right handed/left handed

[Sparra]

Gaday Fella's,Just wondering if any of the right hand shooters have tried to shoot a left hand curve or longbow right handed.I know its awkward with a compound but shooting off the shelf with a trad.bow might be easier????
Regards...Sparra

[Axe]

Tried it at targets a coupla times, don't work for me, have enuff dramas trying it normally :? :)

[Glenn]

I have seen other people switch, but I can't do it at all...Glenn...

[pete w]

I have a friend that shoots both ways very well.
Fro me it is a lost cause.I am better throwing an arrow than shooting lefty.

[ed]

I shoot with a left handed friend each weekend and so we usually swap bows for a couple of rounds. My grouping is a fair bit larger but nowhere as large as I was with my right hand at the same amount of practice time.

This is normal, you will be going back to the beginning but you should have some transfer of skill from one side to the other and so learn the skills quicker (has been shown in all sorts of experiments done by sports medico's and physio's). I think it is just remembering how crap you were after 20 shots with your prefered hand rather than trying to compare it to how good you are with it now.

From what I have read there have been many competetive archers that have had to switch hands due to shoulder problems on their drawing arm and have done very well.

Given that eye dominance is considered by many more important than handedness then maybe this is the issue many suffer when trying to shoot "off-handed". I would think this could be countered by squinting (or closing but this leads to distance calculation hassles) the far eye.

[Axe]

Given that eye dominance is considered by many more important than handedness then maybe this is the issue many suffer when trying to shoot "off-handed". I would think this could be countered by squinting (or closing but this leads to distance calculation hassles) the far eye.

Yeah Ed, I believe the eye dominance is the critical factor, and squinting may be ok, but shutting one eye, depth perception suffers. Having said this I know that Mark Kimber of Huntsman Bows, switches hands periodically, doesn't squint or shut his eye, may be "neutral dominant"? .
As with many things, the "rules" don't always apply to everyone & switching works, alas not for me :(

[Bowmancam]

Can you fellas give me a quick run-down on the dominant eye test. I think it goes something like : pick a point in the distance then extend your arm, make a circle with your hand with your chosen target in the middle. Then you bring your hand towards your face and it will eventualy line up with your dominant eye. I've found that by changing the hand i circle my target with also changes my dominant eye eg; when i extend my right arm my right eye is dominant and vice versa with my left.... :?

Maybe i'm just a cross-eyed hillbilly :shock: ( i wish dad hadnt married his sister :roll: :wink: :lol: )

So how do i find out my dominant eye????

Cheers, Cam

[Reece]

Just point at something with both eyes open. Don't move your hand. Whichever eye is looking along your finger to what you were pointing at is your (most) dominant eye.

[ed]

patience Axe ;) from what you have posted before i gather you have been bowhunting for years and as a physio I am sure that you could shoot off-handed if you gave it some time and paid attention to form etc.

I am a bit left eye dominant but shoot right handed mostly so I have to squint to get my right eye dominant for the shot. When I switch I still squint with my right eye to avoid any possible conflict out of habit. At first I did close one eye but found it to be too much guesswork for distances.

The biggest hassle with switching sides the first time was paying close attention to form - making it as identical to the other side as possible so as to get the maximum transfer of skills from one side to the other.
Much the same is done with footballers and many succeed at it, but it takes a lot of time (almost as much as it did the first time on the preferred side) and many just won't put in the effort. As for you Axe, would you train one arm less at the gym? Not picking on you, but that is the equivalent. As a martial artist I would not feel happy with myself being unable to do things the other side and even used to box southpaw more often than normal - to annoy the opponent obviously.

[tracker]

Can you fellas give me a quick run-down on the dominant eye test

Thumb to thumb and index finger to index finger... make a small diamond.

Hold the 'diamond' at arms length and look at something a long way away.

Slowly bring the 'diamond' in towards your eyes.

The eye that the diamond finishes in front of is the DOMINANT eye.

I am left eye dominant but shoot right handed. I believe Howard Hill suffered from the same problem. :lol:

Mick.