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From: shootingcoach
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  • just train yourself to use the proper eye ... its wayyyy easier than trying to switch hands. this cross dominant eye thing work ok but it will get weird when you switch between handguns and rifles.

  • being cross eye dominant sucks so bad. ive always had problems with my eyes and my neck and they've always been weird. ive learned to shoot left handed but i can still shoot 3x better with my right hand while closing my left eye. but then i can't see as much. now i hav to turn my head and it feels weird and............well...........­.....fuck

  • i still dont get is it good to be cross dominant or have 1 dominant eye

  • Thank you this was very helpful!!!

  • I really need help.I like shooting but I cross-dominant-I use left hand for writing and right hand for almost everything else.When I shoot with a gun one-handed I can use either hand but I am right eyed.I can't close my right eye and look just with my left eye.When I hold a gun with my both hands I am left-handed but right eyed.I can hold a rifle with both left and right hand but again I'm right eyed I have a lot of problems with aiming. I'm nearsighted too.Does anyone have a recommendation 4me?

  • Oh yeah, that's perfectly understandable with the shots in the background! This just keeps getting better and better. Sorry, but that's just ridiculous.

  • LOL..I'm sorry WTH did you just say? Couldn't hear you over the gunfire ha ha. It's like the bleeping that you hear when they sensor profanity except in this case you hear gunfire hahaha..hilarious

  • Its a shame most instructors don't touch this topic properly and thoroughly! God knows how many people are cross-wired and their shots go ALL OVER THE PLACE because students are clueless.

    Another problem is 90% of the guns are made for righties and if your southpaw you gotta get it custom made and spend 50% more than normal. Not that its a big deal because any pistol can be shot in a ambidexterous fashion, but its the arrogance of the gun lobby that amazes me.

  • Technically your supposed to shoot with your dominant eye open and the other closed so you can line up the gun to the target properly. If your left eyed and right handed it means you should switch to left handed shooting. It will take some adjustments but overall its easy. Just go with a lower caliber round to ensure maximum control. I like the .32acp and .380acp rounds!

  • @GST1974

    Actually, you should shoot with both eyes open. It's much easier to adjust the position of your head (and eyes) than to learn how to shoot with your non dominant hand.

  • @shootingcoach

    I used to shoot with both eyes open and make fine adjustments with my head. Its not as accurate though and the bullet skews left and right slightly but at longer distance, ie 30 yards or more it makes a world of difference. Have you tried shooting weak handed to compensate for being cross wired? I bet its not as difficult as it sounds!

  • @GST1974

    I've been a professional shooter and instructor for more than 25 years now. I shoot both strong hand only and weak hand only on a regular basis. I've shot with the best shooters in the world (Leatham, Enos, Jarrett, et al) and none of them are as good weak hand (or strong hand) only as they are with both hands. You shouldn't make adjustments with your head. If the sights are misaligned, adjust the pistol.

  • @shootingcoach

    I do shoot with both hands, its just that I grip the pistol with my left hand and use the right hand for support rather than the other way around. Sorry if you misunderstood! The reason I do that is so I can bring the pistol left of center directly underneath my left eye. It works great for me, but to each his/her own.

  • @shootingcoach Cross dominancy doesn't really effect pistols. As you mentioned, a turn of all that is needed. The real problem comes from shooting rifle and shotgun. With Cross dominancy, unless the sights are elevated, I cannot get my left-eye low enough to see through my optics or sights while maintaining a proper cheek and shoulder weld.

  • @benner2000

    You are correct, cross dominance is no big deal with handguns. A simple turn of the head is the fix. With long guns, it kind of makes more sense to switch to shooting with the side of the dominant eye. But switching to the non-dominant hand always takes a long time to learn and you suffer a degradation in performance. Another option is to occlude the dominant eye and shoot with the non dominant one. That can be a bit easier to learn and just as effective.

