How to fix cross-eye dominance for handgun shooting

[@stevenschwartz1209]

I'm naturally left-handed but have an astigmatism in my left eye which makes the focus in that eye less clear than my right eye. So, I'm right eye dominant. I have been forcing myself to shoot using my left eye for years with moderate success. I went to the range yesterday and decided to let my right eye take aim using your suggestions in this video. It made a difference in my accuracy and felt more comfortable. Thank you!!

[@nligman]

I turn my head oh so slightly and tuck my cheek into my shoulder as though my arm were a stock, an my pistols stays in line with my forearm. I find that the gun and I work more like a single unit this way. Cross eye Dom people are some of the best pistol shooters around.

[@sectech221]

I used this method in basic training. Taught by my Drill SGT. Who has numerous tours and training under his belt. Worked for me. Did 2 tours in Iraq. Well, obviously I'm still here so it must have worked pretty well. Some people commenting on this, should never, EVER reproduce. Just saying.

[@oliverallen5324]

I found this while doing some dry fire practice. Between my two sight pictures, my left eye was more solid and easier to focus on. I think this is going to make a big difference in my training. Thank you for sharing.

[@Crusible05]

Great Great Great! Found out I was cross eye dominate after I picked up my first handgun yesterday. My father was shooting dead on with my handgun and I was shooting way left. Very informative and I can't wait to get out on the range and get use to moving the firearm "3 inches to the left(haha). I thought I was "broken" Thanks very much!

[@SteveJohnsonPHANTOM1984]

I figured this out years ago. Im Left eye dominance and Right handed . And this the way i learned to shoot and I don't miss. This way works perfect FOR ME. As for rifles i shoot left handed ..Simple for me and Ive shot expert for years.

[@pjamese3]

I'm right-handed and left eye dominant (learned that in archery class in college.) I've been shooting for decades in the Army (shooting extra .45 and 9mm ammo on range detail and in my personal life) and what I find works best for me is keeping my stance and arms in the same position and just slightly rotating my head. Try it. To get the idea, assume your stance, close your left eye and sight down your barrel (or point your right finger.) Then close your right eye and open the left. When the sight picture jumps, just rotate your head slightly until it lines up. Easy! For shooting the M16/M4, I just had to suck it up and shoot with my right eye. It would be stupid to shoot left handed.

[@drossi101]

That's how I do it too

[@Nonofmybiznez]

I've found if I just blink my dominant eye (left) a couple of times while obtaining a sight picture with my right eye, the right eye takes over dominance. I'm a sharpshooter and never even knew I was cross dominant. Not sure my method will work for everyone but now I'm curious. I've never thought about it before. I like how easy your method works too.

[@pjamese3]

Raindancer Yeah, when I'm firing a rifle, blinking helps my right eye take over. I do find that if I'm shooting multiple targets (like an Army M16/M4 qualification target - 4 rounds per target simulating different distances) my eyes start to get tired and blink. By the time I'm on my 2nd magazine, it's difficult focusing my sight. Do you have that problem also? The best fix I found for it was sneaking an eye patch over my left eye while qualifying.

[@Draco51]

im cross eye dominant but i shoot right handed....what i do is i move my head and keep the hand gun lined up with the center of my chest....i close my right eye and use my upper arm like the cheek rest of a rifle and aim with my left eye....it actually works really well

[@epheronyt]

I found out I was left eye dominant as a right hand dominant shooter today. Thank you this was very informative.

[@funshootin1]

this has become an interesting subject for me, my son is left eye /right hand dominant . I had a similar issue , what I found that works for getting the basics of shooting to a successful level is occluded type sights.. as a 11 yr old I was allowed to take the family c02 crossman revolver out and never did great with the irons.. I mounted an armson occluded eye type sight made for 3/8 rails to the crossman vent rib and everything clicked .. those not familiar with the armson or other occluded sights popular in the 80s they're the forerunner to dot sights using fiber optic light collection deal up front and a blacked out tube with a dot.. shoot both eyes open and your brain blurrs out the dark tube but sees the dot and super imposes it over your target. .optical trick, brain games. .whatever it is its great. if you happen to find a sight like it try it out

[@Xioun123]

Surely learning to shoot with the other hand would be good if you were also going to shoot weapons other than pistols. That way you'd already be used to shooting with your non-dominant hand on the trigger, so it wouldn't take any more getting used to and you wouldn't find yourself in a position of using one hand for one type of gun and your other hand for another type of gun.

