What is the purpose of finding one's dominant eye, for purposes of shooting (vanity)

8/20/03 | self

[rudy45]

I was reading about a group of women who were being taught to shoot. One of the first things they did was some kind of exercise (which required them to hold one thumb up) to determine their "dominant eye" (?)

What is the importance of the dominant eye? Is this the one eye that you keep open as you're aiming? Thanks.

[Lazamataz]

The dominant eye is the stronger of your two eyes. The dominant eye will judge speed and range, and focus more accurately than your other eye.

[Monty22]

The way I shoot is keep both eyes open and focus with the dominant eye. I hear people complaining that I should squint, but I don't buy it.

[rudy45]

Thanks. Are you familiar with this exercise? What is involved?

[hole_n_one]

here

[Lazamataz]

Thanks. Are you familiar with this exercise?

Yes. I'm an NRA certified instructor in Pistol, Home Safety, and Personal Protection.

What is involved?

I have people make little triangles with their hands and bring them closer and closer to their face. The eye their hands go to is the dominant eye.

[lilylangtree]

What's real interesting is that I'm right-eyed dominant and I shoot and bowl right-handed but I'm left-handed for most other things--writing, sewing, ironing, etc.

[rudy45]

I tried it.... that's neat!!! thanks!!

[Redcloak]

Your dominant or lead eye is what does target acquisition. The other eye then follows the lead eye to the target to give stereoscopic vision. If you attempt to target something with your other eye, the pointing information from the lead eye will try to move the other eye to its target.

You can see this if you look at a distant object. (Something across the room will do.) Alternately cover and uncover each eye with your hand while looking at that object. When you uncover an eye, you'll briefly see two images of the object which then merge. Pay attention to where your gaze ends up after the images merge. When your lead eye is the one that's been uncovered, your gaze will fall off of the object. When your lead eye is the one that's was uncovered the whole time, the image from the other eye will merge into the object. In other words, uncovering your lead eye will cause your field of view to shift. Uncovering the other eye will not cause this shift.

So you can see, pardon the pun, why it's important to sight with the correct eye. Use the wrong eye and the lead eye will attempt to drag your vision to where it's looking.

[LibKill]

I just did that triangle test and my hands hit dead center on my face, not favoring either eye. What to do now?

Please give me your smartass answer first and your serious answer second. :)

[mass55th]

I've had to qualify with departmental weapons once a year for the past 23 years and I was never taught the dominant eye exercise. I use the left eye, perhaps because I am left handed. When shooting the revolver, we are taught to line up the sights, which is easier to do if you use one eye.

[Redcloak]

"Use the Force, Luke. Use the Force."

[Beelzebubba]

Bang

[evolved_rage]

You found your third eye... Now, to find that evil eye....

[LizardQueen]

My dominant eye is also the really nearsighted one. Hubby won't go shooting with me anymore. I'm about as good as that guy in F-Troop.

LQ

[LibKill]

Now, to find that evil eye....

DON'T go there. I have been denying my evil powers for 4 decades. Do NOT encourage me!

The world is better off without my evil eye.

[LibKill]

"Use the Force, Luke. Use the Force."

Did you mean I should fart? :)

[mikegi]

I'm the other way around. I'm left-eye dominant but right-handed. I shoot left handed and when I was a kid out hunting I'd always get ejected crud in my eyes from the right-handed guns. Maybe I'm eligible for a government program!

Anyway, there is one advantage to my configuration: I have an excellent "natural" golf swing. Everyone comments on my swing. I don't play but once a year (if that) because I don't really like the game. I was always baffled by this until I found out about the left eye dominance. When I go into the backswing, my left eye always has a clear view of the ball. Same thing applies to my forehand in tennis. This advantage is turned into a terrible disadvantage when it comes to my backhand.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Try the tests in link # 5

[Katya]

You are probably what they now define as cross dominant, something they work with young children to undo. It's preferable to be left or right dominant, as it can have spatial learning implications.

[Pharmboy]

Doesn't everyone do this automatically?

[VRWC_minion]

Does the military distinguish in training or do they make everyone shoot from the same eye?

[GovernmentShrinker]

There is no consistent correlation between eye dominance, hand dominance, and several other lateral dominances that most people don't have occasion to think about (e.g. lead leg in cartwheel or round-off, twisting direction in aerial somersaults, and kick over leg in a back walkover). This is a fascinating and understudied subject, which I once did some amateur research on (I used to be gymnast and later a gymnastics coach).

The really interesting stuff comes when you look at the difference between average right vs. left dominance in each of these areas in the general population vs. in elite athletes. Watch the hurdlers' lead legs in a world class track meet, then go watch the same at a middle school track meet.