  • @shootingcoach Right, many say I should block my dominant eye and shoot with the non-dominant. I cannot do this for two reasons. First off, my right eye has poorer visions than my left, so by training my right eye to be dominant, would play negatively on my life in its entirety. Secondly, I cannot cover my eye during combat. To me, it seems the only way is to practice as a lefty.

  • @shootingcoach I use my right eye when I shoot rifles. I found that when I shoot pistols I like to use my left eye. My main reason I think I naturally do this is because it gives me a good cheek weld on my arm and keeps my eyes in line with the sights. So I tried my right eye one day, but didn't shoot as good. Maybe I'm used to shooting rifles, but the cheek weld on my arm acually works for me. Have you heard of anyone doing the same?

  • @MrGrumpy891 I know this question was directed to shootingcoach, but I do exactly the same thing... in my case I am naturally cross-dominant and have adapted my right eye for rifles, but I find shooting handguns with my left eye gives me an advantage with that cheek weld. I have taken several private shooting classes and they all seem to agree this is not a negative issue as long as i can keep my right eye open too for perphrieal awareness

  • @GST1974 I have to disagree, with a Caveat. If you will never use a handgun in a defensive situation, then fine. Try to learn how to shoot weak handed.

    However if you rely on a Handgun for defense, then IMHO you should maintain strong-side shooting and deal with the eye dominance issue in another way.

    The reason is very simple. If you are forced into a defensive situation, your brain, body, everything is going to automatically revert to it's natural state. Your strong side.

  • I'm left eye dominate and right handed. I recently switched to firing my AR left handed because I get better focus and sight picture with both of my eyes open on my left side.

    When I shoot pistol, I do not turn my head. I bring the pistol up and line my sights with my left eye. It is a slight adjustment and that is why I did not change to a left handed pistol shooter. I shoot with both eyes open and turning my head would defeat the purpose.

  • I have a small cross-dominance, so I just switch hands.

  • Sucks for me. I'm right eye dominant, right handed, yet i can only close my right eye. I can't close my left eye to shoot with my right. Glorious

  • wow i never thought of that before cant wait to try it. its working great with my finger and doorknob practice. i always get confused when i see 2 sights i sometimes have to quickly shot my right eye to find out which sight im suppose to be aiming with.

  • @TrevorFurlotte

    Sure you can, but if your in a combat situation you always want both eyes open so you get a better field of view and better awareness.

  • Can anyone help me? I am trying to switch my eye dominance to make my left eye dominant instead of my right eye. My left eye vision is 20/20 and my right is 20/80 and it keeps getting worse. Doctors dont know whats wrong, If i pratice can i switch? Id rather lose my week eye over my dominant eye, or does it matter?

  • what about rifles and shotguns?

  • Thanks coach! That's really helpful! More power!

  • fuck being cross eye dominant it sucks

  • Hi will this tip work rifle/scope sights?

  • How would one use this technique while shooting an iron-sighted rifle like an AK or an AR?

  • @DarkstarStatus27 I'm cross dominant and couldn't shoot a pistol for crap until I figured it out. However with long guns I've always been pretty accurate. If you're having trouble maybe try shooting left handed. I know it sounds difficult but its very possible. A scope slow makes things much much easier.

  • What does it mean if when you close your left eye and your finger is to the right to the target?

  • I'm a lefty, but right eye dominant. After over 15 years of shooting, I recently switched to shooting right-handed with pistols. After only a few hundred rounds I'm already better with my right than I ever was with my left.

  • lol if i use my left hand to point, my right eye is dominant, if i use my right hand to point my left eye is dominant, but then again i shoot left and right handed with rifles, and no i'm not crosseyed, i have 20/20 vision. :))

  • Thanks for the tip! I'm right handed and left eye dominant. With rifles I shoot like a lefty, but I can't do it with a pistol, I just closed my left (dominant) eye. Next time I go shooting, I'll definitely try just turning my head. Thanks for the tips!

  • good vid great info, however as has been said below the gun fire in the back ground is very distracting.

  • Wow!! These are great videos! These are great lessons! I don't know anything about guns and was just curious. Thank God I found your channel so I can learn right away from someone that knows for real - not some kid with a video game or something.

