# Always start LH when left eye dominant?



## rkumetz (Jun 20, 2014)

LDW500 said:


> My youngest son (13) has been shooting for 3 years left handed even though he is right handed. He is left eye dominant so I started him out shooting left handed right away. After 3 years of indoor youth league he is still very inconsistent and gets frustrated because he hasn't improved much. Would he be better off trying to shoot right handed or keep trying to improve as a left handed shooter? I am hoping someone with coaching experience can help me figure this out.
> Thanks,
> Larry


I am a right handed shooter who is left eye dominant by virtue of the fact that my right eye is mostly useless. When I started shooting right handed (40 years ago) the concept of eye dominance wasn't really talked about much. Until someone watched me shoot from behind and asked which eye I was using then had the discussion on why I struggled a lot. Once I started shooting left handed life improved. It was awkward at first but not only did I get the hang of it, I also realize that I should be shooting firearms left handed and holding the pool cue in the other hand too. Switching hands in archery is not as difficult as trying to write with the other hand. I have tried that and anyone who is truly ambidextrous has my respect.

My inclination as a coach (who has not seen your son shoot of course) is that there is some other factor causing this inconsistency. Is he perhaps over bowed? You haven't mentioned if he is shooting recurve or compound but is his draw length set up correctly if the latter? What does his form look like?


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## Rat (Jun 19, 2004)

It really depends on the shooter. 
I have two kids that are two years apart in age, both right handed with left eye dominance. 
Kid A (the elder) shoots well left handed, he's pretty athletic and shoots about 200-250 arrows per week. 
Kid B (the younger) does not shoot well left handed. His weak side is very uncoordinated, so much so that he has trouble loading an arrow in a timely manner. After about 6 weeks I switched him to shooting right handed and use a blinder on his left eye; his progression has been accelerated greatly by this change. Kid B is not as athletic and does not shoot as often as Kid A, so this may play into the weak side problems somewhat. But, it is also no fun to shoot when you are frustrated over the conflict between left/right shooting and athletic ability to do so. He actually enjoys the practice sessions now. 

So yes, I would always start them out on their dominant eye side, but as a coach it is my job to see that they progress; and that may mean doing something "unconventional" for an individual archer.


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## LDW500 (Feb 29, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. In response to rkumetz, he is shooting an infinite edge compound. My oldest son and I attended a one day coarse instructed by Linda Beck, a level 5 JOAD coach. We really learned a bunch and it helped my oldest son straiten out his form. I have tried to apply what we learned to my youngest son but he hasn't spent enough time practicing yet. I think he's a little burned out from winter leagues. We have his draw length dead on now (we added 1" after I took the class know what to look for) and I've had the bow checked over several times to make sure it's not an equipment issue. This may take a while. As Rat mentioned, kid B does not have as much desire as kid A. As it stands now, it sounds like I need to keep him shooting left until he fully understands correct form and see if there is progress. If not, then it's okay to try shooting right handed. Does that sound reasonable? Thanks again. I hope I can follow up in a month or so with a progress report. 


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## Rugby (Feb 13, 2003)

It depends on the co-ordination of the shooter. I have found some people cannot shoot well with when they use their non-dominant side.

I would try a right handed bow and see if it makes a difference


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## XForce Girl (Feb 14, 2008)

Sounds like kid B isn't very motivated to get better or wants instant results.

If he's not improving much but isn't having trouble with his cross dominance or a strength issue, I say those aren't the issues. It's his dedication and motivation. 
Ask Linda what she thinks, she's a wonderful coach.

BTW, the old "go with your dominate eye" theory isn't all that true anymore, especially with compound archers.


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