[@kaifuhsiao1947]

Thank you for your explanation. I am right-handed and left eye dominant. For a while, I thought I was the exception of people that had this issue

[@mStiltner89]

Grew up in a hunting family. Always shot rifles (22 to deer rifles) with my right eye. When I was a teenager, I got a pistol and discovered very quickly my aim was bad. I'm cross eye dominant and never knew. Rifle sights were never a problem, but with pistols I have to shoot left eyed.

[@tauneutrino1able]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant, taught myself to shoot with my left at 5 with a BB gun, and I'll say go with moving the gun the 3 inches! IT'S HELL FINDING LEFT HAND HOLSTERS AND ACCESSORIES!

[@gregorypulawski306]

Another solution for pistol is Center Axis Relock (C.A.R.) method of shooting by Paul Castle. (Nose always blocks one eye so can shoot both eyes open and only one has image of sight.)

[@randalljames1]

well as a "cross eye" dominant shooter, I wish it was that easy.. I spent most of my life "moving" the gun over the 3" and shooting (not too bad either), however, accuracy suffers in my case.. Really did not know how much so until in training, it came time to work on shooting weak side.. While the "mechanical" part of shooting was a bear to start, accuracy went up a lot.. I am still not comfortable shooting weak side as a primary shooting style, I do know I have better trigger/aim point control shooting weak side.. Solutions? Well as my strong hand/dominant eye accuracy simply has plateaued, I am going to start working on getting my weak eye to pick up by taping off the inner 1/3 of my shooting glasses on my dominant eye.. SO FAR with zero range time, I find it very easy to use my weak eye as the opaque tape on the glasses simply blocks out the dominant eye from the process of aiming.. Feels very natural (key point is it feels good)

[@Nonofmybiznez]

I've found if I just blink my dominant eye (left) a couple of times while obtaining a sight picture with my right eye, the right eye takes over dominance. I'm a sharpshooter and never even knew I was cross dominant. Not sure my method will work for everyone

[@ryanwillett728]

My 16 year old son is Left eye, right hand. He can and does shoot either hand with a Rifle and bats both hands comfortably. When it comes to pistol, he gets into a strange variant of the weaver. I have tried to teach him left handed as you say not too. He can do it, but says it's not a natural feel. With that said, I need you to address some basic marksmanship principals here. If you shift the weapon over 3 inches, it changes the natural alignment of the firing hand and bone support. How do you account for the change in form and no longer supporting the weapon correctly?

[@likeorasgod]

+Ryan Willett instead of moving the gun over tilt it slightly. Not side way gangster style, but just a slight bit to bring the sites more in line with your left eye. I'm right handed and left dom. I shoot long shots with my left hand but short pinker shots I shoot rifle right. It didn't become an issue until I started to shoot pistols more. All ways was shooting kinda to the left of the target. I had an instructor tell me to tilt it just a bing "\" and that has made my shooting improve big time. Than you need to practice to get use to it. I practice with both eyes open cause that is how I would be shooting in a defense situation.

[@SilverCyclist]

+Michael Carter Man, that's good to hear. I'm just now getting into this shooting thing it hasn't been a problem with archery and hunting for me for over a decade but handguns are a little different. Canting the gun a tad makes perfect sense! Excellent!

[@tomrkba4685]

It is not long range precision shooting...we are talking about handguns. How is the hand so out of place that the gun cannot be controlled? What effects are you asserting will occur?

[@commonconservative7551]

does your son also suck at hitting a baseball, basketball goals low, impossible arrow launcher , etc?...oh sucks at pool?

