What determins L/H or R/H bow?

[Sagitarian]

What does it for you handedness or eye dominance?

I am R/H but left eye dominant.
So I have to close my dominant eye to shoot my R/H bows.

Left hand is pretty weak in comparison but can still shoot nearly as straight but feels awakward. Both eyes open though.

[StevenB]

some say eye dominance


others say hand.

[Robert43]

Iam rh leye dom I have tried left handed bow = a wastw of $ & time just close your eye , wear apatch or even a milk ( plastic) carton patch in a pair of sun glasses or even go to St vinnies get a old pair of glasses remove both lens & in the left black lens or the milk carton lens.
I myself just close my eye , but this ia also due to me wearing glass to shoot :(

[Sagitarian]

Yeah but which is right?

I am tending towards eye dominance, which sucks a bit. :cry:

[Sagitarian]

At a disclosed range, eg: range, field, etc. closing or covering the eyes fine.

For hunting and moving targets its a loss kinda isnt it?

I can close my eye and shoot ok ATM but befor I put more time, effort and money into it I want to get in sorted in my head.

[Robert43]

[q

Left hand is pretty weak in comparison but can still shoot nearly as straight but feels awakward. Both eyes open though.[/quote]
So why would you want to go left handed as you said it feels awakward. Just stay right handed
I will give you a nother reason to say right handed have you ever tried to get some thing left handed?
All most nothing in stock , when you sell some thing you near have to give it away, and try to find something second handed :(

[Robert43]

To be honest I dont hunt so I dont worry about that :D

[Progen]

Actually, it doesn't matter. Seriously, it does not matter at all. With enough practice and guidance, anyone who's not blind or handicapped can be trained to shoot good scores with either hand regardless of eye dominance. I'm a righty who's left eye dominant but I shoot left handed equipment. Tried and gave up once, then tried again and after two weeks, no sweat.

[Sagitarian]

Yeah I'd just get a lefty and practice till I felt comfortable and got stronger, if thats what I decide.

Doesnt matter what hand bow you want your probably going to wait too long (1 month) for the shop to order it in.

L/h are harder to sell but you get good deals on any they cant sell sometimes.

[Robert43]

Yeah I'd just get a lefty and practice till I felt comfortable and got stronger, if thats what I decide.

Doesnt matter what hand bow you want your probably going to wait too long (1 month) for the shop to order it in.

L/h are harder to sell but you get good deals on any they cant sell sometimes.
You will be soory :D

[Marcus]

You should always shoot dominate hand over dominate eye.

[Patchy]

You should always shoot dominate hand over dominate eye.

Exactly biomechanics are far more important than slight variations in visibility

[Progen]

You should always shoot dominate hand over dominate eye.

Exactly biomechanics are far more important than slight variations in visibility

Psss, I don't think biomechanics is the right term here unless you're assuming that Sagitarian is not built equal on both sides. :lol:

Following hand dominance will allow you to progress faster because you don't have to waste time getting used to shooting with a 'strange' hand.

[New Tricks]

I reckon if you shoot stickbows, go hand, wheels, go eye.

[Brocky]

:focus:
What determins L/H OR R/H bow.

THE WINDOW SIDE OF THE BOW :o

[Robert43]

:focus:
What determins L/H OR R/H bow.

THE SIDE THE WINDOW OF THE BOW IS ON :o
:rofl: :silly: :multi:

[StevenB]

You should always shoot dominate hand over dominate eye.

Exactly biomechanics are far more important than slight variations in visibility

Psss, I don't think biomechanics is the right term here unless you're assuming that Sagitarian is not built equal on both sides. :lol:

Following hand dominance will allow you to progress faster because you don't have to waste time getting used to shooting with a 'strange' hand.


Progen, are you saying that your muscle tone is the same for both sides of your body?


Have a look at a woman naked, one breast will sit higher than the other as the muscles on that side of the body are more toned.

Also your fine motor skills will be beter on the dominant hand side.

[Sandy Hancock]

Archery is a sport which requires strength, coordination and finesse. Aiming is (relatively) unimportant, especially with recurve archery.

Go with hand dominance. A lazy eye can be trained more easily than a clumsy hand.

[Progen]

...

Progen, are you saying that your muscle tone is the same for both sides of your body?



It is now. :D Been shooting lefty for close to a year. I know it feels like crap the first time you try it. Even at 6 to 7 metres, I couldn't hit a BIG balloon so I gave up. Thing about me was I had been shooting off and on for many years but never had a qualified coach with real interest in the sport so I thought it didn't matter which hand I used, it'd still be from square one if I wanted to get serious. Tried it again a month after and it didn't feel so bad if you talk yourself through every shot. After 2 weeks, it just became second nature.

The main reason was I had difficulty closing my left eye. Need to screw my entire face up for that. (Let's not get into the pirate thing again, recurve_boy, :lol: ) The right eye can be closed easily but I don't need to. :wink:

[Brocky]

Big balloons are hard to hit. I would suggest you stop trying to hit the people standing in the baskets below the balloon.

[reversehaven]

hmm. i'd say go with dominant eye. Dominant hand can be trained, but no matter what you can't train a dominant eye, and definitely, like progen's experience, most people will probably be at a disadvantage shooting with their non-dominant eye. With eyepatches, the disadvantage still stays there. Face it, it's much harder to focus on the target.

Dominant hand.... well, it's more of like just training to write with your left hand when you normally do with your right. Could prove frustrating at the start, but in the long run, i'm sure it has some benefits. I know one top singapore archer who is originally right handed but shoots using her left cuz of her left eye dominance. In fact, not just one. A whole group of them. All from the same club.

