[rupie]

I Took my 24 year old son to the range today, he wanted to try a new 1911 he bought from his uncle. He knows safety, I showed him grip, stance, and we worked on trigger control. Here is the problem, he is right handed, left eye dominant and his vision is bad in his right eye. One thing is that he needs to get some glasses having never had any in the past. But in navy boot camp the instructor told him to turn his head and line his sights with his left eye? So he has his head turned slightly right looking with his left eye, and when we were done shooting his neck was sore.
We did not have much time to work on this, we had time to address his grip and that was about it. I searched and found a thread about learning to shoot with both eyes open, and I shoot with both eyes open but anyone got any other tips?

[SA Friday]

Initial teaching: Close the left eye, take a sight picture with the gun. Now, without moving anything but the gun, close the right eye and move the gun over to the left. Open right eye. Done. Now every time he brings up the gun, just present it to the left eye while in the right hand.

This is how I've taught my 14yo daughter with the same issue and it works just fine.

This post has been edited by SA Friday: 02 July 2009 - 02:34 PM

[Duane Thomas]

There have been a ton of threads on this in the past. Do a search on "cross dominant" and you'll find more to read on the topic than you ever thought possible.

Keeping both eyes open won't effect the need to turn your head slightly to align the left eye with the sights. I've never really bought into the idea of "keep your head centered and move the gun over" (sorry, Sean). Creating and maintaining "the triangle" (as Robbie calls the relationship of arms to body) is way too important to me to compromise. If it's a choice between having a natural arm and gun position or turning my head an inch to the right, I'm going to turn my head an inch to the right. That won't affect how the gun tracks in recoil; changing my arm position would.

[sperman]

I have the same situation, but never knew it to be a problem. I put the gun in front of my face and put it where it needs to be to see the sights. I don't see any reason to go to any great contortions due to cross eye dominance.

YMMV.

[Duane Thomas]

Nope. This is not the problem that some people make it out to be. I'm cross dominant. So is Brian Enos. So is Dave Sevigny. Strangely, this hasn't stopped any of us from being able to shoot.

[sperman]

If his neck is sore it's probably from too much tension in his neck and shoulders (something I struggle with myself.)

[Jman]

Here is a FAQ that "benos" put together. Lots of good info.

http://www.brianenos...cross+dominance


Jim

[LadyinBlue]

I have a similar problem...right hand shooter left eyed.
Been shooting that way for years.
I do not move the gun in front of my left eye but I do turn my head slightly to the right.
I am forced to shoot long guns left-handed as my right eye cannot find the sights. At all...

I have seen a very cool installation of a C-More that is offset to the left...

[rupie]

thanks everyone, I searched but it only brought up one thread.

[SA Friday]

Duane Thomas, on Jul 2 2009, 07:35 PM, said:

There have been a ton of threads on this in the past. Do a search on "cross dominant" and you'll find more to read on the topic than you ever thought possible.

Keeping both eyes open won't effect the need to turn your head slightly to align the left eye with the sights. I've never really bought into the idea of "keep your head centered and move the gun over" (sorry, Sean). Creating and maintaining "the triangle" (as Robbie calls the relationship of arms to body) is way too important to me to compromise. If it's a choice between having a natural arm and gun position or turning my head an inch to the right, I'm going to turn my head an inch to the right. That won't affect how the gun tracks in recoil; changing my arm position would.

Agreed. I was trying to explain how to get the shooter to initially understand the concept. Turning the head a little is what she does (and everyone else I've worked with on this) instinctively. But initially, you have to get them past the contortions they do with their head and neck. Guess I fixated on the head and neck being cramped up afterward too much.

[leam]

Here's a thread you might find interesting.

http://www.brianenos...showtopic=86762

I'm training myself to be un-cross-dominant, sort of. While drawing I will slightly squint my right (dominant) eye so the sights are lined up with my left. In my case, the shooting isn't real good either way so the delay isn't noticeable.

Here's a thread on what NOT to do...

http://www.brianenos...showtopic=85883

Leam

[megathumpzilla]

I'm cross eyed. Left eye right hand
Archery demands I shoot left handed bows, so I also shoot rifles that way. Pistols my form is pretty good. The hand thing is boggling.
My right trigger finger is more sensitive, so I tend to favor it. Oddly I am currently more accurate single hand with my left, must be a brain side issue. I almost cut the trigger finger main knuckle off working in a cabinet shop, I baby it. I think I may be shooting left handed for a while to see how it goes and sort out what is going on. I may just be able to surprise my left hand better.

I'm a weird case. I grew up right eyed, then damaged my eye, I scared it up in the back. I can see well with it, but their is a scar behind it that runs corner to corner, it's hard to look around. It's also hard for an eye doctor to get a good read on it, so I've had guesstimet lenses in my glasses for a while.
I recently worked with a guy who really got a good read on my damaged eye, and for a while there it was trying to regain dominance, like for the first 2 days. It was really irritating my wife with me pointing at things all day long while I tested it out. Finally went back to how they were, but that was very disorienting. For a day or 2, both eyes were off, the left just less. so.

[t0066jh]

rupie, on Jul 2 2009, 03:31 PM, said:

I Took my 24 year old son to the range today, he wanted to try a new 1911 he bought from his uncle. He knows safety, I showed him grip, stance, and we worked on trigger control. Here is the problem, he is right handed, left eye dominant and his vision is bad in his right eye. One thing is that he needs to get some glasses having never had any in the past. But in navy boot camp the instructor told him to turn his head and line his sights with his left eye? So he has his head turned slightly right looking with his left eye, and when we were done shooting his neck was sore.
We did not have much time to work on this, we had time to address his grip and that was about it. I searched and found a thread about learning to shoot with both eyes open, and I shoot with both eyes open but anyone got any other tips?

I have the same situation Right hand, left eye. For me, the problem was solved with a lot of practice, dry fire practice. Turn the head slight right. Close the right eye, focus on the target with the left eye and slowly draw the gun to a perfect sight picture, then again and again and then faster and faster. Repeat the process 20-30 minutes per day for several days. It becomes natural very quickly.

That's how it's working for me

Joe