[@PRACERZ]

I am a right handed person but left eye dominant. I shoot right handed, both eyes open, rifle, shotgun and handgun. I have hunted for 50 years now, and always got what I went for. I shot International skeet and American trap, shooting 23-25 out of 25. I also shoot handgun both eyes open with my grip slightly to the left and have no issues. Some people really fight trying to shoot with one eye closed, so I teach them both eyes open. To teach someone to switch the side they shoot from is just so wrong. Your brain figures it out with both eyes open.

[@mikem.8367]

Right eye dominant and shoot very well with either hand after training to shoot with either hand, it works if you teach folks to do it. Just for the record I've been shooting for over 55 years and teaching at various levels over 40 years.

[@ozzyondirt4003]

I’m left handed and damn near blind from my left eye... if I close my right eye I can see enough to not crash into things when I’m walking and that’s about it... I’ve never once thought it to be an issue I just hold the gun in front of the eye that sees and it’s worked... I also (completely with out noticing) shoot rifles right handed... I never thought about it I just did what felt comfortable

[@trubadyr99]

I encourage everyone to train grabbing a gun with a hand, which is under the dominant eye. Take me as an example: I am a right-handed person with my left eye being dominant. I also have astigmatism, meaning that my left dominant eye is also seeing better than the right one. So this is no brainer to me: I use my dominant, better eye to focus on the front sight. I have noticed that guns are sitting anatomically correct and tighter in a hand when they are under the dominant eye. I train to use my left hand to grab a gun and to pull the trigger with it. The 70/30 grip is also better works this way, because my stronger right hand gives 70% of a grip force, and left one, being the dominant eye hand and a trigger hand provides 30% of a grip force. And we all know that 70/30 grip means that your trigger hand should provide 30% of force and supporting one 70%. So this is a win-win solution, just needs some training, everything in shooting does.

[@tscooter22]

In short: Everything he says in this video works great. Long version: I'm right handed, cross-eye dominant and when I was very young I had a hard time shooting a shotgun right handed. I found myself trying to aim with my left eye which put my head at a crazy-stupid angle. So, I decided to shoot rifles and shotguns left handed. Works fine for me! Pistols on the other hand; when I first started shooting them right-handed I was horrible! That's when I first figured out I was left-eye dominate. What did I do? I changed to shooting with my left hand. However, recently I learned on YT (thanks) to just move my gun to the left and poof! I was cured. Now I shoot pistols right and left-handed equally well, but I prefer using my stronger right hand. Long winded, eh? :-)

[@cmobley69]

I shoot pistols RH and am left eye dom. Your vid is exactly right. But I am able to shot with both eyes. As for rifle/shotgun, I just naturally shot left handed from the git.

[@mikem.8367]

My advice as an Instructor, and I have used this method very successfully, is to teach the student how to shoot with the other hand. Case in point if you are right handed and right eye dominate and through whatever reason, injury or some other factor you lose the ability to use your right hand your choices are to 1) give up shooting and writing or 2) train yourself to adapt to use the other hand. When you start training them it will be a bit awkward for them to start using their non-dominate hand so patients is required. Go slow and bring them along little by little and they will get the hang of it and become proficient a lot quicker than you might think. Good basics and fundamentals will be the best thing you can teach new shooters and take your time. They will know if you are just trying to rush them through the course chasing the money or if you are truly trying to teach them and that is what a good instructor does...They Teach. Always Be Safe.

[@MrRevolver]

That is a terrible idea. Why would you force someone to shoot with their less dextrous hand instead of just moving the gun like 3 inches?

[@mikem.8367]

It's not a force it's training to use the other hand. If you lose complete use of one hand you need to be able to use the other hand.