[Progen]

So there's a Lefty but we're not Lefties club in Singapore, huh? Better not let those fellas get into any Olympic trials. :lol:

Actually, reversehaven, you CAN train the non dominant eye to take over without having to close the dominant one. Simply concentrate on it for a while and it'll take over. Just that if you lose concentration, the dominant one comes back and you'll get an arrow in the GREEN zone - somewhere in the grass and soil.

[Sagitarian]

Ok shot targets and went hunting today with this topic in mind, and am no closer in my decision.

Mainly becuse the whole issue of deepth perception is delt with befor one draws the bow.

If the targets moving your tracking it anyway.

However it does take a lot longer (3 bunny hops) than ones reflex or instinct, to reaquire & sight with the nondominant eye.

I guess because your reflex is to shot from the dominant eye. The delay comes from the slight hesitation and then forcing the non dominant eye to take control.

With practice the delay will reduce now im more concious of it, as 3 bunny hops seems about 1.5sec and enough time for them to hop out of sight in medium dense vegitation.

[Progen]

Wear a patch to the hunt and tell them you got an eye busted in a prizefight where you killed the other guy for mucking with your eye. :robot:

See, I bet the Borg's left eye dominant too.

[Sagitarian]

LOL

Nah I already look like a pirate too much.

[Sagitarian]

I would not advise you to wear a eye patch in the bush, and poke you in the other eye if you wore it hunting. :wink:

Serious you need your senses, including peripheral vision and deepth perception hunting.

I dont now about Malaysia but there are some nasty critters that would be happy to bit, claw, tusk, poision or gauge at your blind side in Oz.

Plus obsticals, its just not a good idea unless your missing a eye...

Then go :robot:

[Progen]

Tonnes of nasty buggers in our forests too. That's why I ain't going in. :lol:

[Brocky]

Talk about a back flip :roll:

[Keith Langmead]

Personally I'd always advise to go with eye dominance for two reasons :

1) When shooting you want to stay as relaxed as possible, with only those muscles required to shoot being tense. Closing one eye automatically tenses that side of your face. It's a minor thing, but why start out with something that's going to be detrimental to you.

2) If you're a target archer, especially shooting compound, having the vision from the other eye comes in handy, especially at long distances, since at full draw all you can see through the peep is the target face, not any of the things around it like the target number. It's easy to end up pointing at the wrong target, but with your non-dominant eye you can confirm which target you are on each shot.

[c3]

This has gone around quite a few times before.

I've asked the question before also and have never heard a contrary word.

My thesis is that there are no cross dominant champions in archery, ever, at the elite level. At least no one has been able to point one out with the exception of Marcus' dad on the Aus Olympic team.

So basically Sagitarian, you are screwed. That right/lefty combo you have going will never resolve it's self :agrue:

Being the lefty that I am, I'll suggest that it is much easier to go with your dominant eye, but of course none of these opinions can be proven unless we can sample every past Olympic and World Champion :)

Cheers,
Pete

[Progen]

...
My thesis is that there are no cross dominant champions in archery, ever, at the elite level. At least no one has been able to point one out with the exception of Marcus' dad on the Aus Olympic team.
...

Anyone knows the Korean team personally? :D I'm sure at least one or two of them must be left handed but no one can tell because all of them were forced to shoot right handed equipment. Same as it is where I am.

[Marcus]

My thesis is that there are no cross dominant champions in archery, ever, at the elite level. At least no one has been able to point one out with the exception of Marcus' dad on the Aus Olympic team.


He also won the Monaco Cup which was a huge international shoot just before the Olympics. Like winning Vegas back then.

FITA has studied this and found that more elite archers shoot dominate hand over dominate eye.
Its quicker and easier to close an eye than it is to train your opposite hand.

[Eberbachl]

If you're right handed, shoot a right handed bow.

If you're left handed shoot a left handed bow.

'nuff said.

:bday:

[Progen]

Yeah, that we know, Lukey, but what about the lefties with the right dominant eye and the righties with the left dominant eye?

ps. I have a bad feeling about this, Chewie. Some major humour's coming up. :bday:

[Marcus]

Yeah, that we know, Lukey, but what about the lefties with the right dominant eye and the righties with the left dominant eye?


If you're right handed, shoot a right handed bow.

If you're left handed shoot a left handed bow.

'nuff said.

At what point did he say "nuff said..except"
nuff said is nuff said.

[Progen]

Any truly ambidextrous guys in archery? 8)

[Marcus]

Yep Noel Ferris
Dude shot day of the National field with me RH and we were neck and neck, day 2 and he shot a different RH bow left handed and we tied.
Impressive.

[Eberbachl]

Yeah, that we know, Lukey, but what about the lefties with the right dominant eye and the righties with the left dominant eye?

ps. I have a bad feeling about this, Chewie. Some major humour's coming up. :bday:

Shut one eye or wear a patch of some description if it's too big a deal.

Problem solved.

:P

[Marcus]

removing an eye also changes eye dominance quick.

[John K]

Pauline Edwards shot both right and left handed at international level during her time as a recurve archer.

http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/watch/archery/personal_story.htm

[frommy]

Jim Larven also swapped from right to left in the mid 90's I think. Don't know what he shoots now.

[c3]

Sorry Marcus. I didn't mean in any way to bag on your dad at all. Honestly he is the only cross dominant person I've ever heard of that has been at the top.

It doesn't mean that there aren't more of them out there, just that until I hear of others who've made it into the top echelon, I won't believe that it doesn't have a negative effect on your ability to advance to the top in our sport.

Cheers,
pete