So this is a years-in-the-making and somewhat shameful story, but I am curious about peoples' experiences, particularly those knowledgeable about eyesight and/or training, etc.
Back when I first started shooting pistols I used a Weaver stance and my left eye--I am left-handed and shoot long guns with my left eye. At no point during my LTC course or the one or two post-LTC courses did the issue of eye dominance come up. It wasn't until a year or so after I had been shooting that my eye doctor discussed eye dominance, and at that point I found out I was right-eye dominant.
I can't remember precisely why, but it was ingrained in me that you had to use your dominant eye when shooting. So, I switched to isosceles stance and holding slightly right biased and using my right eye.
At that time I was still pretty new to pistol shooting, so I didn't really notice anything better/worse outcome-wise, but I stuck with that from then on. As I gained experience, I found I could get a consistent grouping, but it was always a decent amount to the right of the bullseye. Using the shot charts as a left-handed person, I assumed this was "too little trigger finger."
I know that "low and left" is a common problem beginner right-handers often see, but for me it was never "low," just "left" (or right in my case). Still, I was convinced it had to be my grip.
So, for about two years I've endlessly fiddled with my grip, figuring I must be flinching or having improper trigger control, something, but I could never pin it down. No matter how many dryfire drills, ball & dummy, etc., the sights wouldn't move through trigger pull in practice, but I'd end up hitting right of point of aim.
It got to the point--and this is where some of the shame comes in--where I was tempted to alter the sights on my pistols, and/or I would deliberately hold left when firing (I shot my last two USPSA matches holding far left, which I think really hurt me). Trying to knock down a string of steel plates when you're basically holding on the one to its left and guessing how far to hold is not a recipe for precision.
I was starting to think that it was just the nature of being cross-eye dominant and it got pretty discouraging.
Fast forward to last weekend, I'm at the range with my father. He tries out my Shadow 2 for the first time and is knocking over the steel plates with no problem. He owns no pistols and only shoots them when let him try mine. I take my turn and I'm doing my usual "hold left" with mixed results.
In the end, he says, "looks like you need more practice." This was somewhat disappointing since I've been shooting once or twice a week for a while now to try to improve for USPSA. However, as many of you can probably attest or imagine, having to "guess" where to hold made shooting accurately somewhat of a challenge. I would often leave the range wondering "how I could be this bad."
So, today, I decided to try something else. I went back to my left eye. To my surprise, I don't have to hold left anymore. Just a pure hold over the target. I proceeded to hit the seven steel plates at 75 ft with eight shots. I spent the rest of the practice session using only my left eye, and it worked really well. I think I'm going back to left eye after these past years.
I'm a bit ashamed that I never bothered to change eyes back. In hindsight it appears so stupid and something very basic I should have tried. And though today was just one day (albeit a dramatic change), I'm hopeful for the future.
Does anyone have suggestions on why using my dominant eye would manifest in this way? I assumed that since, with both eyes open, my right eye would "take control" that I'd have a better outcome shooting using my dominant eye. My only guess is that my modified stance, using the left hand with the right eye, caused my point of aim to somehow veer to the right.
Is there any hope in shooting both eyes open given the above? I'm worried that my right eye dominance will cause my sight pictures to get all messed up if I don't close my right eye.
For those who are cross-eye dominant, what is your solution? I have somewhat tempered excitement now that I feel like I'll finally be able to make progress. Still, I would like to know the cause and what other impediments I could expect moving forward.
Back when I first started shooting pistols I used a Weaver stance and my left eye--I am left-handed and shoot long guns with my left eye. At no point during my LTC course or the one or two post-LTC courses did the issue of eye dominance come up. It wasn't until a year or so after I had been shooting that my eye doctor discussed eye dominance, and at that point I found out I was right-eye dominant.
I can't remember precisely why, but it was ingrained in me that you had to use your dominant eye when shooting. So, I switched to isosceles stance and holding slightly right biased and using my right eye.
At that time I was still pretty new to pistol shooting, so I didn't really notice anything better/worse outcome-wise, but I stuck with that from then on. As I gained experience, I found I could get a consistent grouping, but it was always a decent amount to the right of the bullseye. Using the shot charts as a left-handed person, I assumed this was "too little trigger finger."
I know that "low and left" is a common problem beginner right-handers often see, but for me it was never "low," just "left" (or right in my case). Still, I was convinced it had to be my grip.
So, for about two years I've endlessly fiddled with my grip, figuring I must be flinching or having improper trigger control, something, but I could never pin it down. No matter how many dryfire drills, ball & dummy, etc., the sights wouldn't move through trigger pull in practice, but I'd end up hitting right of point of aim.
It got to the point--and this is where some of the shame comes in--where I was tempted to alter the sights on my pistols, and/or I would deliberately hold left when firing (I shot my last two USPSA matches holding far left, which I think really hurt me). Trying to knock down a string of steel plates when you're basically holding on the one to its left and guessing how far to hold is not a recipe for precision.
I was starting to think that it was just the nature of being cross-eye dominant and it got pretty discouraging.
Fast forward to last weekend, I'm at the range with my father. He tries out my Shadow 2 for the first time and is knocking over the steel plates with no problem. He owns no pistols and only shoots them when let him try mine. I take my turn and I'm doing my usual "hold left" with mixed results.
In the end, he says, "looks like you need more practice." This was somewhat disappointing since I've been shooting once or twice a week for a while now to try to improve for USPSA. However, as many of you can probably attest or imagine, having to "guess" where to hold made shooting accurately somewhat of a challenge. I would often leave the range wondering "how I could be this bad."
So, today, I decided to try something else. I went back to my left eye. To my surprise, I don't have to hold left anymore. Just a pure hold over the target. I proceeded to hit the seven steel plates at 75 ft with eight shots. I spent the rest of the practice session using only my left eye, and it worked really well. I think I'm going back to left eye after these past years.
I'm a bit ashamed that I never bothered to change eyes back. In hindsight it appears so stupid and something very basic I should have tried. And though today was just one day (albeit a dramatic change), I'm hopeful for the future.
Does anyone have suggestions on why using my dominant eye would manifest in this way? I assumed that since, with both eyes open, my right eye would "take control" that I'd have a better outcome shooting using my dominant eye. My only guess is that my modified stance, using the left hand with the right eye, caused my point of aim to somehow veer to the right.
Is there any hope in shooting both eyes open given the above? I'm worried that my right eye dominance will cause my sight pictures to get all messed up if I don't close my right eye.
For those who are cross-eye dominant, what is your solution? I have somewhat tempered excitement now that I feel like I'll finally be able to make progress. Still, I would like to know the cause and what other impediments I could expect moving forward.
![[mg]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/036.gif "Machine Gun [mg]")
