Are You Ambidextreye Like Me?

[cmj685]

Gabe Suarez wrote in the July issue of Concealed Carry Magazine that to test which eye is your dominant eye, hold up your thumb and forefinger on your shooting hand in a small "OK" circle and, with both eyes open, sight through the circle on a target. Now close each eye to test which eye actually is doing the sighting through the circle--that's your dominant eye.

OK, the concept is simple enough and I have seen it before. Try it yourself and give us a report. So I tried it yesterday at length. When I used my shooting right hand to make the sighting circle, my left eye was dominant every time. I tried it about a dozen times with different targets and it was the left eye every time. But when I used my left hand to make the circle, my right eye turned out to be the sighting eye every time--again, a dozen or so tries with different targets. So my theory was that the results of this test change depending on which hand you use. I called my wife in and had her sit in the chair and do the same test: no matter which hand she used her right eye was dominant every time. This is very interesting to me, and made moreso by the fact that I am a life-long photographer and have always naturally used my left eye for sighting through the camera. The results of this test make me very happy for reasons many of you will know...I now know that my right-handed shooting of my Glock consistently left of the bullseye is not bad shooting at all, but rather perfectly accurate shooting by my left eye!

[Rip Van Winkle]

We teach a similar method in our firearms safety class only we tell the kids to hold up a finger at arms length and cover each eye one at a time.

Only trouble is, I always see two fingers! The story of my life (sigh).

[tt3]

I loved deer hunting because I could bring the rifle up to either shoulder and focus through either eye. It made sitting in a tree stand much nicer knowing I didn't have to twist around to aim!

[Ironbear]

We teach a similar method in our firearms safety class only we tell the kids to hold up a finger at arms length and cover each eye one at a time.

Only trouble is, I always see two fingers! The story of my life (sigh).

I am left-eye dominant but not strongly so, so I have the same problem. I was shown a slightly different method that I think works better. I use it with the kids if they aren't able to figure out the finger method.

•Look at an object in the distance.
•While still looking at the object, bring your hands out in front of you, at arms length, and make a box around the object with your fingers.
•Make the box smaller.
•While continuing to look at the object through the box, bring your hands back to your face.
•You'll end up looking through the box with your dominant eye.

The nice thing about this, is that the instructor can actually see which eye gets selected! Also, I find that it is easier to explain to people than the "thumb" method. You just give simple instructions and you get an answer; no having to decide which finger to look at, which eye to close, or if the finger "moved" or not.

Try it I think you'll like it!

[princewally]

For the kids who can't get it, regardless of method, the instructor can check, too.

Have the kid(adult, whatever) point at your nose from a decent distance. His finger will line up on his dominant eye from the instructor's perspective.

[mrmuko]

Ok, so I am Left Eye Dominant. I shoot right handed do I need to start shooting Left handed then?

[ttousi]

All good info..............however shooting a handgun held at arms length one can use either eye.
Better yet learn to shoot with both eyes open, your dominant eye should take over.

Shooting long gun using cross eye dominance is a different story .......you can't line up the sights unless you bring your face all the way across the stock. Very awkward.

So.......... no big deal with a handgun.........long gun:learn to shoot on the side of your dominant eye. This will take at least 2000 (minimum) practice shouldering of the firearm to feel natural according to studies that have been done.

[BRIT_in_the_weeds]

Learn to shoot with both eyes open.................................interesting link. Sorry it's a PDF again.

#25 page 19

http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/HandgunDrills.pdf

[goalie]

Ok, so I am Left Eye Dominant. I shoot right handed do I need to start shooting Left handed then?

I am strongly left-eye dominant. I shoot a pistol with both eyes open and my head canted slightly as to align my left eye with the sights.

I shoot a rifle better left-handed/eyed with a scope, and shoot with both eyes open when shooting a scoped rifle lefty (dominant eye up to the scope), but I can hold my own shooting right handed with a scoped rifle IF I CLOSE MY LEFT EYE. I cannot shoot a scoped rifle right-handed with both eyes open.

YMMV

[cmj685]

Now here is an interesting twist for me. When I use the "one-finger pointing" method that was mentioned early on, I come out right eye dominant each time, regardless of which hand I use to point. But using the circle of Suarez, it alternates based on which hand I am using to make the circle. Huh....?

Of course, I am one of the lucky ones. When you shoot as badly as me, you can just as well close both eyes. Doesn't matter which one is dominant...!

[hammAR]

[.............] you can just as well close both eyes. Doesn't matter which one is dominant...!

"OK", box, finger pointing, one finger or two, or even gun pointing, it doesn't matter which eye is dominant if you can't see that far anyhow....................
now you can shoot like eye do cause eyes don't...........

so close them and just point, nothing wrong with movement and sound shots........

.

[BRIT_in_the_weeds]

[.............] you can just as well close both eyes. Doesn't matter which one is dominant...!

"OK", box, finger pointing, one finger or two, or even gun pointing, it doesn't matter which eye is dominant if you can't see that far anyhow....................
now you can shoot like eye do cause eyes don't...........

so close them and just point, nothing wrong with movement and sound shots........

.

But in the house? No wonder the wife is always pissed at you!!

[someone1980]

Better yet learn to shoot with both eyes open, your dominant eye should take over.

Amen. I used to have my eyes get tired and have to stop shooting, and would have focusing problems. Now I keep both eyes open (takes a bit to get used to) and can see what is going on at the matches much better.

So.......... no big deal with a handgun.........long gun:learn to shoot on the side of your dominant eye. This will take at least 2000 (minimum) practice shouldering of the firearm to feel natural according to studies that have been done.

If you want your body to learn how to do something, a good rule of thumb is to do it 2-3000 times in a row perfectly. It has to be perfectly or you are going to be all screwed up.

[hammAR]

: Anything less than perfection is failure, and failure is not allowed........

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