# Cross Eye/Hand Dominance



## Artemis

Complete newbie to slingshots, but eager to learn. As an avid archer and coach, I often run into the question of cross eye/hand dominance. I personally am left hand dominant, but right eye dominant. I shoot as a lefty with both eyes open, though have played around with shooting with one eye. Depth wise, it throws me off as an instinctive archer. Wished back in the beginning I would have pushed myself to shoot as a righty to correspond with my right eye. What's everyone's preference with a slingshot? One eye or two?


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## Tremoside

Hello Artemis,

This topic always requires attention and testing when it comes to slingshots. In archery I was using a right handed setup. I'm right hand - left eye dominant. Reversed as you. When slingshots came in again started shooting both hands. Ended up shooting right hand hold left hand pouch/load. My left hand finger dexterity was not that good at the beginning, but it can evolve and did.

The major difference in slingshots is the elastic connection of the system. Even if you have the force that pulls pouch and frame together it is not as "rigid" as a bowstring. This means you have to utilize straight arms strength to control the holding hand. This is one of the reason why people pick right hand hold if they can shoot both ways at the beginning.

The other part of the situation is the aiming. But surprisingly this leads back to shooting style. Your pouch holding hand can be trained via muscle memory and you can use an anchor point on your face, or even a "floating anchor" (many shooters don't like this coined term, but it's easier to visualize) where the only the bands are touching the cheeks. Straight below eye. This anchor point (and training practice for muscle memory) helps a ton to stabilize the pouch hand. THIS results the fact that your front hand has a lot of tasks regarding to aiming. Position to drive the shot AND making a solid foundation to stabilize the shot.

Release is a big factor for accuracy, but that is a whole other topic.

My advice is to try both and go with the one that results in a smaller scatter, and you can comfortably shoot around 1,5-2 hrs in a single session. Do not need to do it for months, but it is good to send at least 1000-1000 shots both hand before picking one.

Hope this helps.

Welcome on the forum!

Tremo


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## tastetickles

I myself had thought I had cross eye dominance for like a week, I retrained myself to shoot with left hand. While the whole situation is silly, my accuracy improved when I swapped back to original right hand but that could be because I now shoot purely using fork reference instead of instinctively. I prefer to keep both eyes open when shooting, it all still boils down to practice.


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## jazz

Hi Artemis,

Welcome to the forum!

This topic has been discussed a number of times here, which you probably did not know, and if you use search function you will probably get more information.

My own thoughts on this are that normally one should hold the frame in the non-dominant hand and hold and pull the pouch with the dominant one. Why - simply because if the draw power is, say, 14 pounds, than it is easier to hold the frame with the whole non-dominant hand than to hold and pull the pouch with only two fingers and on top of that - holding the pouch somewhere across the diameter of the ammo and not in front of it, which would be easy but would cause imprecision. And I am sure that you know that the power of 14 ponds is felt equally at both ends of the setup...

This is more so as the draw power in relation to one's personal physical capabilities and required precision are required.

When one is cross-eye-hand dominant then there is no "rule" but some kind of personal choice which can be brought along some rational parameters:

first, if you need a heavy pull like in some hunting tasks or for any other reason, that is, you need less perfect precision - unlike is required at shooting/target competitions - than you maybe better hold the frame with your non dominant hand and pull with the dominant one, putting your cross-eye dominance aside.

second, if you need perfect precision like is required at shooting/target competitions than you are maybe better off to hold the frame in your dominant hand, lean your dominant eye against the rubber (closer to the rubber) and pull the pouch with your non-dominant hand since you really do not need that much power.

I myself am not either a hunter nor a precision target shooter, just a casual, average shooter, but if I were one I would certainly consider this logic and then decide.

By the way, I forced myself over the years to be able to shoot with either hand so that I can follow the above logic without problems. However, my GENERAL precision is questionable in either case..

I hope this helps,

cheers, jazz


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## Artemis

Thanks so much everyone. Excellent information and I'm excited to give it all a try. I appreciate it!


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## steveewonders

I am right handed and right eyed dominant. During my early stages of shooting i used only the left eye to sight, then moved into opening both eyes. It was blurry and doubled, somehow later the left eye begins to filter what it needs to look down at.

- I'll look forward to trying archery someday.


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## doogie

hey same problem here. I am an archer also shoot compound practice at 60yard. I am right handed but left eye D. One day I woke up and I could hit the target to save my life, I switched from R to L eye very frustrating.

Now I shoot R and L handed, but I like to just close my left eye and and shoot (easier for me to try and master four again). I will use both eyes to make sure the bands are lined up and I have the elevation or air point, close my left eye check and let her fly.


