance would put me out of the game before Id even began.

I dont think I'll buy "real blinders" just yet. As I said- money is kinda tight. I might see can I fashion something with an old pair of sunglasses.

Just to be sure I dont get this wrong. Im right handed and left eye dominant.... so will I put the blinder over my left eye and force myself to use the right.... or put the blinder on the right and.... I dunno... stand awkwardly lol.

BTW.. Im shooting small bore pistol.

Hello,

I myself am a cross dominant(left eye dominant, right handed) air and 3p small bore rifle shooter shooter and find no significant downside to being cross dominant. The only real "downside" and I say this in quotations because it's a minor problem, is that the quality of your sight picture decreases slightly faster in your non-dominant eye than in your dominant eye; I asked my eye doctor about this and she said it was because your non-dominant eye is not as conditioned as your dominant eye when put under stress(you can actually test this out yourself at home) During the day, one eye usually carries a larger portion of the work than the other, and is able to function more efficiently and longer than the other eye. To remedy this, I just spend majority of the time holding and resting my eye(looking in a comfortable direction and not down the iris) and less time actually aiming. Personally, I have never shot any pistol discipline before, but I'm sure a similar remedy for your cross dominance can be found.

I hope this helps!

-Jordan

Zoe22 wrote:I dont think I'll buy "real blinders" just yet. As I said- money is kinda tight. I might see can I fashion something with an old pair of sunglasses.

BTW.. Im shooting small bore pistol.

I've never shot pistol, but I make my blinders out of the clear plastic cutting boards from the dollar store.

I put my blinder on my rear sight but also have one that attaches to my glasses with a clip similar to this

I have some of the "real blinders" that came with the expensive frames but I prefer to use the blinders I make out of milk cartons. I use these for the ones I attach to my glasses for pistol as well as the ones I attach to my rear rifle sight. However, blinders isn't the answer to your problem and I will address that at the bottom. If you are shooting pistol, the Rx you need is prob not the same that you use on a daily basis depending on how bad your eyes are. Read back over some of the other topics and I think you need to add approx .5 -.75 to your normal Rx or if you have 20/15 vision like me and just need reading glasses, that script is going to be right on give or take a .25. Like I just suggested on another posting, Readingglasses.com have many pair from .75 on up for around $15 with free shipping I believe.

As for the issue you are going to have with the cross dominance, it's not going to be a problem but it will cost you some money. I know several shooters with this issue and some are very high level shooters and the answer involves twisting the pistol grip in your hand. You can do this with the grip and gun you have and see that it works. If you have someone who knows how to fit a grip with putty, they can put this degree of twist in the grip where the sights align with your opposite eye. Grip makes such as Rink deal with this issue all the time and they make a grip that has the correct amount of degree rotation built into the grip for the cross dominance issue. For rifle shooters that are cross dominance, I have seen some riser blocks that move both sights to the left or right an inch or so instead of being aligned with the barrel.

As for paying for a coach, I guess it depends on where you live. One thing I have learned about the shooting community is that there is always a club or experienced shooters around that are more than willing to pass on their knowledge or take on another person as a student and have yet to hear of anyone shooting at the national and international level that has ever had to pay for a lesson. If I wasn't training full time and was close to you, I would coach you and give you the equipment to use as well. I think if you ask and look around your community, you will find similar opportunities and others willing to do the same

I am cross dominant too. My solution/adaptation is really a 'natural' one but a bit odd. Never seen anyone else do it, except my daughter but she's different.

When I shoot rifle, open sight or scoped, standard right handed position. When I shoot pistol I stand and hold right handed but I look through the sights with my left eye. Never even really noticed it at first, it was simply a natural position. I tried to force myself to use my right eye and it was uncomfortable. I know that comfortable isn't the same thing as better but since I'm a casual shooter I stuck with the left eye and haven't worried about it for a couple of years.

The really strange thing is that my daughter is the same BUT when she a shoots a scoped rifle we have to move the scope forward a bit and re-zero because she leans her head over and looks through the scope with her left eye. She has her own now so we can leave it set for her.

what you are doing with pistol is what everyone I know does except in high level competition, they adjust their grips so it is natural holding with the right hand and looking with the left eye lines up properly

From my own experience, you have the choice to change hand & eye dominance.

I was a right hand shooter with right eye dominance. Advancing arthritis in my right hand required me to change to over to my left hand. Within four weeks of shooting five to six times per week I was back to my former scores.

Shortly afterward a forty year old injury required me to also switch aiming duty over to my left eye. Now I was back to a more comfortable shooting stance, my scores again recovered within about one month, and tests confirm my left eye to be the dominant eye. Yes, dominance can be changed.

OzzieM

changing your hand and eye seems to me like it would be very difficult. However, I'm paralyzed from the chest down and have adapted to live independent with the use of my arms, hands, and shoulders and body balance from with my head and arms. It's somewhat easier for me to do that than if would be for you because I can't even think about making a move with my legs and feet. Still seems like it would be very difficult. I can't remember the circumstances but I had heard of someone for Australia that had to make a switch due to an injury and was very successful. I still think I would try fitting the grip to start with. Congrats on the successful change you made though