    Also I would pay for this kind of training...

  • i couldn't here shit because the guy in the background is triple tapping his 45 acp and still missing the target

  • Helpful but really noisy in the background. It is a gun range tho so whatever

  • Hey does anyone know what happened when I do the point your finger and close eyes thing I see two fingers and when I look at the object after closing and opening either eye my finger is not pointing at the object my finger is pointing off to one side, and the side it is on depends on which eye is closed?

  • @J3rEmY17

    Yes, you are moving your finger. You can only draw a straight line between the object, your finger and one of your eyes. If your finger isn't pointing at the object then you are moving it as you open the other eye.

  • @J3rEmY17 Yes, you either have neither eye dominant or they are nearly equal. I have the same thing. Practice without a gun and learn which of the images is coming from which eye.The image on the left side is coming through your right eye. Aim with that one.

  • what if you get a double image of the front sight with both your eyes open? i have that problem, I can't actually keep it either way. Is there anything i can do to help that?

  • @AlasdairDawson

    If you are right handed: Place a piece of cellophane (Scotch) tape on the left lens of your shooting glasses. It should be positioned so that when your arms are fully extended, you cannot see any farther forward than your wrists. This will occlude your vision of the sight while allowing full field of vision and depth. If you look closely at the left lens of my shooting glasses, you will see an example.

  • will that eventually train my right eye to the point where i won't need the cellophane?

  • @AlasdairDawson

    Depends. For some people it does, others no.

  • @shootingcoach thanks for all your help. ^.^

  • @shootingcoach i shoot all my pistols with my right hand and im left eye dominate, for some reason it came natrual os it was never a problem. one thing i recently discovered it ive been having trouble shoot rifles with scopes on them, i have to shut my left eye and look through with my right eye, i cant keep both eyes open and see anything. well i never shoot that well. until i discovered left handed bolt actions, now i can keep both eyes open and see just fine now that im using my left eye.

  • @shootingcoach just taking some time to get used to trigger pull with my left hand now, just think its weird i shoot pistols righty and rifles lefty.

  • Thanks for this helpful tip. I was having difficulty hitting the target but when I tried this it made me realize that I shoot right handed but am left eye dominant. Funny thing is I never had a problem shooting a rifle with my right eye and do alot of 22 rifle practice and hit pretty much dead on every time.I don't know if that makes sense or not.

  • I was messing around dry firing in my bedroom and turning my head seemed to be a good idea. Now, it's been confirmed!!! Thanks shootingcoach!!!!

  • i did as you said and i was proved to have a right dominant eye, but when i aim with it i see 2 seperate idols of the sights, which never happens when i turn my head to aim with my other eye.

  • Thanks mate. I really appreciate your help. Keep the good work up. Love your videos.

  • @3vegemite The cross-dominant tip worked for me as I am cross dominant. I obviously always did it naturally without knowing what I did. But thanks for explaining. That can really help me improve my shooting skills.

  • So what happens if neither eye is dominant? :)

  • Good video, except for the asshole that was shooting while you were to talking. Pretty rude if you ask me.

  • Your awesome thanks for all these professional tips =)

  • Wow. Huge difference. Thanks.

  • Hello, I am cross dominant (right hand, left eye), and I have already tried this with a hand gun. it works well, but my father wants me to learn iron sights on a rifle also, and it is hard to turn my head when the cheek rest is in the way...any suggestions?

  • One way on how I could tell is that my left eye opened wider than my right eye. So that's another way of telling I guess. Considering I'm Cross-Dominant, I'm guessing whoever made the scope that would adjust off to the left was Cross-Dominant as well.

  • hey coach, as a child i was right handed and when i was learning to shoot i couldnt hit a target for squat, and i did that thing and found out i was left eye dominant, i started shooting left handed ( 8 or 10 years old) im at the point now where im almost ambidextrous, right hand still being my best but i am more then capable on my left hand reloading, and controls such as right handed bolts (nuisance) and 1911 safetys

  • Umm..

    im a soldier, i got jericho gun and i notice that my dominent eye is the wrong one-->your solution migth work for a gun, but in m16 mafro-light aim\regular metal aim its going to be a problem beeing cross eyed what can i do?