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## urbanshooter

I am quite new to slingshots (not counting the play catapults I had when I was a kid) and I am cross dominant: left-eyed and right-handed. So initially I bought symmetrical frames and tried shooting both ways. A symmetrical frame would be a good way to start if you are not sure and a Simpleshot Scout is probably the go-to since you can also experiment with OTT and TTF shooting with flip-clip ease.

When experimenting, I found that I could shoot left-handed with my non-dominant eye. To do that I just have to squint my dominant eye and force my non-dominant eye to find focus. Once I establish focus I can open both eyes and force target sighting with my non-dominant eye. Over time, it can become automatic to aim with the non-dominant eye though I am not so sure how I might fare when under pressure. I did find shooting that way to be a bit tedious and I realized that while I can, it is forced and I'd rather not.

So, I have since settled on shooting only right-handed. I did have trouble with my left-hand dexterity, particularly when loading up the pouch (butter fingers dropping the ammo like a noob!). However, I am learning and it is still a lot more natural to aim with the dominant eye. I also feel it is more beneficial to keep the aiming natural and just put in the practice to develop my left hand dexterity. Be as it may, slingshots are readily available for either hand hold so it doesn't really matter which hand you shoot with. As long as you are comfortable, you can find the frames to shoot.


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## K_Sling

I just realized last night, at 48 years of age that I was cross dominant. I’m right eye dominant, and a lefty. I shoot guns right handed (normal I suppose) I play guitar righty too. However, I have always since childhood held a bow in my right hand as well as the slingshot assuming my left hand was stronger for the draw. Never ever thought about my eye which is why I have always sucked at archery! And slingshots! Well last night I switched hands and started making good hits in the center of the target. Yay me! Time for push-ups to make a he right arm stronger!


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## ForkLess

Both eyes open, I shoot instinctively.


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## masterofcrappie

I'm cross eyed dominant as well. I'm right handed. I have shot a recurve or longbow since I was a very young child. I always, and still do shoot with both eyes open. During the mid 80s compounds were the rage and I got one only to find out I couldn't focus on the sights and shot horribly. I removed the sights and bam! Shot it lights out. Hmmm. A couple of years ago I got into air rifles. I couldn't use a scope to save my back side. Started keeping both eyes open and man did my groups come together. Enter slingshots, I did hours of research on how to shoot one before I even ordered one. I tried most methods of aiming and was not happy with any of them .I got so frustrated I even ordered some slings with sights. That was a no go as well. In the end, what is working for me is almost the same style I use for shooting longbow. I acquire my sight picture before I even lift my sling hand. Then I begin to raise my sling arm and start drawing at the same time. Immediately release when I hit my anchor point. 
I'm still new to this slingshot thing and by no means am I claiming to be a good shot.
You probably know this being a coach but I'll mention it anyway. Set goals and create and maintain structured practice sessions. How you do that is up to you though. The most important part is to keep it fun. Welcome to the forum and best of luck to you!


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## JPD-Madrid

left hand dominant, but right eye dominant. i think that is correct. you use you left hand to catch your fork and aim with the lower (right) eye. i dont understand your problem.

actually i have the problem and i shoot only with instinctive style. i handle my fork with right hand, but the right eye is the dominant one. i can not aim or find a reference.

I can shoot with accuracy for hunting at long distance. Since now i am having my own slingshot business, i am planning to join the competition to get myself and my product more exposure.

These days i am changing to adopt to aim with left eye by forcing my right rye closed.


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## JPD-Madrid

I do the same as you when i shoot.



masterofcrappie said:


> I'm cross eyed dominant as well. I'm right handed. I have shot a recurve or longbow since I was a very young child. I always, and still do shoot with both eyes open. During the mid 80s compounds were the rage and I got one only to find out I couldn't focus on the sights and shot horribly. I removed the sights and bam! Shot it lights out. Hmmm. A couple of years ago I got into air rifles. I couldn't use a scope to save my back side. Started keeping both eyes open and man did my groups come together. Enter slingshots, I did hours of research on how to shoot one before I even ordered one. I tried most methods of aiming and was not happy with any of them .I got so frustrated I even ordered some slings with sights. That was a no go as well. In the end, what is working for me is almost the same style I use for shooting longbow. I acquire my sight picture before I even lift my sling hand. Then* I begin to raise my sling arm and start drawing at the same time. Immediately release when I hit my anchor point.*
> I'm still new to this slingshot thing and by no means am I claiming to be a good shot.
> You probably know this being a coach but I'll mention it anyway. Set goals and create and maintain structured practice sessions. How you do that is up to you though. The most important part is to keep it fun. Welcome to the forum and best of luck to you!


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## dross80

I'm left eye dominant, but right-handed. Just close the dominant eye. Simplest and easiest way to solve the problem.


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