Truly ambidextrous people are rare. One of the most remarkable is the otherwise left-handed tennis great Margaret Court, who won all her championships with her right hand. As a young child, her first coach stuck the racket in her right hand, and she obediently kept it there. But she kept on being left-handed for everything else.

[Age of Reason]

Does anyone ever learn to shoot with either eye, both left and right handed?

[GovernmentShrinker]

The test I find easiest is the one where you hold up your index finger a few inches from your face, and focus on a distant point. With the other hand, cover each eye one at a time. With one eye looking, the finger will stay put in relation to the distant object -- that's the dominant eye. With the other eye, the finger will jump sideways in relation to the distant object.

[T Minus Four]

Oh my gosh, I always wondered about that! I am totally right handed, but I have to do some things lefty because I just can't "see" them right-handed. For instance batting, and shooting a long gun. I can shoot a pistol quite accurately with a right-handed stance, but I can't see down the barrel of a rifle or shotgun holding it against my right shoulder. I kinda suspected it was an eye thing.

[T Minus Four]

...several other lateral dominances that most people don't have occasion to think about (e.g. lead leg in cartwheel or round-off, twisting direction in aerial somersaults, and kick over leg in a back walkover)...

I was in a ski shop last winter and a young lady was renting a snowboard. They asked if her stance was regular or "goofy" (actual technical snowboarding term) and she didn't know, so the guy placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a firm shove backward, to see which leg she stepped back on. She was "goofy", to the amusement of her friend, but I forgot if that means she was left or right "legged".

[marktwain]

I can shoot a pistol quite accurately with a right-handed stance, but I can't see down the barrel of a rifle or shotgun holding it against my right shoulder. I kinda suspected it was an eye thing.

Exactly. Eye dominance is not very significant for pistol shooting, because one only has to shift the pistol about an inch either way to use the dominant eye to sight with.

For long guns, however, if you are cross dominant, that is domiant in eye and hand on opposite sides, such as right handed and left eyed, then you either learn to shoot left handed with long guns or to close or block the left eye. Either method will work, so you choose the one that works best for you.

There have been a few custom guns made that allow a person to shoulder the long gun to the opposite side and use the dominant hand and eye while cross dominant. I have never talked to a person who did this, but it has at least been tried. The guns do look strange and awkward, though.

[demkicker]

The test I find easiest is the one where you hold up your index finger a few inches from your face, and focus on a distant point. With the other hand, cover each eye one at a time. With one eye looking, the finger will stay put in relation to the distant object -- that's the dominant eye. With the other eye, the finger will jump sideways in relation to the distant object.

That's the test which proves whether you're "right eyed or left eyed". You mentioned holding your index finger a few inches from your face, but the way I was alway taught to determine if one was right or left eyed was to raise a straight arm and point to an object, a bulls-eye, if you will. After closing each eye while pointing the finger on an object, it was easily determined if one was left or right eyed. The finger stayed dead on target with the dominant eye, and it jumped waaaay off with the other eye.

[LTCJ]

Does the military distinguish in training or do they make everyone shoot from the same eye?

The Army provides brass deflectors that clip on to the M16 for left handed shooters. The first time you'll see one is the handful at the range the first time you go out. Take a good look - it'll likely be the last one you'll ever see.

The easiest way to determine if a soldier shoots left handed is to strip him to the waste and look for burn marks on his right collarbone. If they're there, you've found a leftie!

[Age of Reason]

In grade school when I first learned to write, I would drive my teacher crazy.

I'd start off using one hand, then I'd switch to the other.

I remember the teacher pausing at my desk while all the students were copying the lesson on the blackboard.

She did a double take, then asked, "Age, weren't you writing with your other hand a few minutes ago?"

"Yes Miss Crabtree," I replied, "but my other hand got tired."

Made perfect sense to me then.

And it still does: Don't people type with both hands?

[Lazamataz]

Does the military distinguish in training or do they make everyone shoot from the same eye?

I don't think they care but usually they seem to let a person shoot in the manner that gets the best results.

[marktwain]

I can shoot a pistol quite accurately with a right-handed stance, but I can't see down the barrel of a rifle or shotgun holding it against my right shoulder. I kinda suspected it was an eye thing.

What I have often seen happen with cross dominant shooters is this: They shoulder the long gun to the dominant shoulder. They then focus on the rear sight with the non dominant eye, and on the front sight with the dominant eye. The brain supperimposes the sight picture on the target, but the bore will actually be lined up far to the right or left. Once you have witnessed this, it makes quite an impression!

It is very hard for cross dominant people to sight through a scope, because they naturally wish to look through their domiant eye. If (not always possible) they can close only the dominant eye, it all becomes clear.

[LTCJ]

Er, waste = waist. Dictionaries are only issued packaged with the brass deflectors.