  • This is very helpful. I always held rifles to my left cheek, but my new .45 has to be held in my right hand. I was trying to adjust the positions of my hands, but this is easier and obviously the way to go.

  • how can I aply this to ifle shooting?

  • You have to learn to shoot with the side your domint in. Otherwise you'll be doing what I use to do. Instead of the cheek on the side of the stock. The damn thing is on the top and you feel the recoil even more and it hurts more. Not to mention being unable to hit your target. Tom Gresham said in an episode of Gun Talk, is how I found out that if you are cross domint. You need to learn to shoot with the side that is domint. I hope this helps you.

  • I'm right handed, and left eye-dominant, I just shoot left handed, it works well for me

  • That's okay if you jus want to be an ordinary everyday shooter. But for those wishing to excel or be the best shooter they can be, it won't work. Once you move into advanced shooting like IPSC, etc. you will be handicapped. You won't be as adept at drawing, reloads, etc. with your left hand if you are right handed.

  • I do agree with that. I'm trying to get my left handed dexterity up by writing left handed and doing other things left handed, but it will never be as good as my right.

  • I saw you established your dom eye I also have a different way you can get the same result slightly easier. Put both hands out in front of you and make a large diamond with both hands,(hands out flat) like diamond Dallas page in wwe, close the diamond and pick an object past your hands just so you only see the object and then slowly bring your hands back to your face. You will automatically bring your hands back to your dominate eye. If any questions on it I'll make a video for you to clarify.

  • Thanks for the vid! I asked this question on one of your videos months ago. I am a right handed left eye dominant shooter, and I naturally started turning my head as you say here.

    I wish it was that simple for rifles! I have to use my non-dominant eye, no way around it.

  • left handing it, or holo sights.

  • I'm having all kinds of trouble with this. I've done the tests and determined (I think) that I'm left-eye dominant. So, when I draw from the holster, should I already have my right eye closed? Or, should I have both eyes open, point my gun at the target, then close my right eye, and finally tilt my head to line-up with my left eye? Help!

  • I guess I'm confused on why you need to tilt your head at all...why not just keep your LE open, right eye closed, and aim that way (for being RH)? I've tried doing this and end up closing my LE, lining the sites up with my RE, and then opening my LE, closing my RE, tilting my head, and then fire.

    Please post a step-by-step process starting with both eyes are either initially open while or one is closed when getting ready to draw from the holster.

  • because then it looks like you're aiming like in a video game where the gun it off on the side...so you aren't aiming.

  • When I do it, I already have my head turned to bring the gun up in front of the left eye. You practice and it becomes natural.

  • I've intuitively taught myself how to do this, but what should I do when I shoot a rifle? I spent over 5 years in the Marine Corps shooting everything right handed/right eyed until I found out, recently, that my left eye is dominant(No one told us about this in training, amazingly).

    I've adapted how I show a pistol, but should I switch to my left hand for a rifle? Any info would be appreciated. Thank you!

  • People told me to switch to shooting leftie, but it just doesn't work. I close my left eye. I have found, however, that holographic sights still work with both eyes open. Score another point for holographic sights.

  • It took forever but I have eventually trained myself (for airsoft since I don't have brass flying in my face) to shoot left handed. Other than that having stocks at the full length of pull or using a holo sight usually fixes the problem.

  • @aluisious I have an EoTech on my Robinson XCR and I LOVE it.

  • I am cross-dominant RH/LE. However, when I reflexively pull out a pistol, I automatically bring sights up to my left eye. Is there any issue with doing this instead of turning my head? I feel naturally comfortable doing so. Should I be aligning it with where my right eye would be and turn my head instead, or continue with what I normally do?