[@Jimi957]

Talk about some bad advice. If you're cross eyed dominate and your instructor or youtube guru thinks there is only one way to fix cross eye dominance, then you should consider moving on....Actually changing the shooting hand is a pretty common fix for cross eye dominance and has worked for many a shooter. As a matter of fact changing shooting hands is a very common fix, perhaps the most common. If our shooter plans to be shooting long arms as well as handguns, then shooting changing hands makes great sense. Furthermore, a lot of "good" instructors would advise that rather than moving the gun over three inches, that you move the dominate eye over 3 inches or shoot with your head cocked. Another solution (for handguns) would be to adopt one of the canted/cocked grips. The reality is there are numerous ways to fix cross-eye dominance and they all work and which method will work best varies from person to person.

[@MrRevolver]

I love comments like this. When you come out of the gate and can't even spell "dominant" correctly, I know it's going to be a comedy goldmine. And it was. Thanks for the laughs, you silly man.

[@t4t4s0l]

dunno it is very personality dependent. I'm left handed, but i was 'forcibly' switched to write with right hand when young. Ended i can write with both hands :D. As for shooting my left eye is dominant, so i shoot with left hand/eye but also i dont have a problem to shoot with right hand/eye - while with a little closed the left eye. For the rifle shooting, i shoot on right side with no problem (while my dominant left eye is closed). So i think it is a matter of training and good instructor and after discussing things, trying a few different approaches and then choose best suited for you ..

[@scooter17568]

Really great video. Too much nonsense out there on eye dominance and pistols.

[@smOVERCOMINGITALL]

I am a bit ambidextrous. i use my left hand for some things and my right for most. I get asked a lot (even by my bf of 6 years) if im sure im right handed lol with that being said i have always had a problem with shooting and i just realized i am left eye dominant, but shoot with my right hand. This was pretty helpful and after i saw how easy it was to " fix" i felt stupid lmao thanks for the video im excited to go to the range and start practicing more.

[@jgfakjshfdgkajshd]

Hi, I agree that it is crazy to change hand if you want to use the opposite eye. BUT I think you should'nt move the gun to the other side. As you can clearly see on your movie, when you shoot looking with the same-side eye your arms are in a more natural position, while if you move the hands left you are using a non-natural position, with some tension and reducing accuracy I have to use the left eye to aim and I simply rotate my head a bit to the right. So easier and no tension

[@MrRevolver]

+jgfakjshfdgkajshd Except that's not at all how it works. When I move my hands over to use the other eye, it doesn't feel any different than when I'm lined up with my dominant eye.

[@isoif03]

I'm left handed and right eye dominant. The tricky part is...I can't close my left eye. I have to qualify every now and then and it hasn't been a huge issue however I know I could be shooting a lot better. Any suggestions?

[@WeerdBeard]

Do a video for rifle and shotgun. I'm cross-eye dominant and with pistols this is no big deal. But with rifles and shotguns I can't seem to teach my brain to see the correct sight picture with both eyes open.

[@MrRevolver]

We're working on that. With rifles it almost seems better to learn to shoot the other way around. Rifle and shotguns are also a lot easy to shoot than handguns, and less dependent on hand dominance. More to come!

[@WeerdBeard]

***** Thanks man! Yeah that's pretty much what I do. I do a lot of draw-and-present practice with my rifles and pistols so generally I track above the sights until I see my target then the gun comes up, and with rifles and shotguns the dominant eye slams shut so even in that narrow field of view my target is in the window and I can make some last second adjustments before I squeeze.

[@stephenhawkingMLG]

Please do a video about this, but for rifles! If you recommend a certain video or have already made one please link it to me! Thanks!

[@MICHELUTUBED]

great video. i just checked myself in the mirror and I naturally turn my head to the right so my left eye is looking down the sights. I'm a shit shot but manage to pass my requals every year. However the round never goes where I'm aiming. Do you think this could be a reason why?

[@randomhandle]

No. I'm cross dominant and a good shot. (Steel tournament shooter.) There are a lot of us out there. Hickok45 is a good example. More often than not, accuracy problems come from flinch problems first and then from other issues like trigger technique and grip. I'd recommend flinch and trigger work before the "move-the-gun" advice that this internet Einstein proposes.

