# Which hand for the slingshot ?



## halbart

I'm right handed with a right master eye and feel more comfortable holding the slingshot in my right hand for casual shooting. In archery I held the bow in my left hand and, since I would like to try butterfly style, I wonder now which hand to use from the point of view of right-eye dominance? Please let me know what you think. Thanks. Harry.


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## sduncan91

If you are keeping both eyes open while you aim then ideally you would want to draw the bands and pouch in line with your dominant eye. So with a right-eye dominance that means holding the slingshot in your left hand, and drawing the bands back just under your right eye. This keeps the bands in close alignment with the eye you are aiming with. 

However, if you just can't get comfortable holding the the slingshot in your left hand, then you can work around the eye-dominance issue simply by holding the slingshot in your right hand and closing your right eye. This will force your left eye to do the aiming. How well this works depends partly on whether you are aiming instinctively, or if you are using the slingshot forks as a reference point. With instinctive aiming, I feel that it is better to keep both eyes open, as this seems to be more natural for me. If you are an instinctive aimer then you ay find it worthwhile to force yourself to adjust to holding the slingshot in your left hand and keeping both eyes open. If you are using the forks to aim, then I don't think closing one eye will offer any real disadvantages


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## jazz

Hi halbart,

In addition to what sduncan91 said above and which I find informative for me also, I would like to add a list of factors to be considered when deciding on what interests you without telling you what to do. This is mostly from the book "Slingshot shooting" by Jack H. Koehler and by some comments I heard here in the forum, and I must tell you that not all of that I understand fully or take into account; I am still learning, too:

- handedness - left, right, maybe for some people same or irrelevant;

- eye dominance - left, right, maybe for some people same or irrelevant;

- objective/purpose - precision (i.e. target shooting), power (i.e. hunting);

- pulling strength - in sense do you need to pull heavy bands all day long or not? (maybe a subgroup of the above);

- steadiest hand - left, right, maybe for some people both or irrelevant, however I myself do not understand this concept fully since I do not see how a non dominant hand might be steadiest one?, but Koehler does discuss this in the book;

- style of aiming - instinctively or through some aiming method;

- open/closed eyes when shooting, (and is closing one eye acceptable for you when shooting (for some people it is not) or the opposite, is shooting with both eyes open acceptable for you at all (for some people it is not)

- possiby other factors.

I myself am right handed and I should hold the fork with the left hand and pull with the right. The fingers of the dominant hand are stronger also which means that besides stronger pull in general, your fingers would hold the pouch and the ammo in a more secure way.

However, I am left eye dominant and now, so while I am still practicing shooting, I made a trade off: I sacrifised strength, even the strength of holding the pouch, for aiming with my dominant eye, which means that I hold the fork in my right hand and pull with the left.

I do not even try different arrangement because I want to explore all the possibilities with it first. Maybe some day I will try opposite but this works for me now.

I keep both eyes open when shooting.

I practice instinctive shooting, but it does not go without learning how to aim first (at least with me).

I only go for target shooting and some plinking, and only a limited time a day which means that I do not care about fatique.

I have no idea what my "steadiest hand" is..

So, as you see, it is maybe easier to eliminate some factors first and then cope/analyse and adjust to what is left...

A final remark, I know that there are excellent shooters who simply pick up the slingshot and shoot - in any cisrcumstances and in any way because the practice taught them a lot - I and think that they are best of the best.

cheers,

jazz


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## halbart

My thanks to sduncan91 and to Jazz. I occurs to me that I might also be influenced by some years of pistol shooting, right master eye and right hand for the gun being normal. My right hand certainly more steady [ and more 'normal' ] on the fork. however I have been trying the left hand on the fork and to my surprise after a little practise, I was able to hit things; I just have to think 'bow' !

It would be interesting to hear from other 'right-master eye  'right hand on the fork' shooters.

Many thanks

Harry


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## SlingDaddy

Okay, I'm right eye dominant and right handed, but I always hold my frame in my right hand - it just feels natural. I've had to train myself to aim with my left (non-dominant) eye, but then I don't do archery (yet).


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## halbart

Thanks much slingdaddy.

Harry.


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## hawktrainer

I am rite hsnded and do fined it eseyer to hold the sling shot in my rite hand but fined it hard to aim but i do hokd my compound bow in my left but with the sling shot i just carnt keep stedy and fined it hard to draw the band but amibg is eseyer in left hand


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## halbart

Thanks Hawktrainer. I have come to the conclusion that , since my right hand is far steadier than my left, I'm going to stick with it. I see that Gamekeeper John, for example is right shooter hand and right master eye and having seen the way he shoots I'd say that that answers our question.

Harry.


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## SlingDaddy

First, I didn't know that about GKJ - interesting...

Which makes me question my second point, which is that I've decided to try and retrain myself for left-handed hold. I posted a thread a few weeks ago, as I intend to take up archery later on in the year. Basically I don't want my slingshot form to affect my uptake of archery. To be honest I'm not that great with a slingshot yet, so I figure if I'm going to switch it would be better sooner rather than later!


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