Comments on: Cross-Dominance: The Non-Issue

By: Tuan

Tuan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:21:11 +0000

As a LEO I never knew of the condition until the Academy when I started shooting shotguns/rifles. Shooting pistols with my left hand and rifles with my right was normal growing up. I didn’t see anything strange about it until the range master brought it to my attention. They didn’t try to change my shooting preference.

In fact, I now see it as a plus working the streets. If things were to go south and I lost my left side in a gunfight I can stay in the fight with my right. Any advantage no matter how slight is an advantage

By: nima

nima — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:00:34 +0000

Hi,
I am a right handed with left eye dominance. But My coach recommands me to shoot by right hand and right eye. In other word, he doesn’t belive in eye dominance rule. Do you confirm such method?

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:21:52 +0000

Thanks SLG….I guess I will need to try a few options mentioned and see what works best in the long run for me. One other question though…I have a Springfield XD 9mm standard and the slide release is on the left side…so if I shoot left handed with it it is tough to release the slide if it is locked back. I know this is not an issue in a self defense scenario since I keep the pistol with a loaded clip just not chambered…so the slide obviously don’t lock back in this situation…but at the range it is when I load the first clip with the slide locked back as my local outdoor range requires. Right now I have to hold the pistol in my right hand to release slide, then switch to my left to shoot. Any suggestions on this if I choose to keep shooting left handed? Thanks for the help.

By: ToddG

ToddG — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:47:18 +0000

Thanks, SLG!

By: SLG

SLG — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:45:59 +0000

Rich,

If you actually have the ability to choose, you’re lucky. Even though you have taught your left side to handle a rifle, I’d be amazed if you are as dexterous left handed as you are right. If so, then good on you. If not, and if you want to shoot a pistol really well, then you pretty much have to shoot it right handed. You then have two choices. Either do as Todd says in the article and use your left eye while shooting right handed (preferably while keeping your right eye open, but it doesn’t really matter), or learn to close your left eye, only, on demand. I have met many people who could not close one eye, but with time and effort, they trained their eye lid to close on demand. It’s a muscular issue for most, not an impossibility.

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:37:01 +0000

I am left eye dominant and right handed and grew up shooting rifles. Plus I can not close my left eye and have my right eye open….still not sure why…but it has always been that way. So as a kid I learned to shoot rifles left handed and it works great. Now I am shooting a pistol and still trying to determine if I should shoot left handed with the pistol or adjust to a right handed shot. Any suggestions?

By: John

John — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:38:23 +0000

It is a non-issue with most pistol shooting. It is a potential problem with long guns.

By: Bryan Wilson

Bryan Wilson — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:40:51 +0000

I”m right handed but left eye dominant i learned to shoot like this,it really made no difference until i started shooting large cal. I learned real fast. After joining the army i trained my self to shoot with my right eye it became my dominant eye after awhile,Now years later i started wearing contacts and my eyes went back to the way they were when i was younger it is still not that a big deal just something you have to identify and adjust to now i shoot with my right hand and my left eye i still shoot rifles with my right eye and left one closed

By: Kaerius

Kaerius — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:08:31 +0000

I’m lefthanded, yet when I learned to shoot(with rifles), the regular right-handed rifles didn’t feel at all awkward(quite natural actually), so that’s how I learned. I had no idea at the time that I was cross-dominant(besides, it felt natural using my left hand to adjust my aim).

Though as Nightstage, I guess I’m more ambi-ocular, the right is dominant, but I can consciously switch at any time without issues.

With pistols, I just hold it slightly more to the right(two-handed hold), though I could easily switch eye instead, particularly if I wanted to shoot one-handed.

By: ToddG

ToddG — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:11:53 +0000

Rich — I don’t think he shoots with both eyes open regularly.