[Ben Hecks]

"Does anyone ever learn to shoot with either eye, both left and right handed?"

I prefer shooting left handed but learned to switch to right handed when required. In the old days (we're talking M-1 Garand here) you had to reload during the timed firing exercises; it was difficult to reload an M-1 left handed with the required sling on the right arm so I fired those exercises right handed and managed to qualify expert.

[LibKill]

Does the military distinguish in training or do they make everyone shoot from the same eye?

Back in the 'bad old days' of the '70s, recruits in the USMC were right-handed or left-handed (never mind 'dominant eyes')

The leftys were issued a snap-in plastic brass-deflector to keep ejected cartridges out of their eyes.

I never saw one of those brass deflectors after I left boot-camp. (For those among us who are firearms enthusiasts, I am speaking of the M-16A1. If you don't know the difference between an M-16 and an M-16A1, no problem, the M-16A2 came with a built-in brass deflector. The M-16A2 is now the standard weapon of the USMC.)

What happens in this new century, I don't know.

I do know that Marines will make things work as best they can, with whatever they are supplied with.

You could give a Marine a spear. He'd bitch real loud about it. When he was done with complaining he would go on the attack.

[Colonel Jim]

Rudy, in general (with rare exceptions) if you are right handed you favor your right eye and utilize the left hemisphere of your brain for targeting.

Col. Jim

[org.whodat]

Does anyone ever learn to shoot with either eye, both left and right handed?

Yes, just about anyone can. I learned how as a kid with a BB gun, also learned how to shoot with the gun on my shoulder using a mirror, because I saw a trick shooter do it on TV. And like the old fellow with the Ml grand I have one of those ribbon's also, except mine was with an M16.

[RJL]

I just did that triangle test and my hands hit dead center on my face, not favoring either eye. What to do now?

Make the triangle smaller and be sure to keep the target centered in the triangle.

[Ford Fairlane]

Does anyone ever learn to shoot with either eye, both left and right handed?

I didn't "learn" to, but i do

I am right handed, and usually shoot rifles that way, (especially semi autos), and can shoot equally well using handguns with either hand & either eye

My left eye is slightly better, however, & in long range rifle shooting with iron sights i will shoot left handed with my left eye if I feel the right one is letting me down.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

So much crap. Here is a fast way that takes longer to read how than it does to do it.

Just point your finger at an object with both eyes open. Close one eye, then the other, the non-dominate eye will make the finger move off the object, with the dominate eye the finger will remain pointing at the object.

[CarolAnn]

You sound as confused as I am. My dominant eye is my left, but I shoot right handed. I write left handed, and most things that are done under-handed like bowling and pitching, I do left handed. That's all though. Everything else, I do right handed.

My husband gave up on trying to figure out if I was left handed or right handed....

[Tench_Coxe]

Actually I was taught to use both thumbs. Hold one close and one out at arms length. Line them up with both eyes, then close one eye and notice the line up, then do the same with the other eye. One of the eyes should see the thumbs lining up pretty close, compared to lining them up with both eyes open.

I was taught this by my father, who noticed that when I used my right eye, I was trying to hunch over the rifle.

[DrNo]

I just did that triangle test and my hands hit dead center on my face, not favoring either eye. What to do now?

I'd advise you to shoot with your middle hand.

;^)

[John H K]

Cross-dominance is a huge advantage in hitting a baseball, though; I remember reading somewhere that an unusually large number of top baseball hitters bat left and have their right eye dominant, or vice-versa; gives a better look at the ball, nose doesn't get in the way, etc.

[NewRomeTacitus]

There's dominant tendencies and there is what your mind and body is capable of doing. My right wrist was broken for two months but was only a real problem for about a week. I had never thanked God for making two of so many things in my life.

[blackbart.223]

"The dominant eye is the stronger of your two eyes."

Unless you only have one eye. And if the one eye is in the middle of your forehead you have a serious problem.

[blackbart.223]

"The way I shoot is keep both eyes open and focus with the dominant eye. I hear people complaining that I should squint, but I don't buy it."

If I'm using a handgun with iron sights I keep both eyes open but focus on the sights with my right eye. With a scoped handgun or a rifle with or wihout a scope I tend to close my left eye.

By the way, with a shotgun, both eyes open focusing with the right.

[rolling_stone]

Goofy foot means you have your right foot forward....actually they should shove you forward to see which foot you put out to try and catch your balance...that will also usually be the same foot you put into pants first...neat huh!

[gonzo]

"...I have people make little triangles with their hands and bring them closer and closer to their face. The eye their hands go to is the dominant eye..."

Holy Oysters Bienville, Batman, that really works! Good to yak at ya, Laz...........FRegards