  • I am the same way, right handed/left eyed, but what I do is more of a head-cock than a turn, as he explains in the video. If you're finding yourself on-target without trouble, I wouldn't worry about it.

  • I don't see how you can hold a pistol in front of your left eye with your right hand without having a weird stance...unless your arms aren't the same length.

  • ... You simply do not extend your arm to exactly full length.

  • Then how do you have a neutral stance?

  • Conditioning and practice to accept my current stance as my default stance.

  • Comment removed

  • Your .02 isn't worth anything. Why are there so many people who don't think. There is no camera man. I am in a controlled environment, any direction I point the gun while filming is a safe direction. Otherwise it wouldn't be pointed that way.

  • i shoot all my firearms with both eyes open, closing an eye can lead to crossing of the target and miss alignment, especially in shotgunning

  • lol dood needs to stop shooting so we can hear the GODDAMN VIDEO

  • hey coach im i right hand dominant and my right eye is also my dominant eye but for some reason i cant close my left eye what can i do to solve this problem should i shoot both eyes open?

  • As a general rule, you should always shoot with both eyes open.

  • so should i just shoot with one eye open? cuz if my right eye is my dominant eye, then that is the one i should be aiming with right?

  • if ur right handed and right eye dominant u shuld shoot both eyes open with the sidearm in line with your right eye.

  • Well, that would explain why i've been shooting to the right. Turns out im left eyed

  • I want to know about neutral dominance. Using your technique for determining dominant eye I either see two fingers or two doorknobs. I am right handed and have to close my left eye just to get one sight to focus on.

  • another way to do it is look at something about 10 to 15 ft from you hold up both hands infront of you and touch your index fingers and thumbs to make a diamond shape , now just slowly pull your hands to your face as you look through the iamond and whatever eye your hands go to is your dominant eye

  • One eye is dominant. It is impossible to be any other way. Due to the distance between your eyes, you cannot draw a straight line from both eyes to one object. That is why it is important to pick a small object like a doorknob to point your finger at.

  • ShootingCoach, it is possible for people to be central vision dominate or for there to be Indeterminate eye dominance. Check out the shootinggazette website for a good read on the different eye types.

  • wow, thanks, thats been a real problem for me that i have been wondering about. i am right handed but my left eye is my dominant eye.

  • Thats how I shoot pistol (well, used to when we could inThe UK!).

    I can shoot rifle with either eye/hand.

    Nice ot see that automatic safety check at 1.42 before the weapon is pointed at the camera. Good video. Thanks.

  • Thanks! I'm right eye dominate, but going blind in that eye, so need to start shooting with my left. Now I know it's just a tilt of the head! Time to start shooting IDPA again!!

  • thanks

  • I am having trouble using a scope on a rifle I am dominant left eye and right handed. Should I be shooting left handed?

  • thats how i do it.

  • I shoot rifles left shoulder while shooting pistols with left hand..

    . Upside is I am starting to be ambi, I can almost shoot using both hands now hehe

  • Yeah especial if you've got a lever or semi auto rifle. Bolt action can be a pain....But if you are using bolt action then You are probably more worried about hitting first round than getting a quick follow up anyway.

    Shoot left handed With rifle, and right handed like the video shows with pistols.

  • I have been closing one eye, not the best thing to do but using a bolt action rifle is a pain to do when its in the left shoulder.

  • I shoot rifles left handed and pistols right handed :)

  • @rdnkdrhuntr  me to i seem to be fine with the riffles but suck with pistols

  • thanks I have that very problem

  • Great videos! Thank you and keep up the awesome work!

  • I'm applying for special forces. How can I solve this with a rifle? and under stressed conditions?

  • Don't stress over it too much bro. You're headed to the right place, they will train you. You've got more to worry about before you get to that stage, trust me.

  • I have the same issue. My recommendation is to practice left handed shooting. Not only for eye dominance but also just for practice. You may not have a choice over which hand you're using one day and it's always better to have practiced before hand. Commonly called weak handed or support drills.

  • Interesting tip. Thanks. My brother is cross-eye dominant.

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