[@calvinbrown3189]

If im right handed and left Eye dominate and i close my left eye and aiming with my right eye where will my bullit impact the target at a distance of say 10 yards/30 feet

[@noobtube1210]

I think most people are nazi's about eye dominance because of military training.cross eye dominance is not a problem for handguns but if there is a posibility you may pick up a rifle one day (i.e. military), its impossible to aim with your left eye when your rifle butt is tucked into your right shoulder. Most cross eye domiance people get confused and hug the rifle awkwardly the first time they pick a rifle up; until they realize the left eye isn't an option anymore. So i guess that's something to keep in mind when you decide which eye to train. You'll just have to retrain your right eye if you ever use a rifle.

[@ladyhawkNone]

Ok I am new to this and need help. I had my first target shoot Sunday. I did fine but have an issue. I am right handed. My left eye is weaker so was chosen for up close vision. My right eye is for far vision. When shooting, my left eye wants to sight but when I look at the target my right eye kicks in. Normally my brain corrects and I don't see any difference. But when shooting it is different and it confuses my brain switching between eyes and trying to see both to aim properly. I don't know how to correct the situation. Any advice would be appreciated.

[@MrRevolver]

Don't switch between eyes. Just use the same eye.

[@Jimi957]

+ladyhawk95620 NoneIt sounds like you had laser eye surgery. Everybody I know that has had them correct the eyes so that one is the "close eye" and the other is the "far eye" has had problems, so I'm not surprised you're having issues. I'm so glad I didn't let them do that to me when I had my eye surgery. Anyway try using an eye patch over your non-dominate eye. Good luck.

[@rbuonfiglio]

+ladyhawk95620 None When you say you are corrected for distance with your right, and near for your left, are you talking about contact lenses or laser vision correction? Either way, you can have glasses made that will correct your "shooting" (dominant, in your case the left) eye with the least amount of "plus" to clear the front sight, and your right eye for distance. It might take a while, but with practice, you should be able to see your front sight and your target clearly.

[@pijef]

Thanks for your advice man, youre a fucking lifesaver. When I found out I had cross-dominance, I was so damn worried.. now im looking back and laughing

[@OHShooter17]

So I am cross eye dominant, and I do not understand the drive to shoot with both eyes open. I have always just shot with my right eye closed when taking a sight picture. Am I handicapping myself by closing my non dominant eye or is that a mall ninja argument?

[@garyf5053]

Shooting with both eyes open is generally considered to be better because it allows you to maintain your depth perception, as I understand it. Just more awareness and focus on the target. Shooting with one eye closed is just fine, but if you can learn to shoot with both open it is optimal.

[@theboogieman6891]

In short, more peripherals vision equals more awareness.

[@jaredd624]

I suppose i was fortunate enough to be taught to stand sqaure to the target haha and really didn't even realize i was Cross dominant until after several months after my first handgun purchase. I am also one of the apparently very rare Left hand/ Right eye category. The issue im now trying to solve is how to set up a Belt as far as Magazine placement, mostly rifle mags being on the same side as my handgun can you offer me any advice or point me in another direction?

[@johnbates4185]

You can change your dominate eye... but it will take at least three months.. I know because I was right eye dominate... now left. For rifles... you always unload, reload with the trigger hand... and the opposite with pistols. Since your left handed /right eye dominate... keep your mags on the right side. This way, if you stay LH/RED, it will be easy. Remember with a rifle.... you should shoot on the same side as your dominate eye. This enables a correct sight alignment.

[@xyz0934u5]

Any advice about aiming with shotguns

[@MrRevolver]

Boi _ long guns are different, and I'm not enough of an expert in that area to have an educated opinion.

[@TheTonya409]

I am right handed. When I shoot I practice with both hands. I am left eye dominant.

[@StephenMooreOfficial]

I'm one of those rare left handed right eye dominant unicorns lol.

[@rogerj412]

I left handed, right eye dominant, and right hand dominant.

[@MrRevolver]

If you're left handed then you're not right hand dominant.

[@MickeyD2012]

Well I was 12, didn't have the internet (which was dialup anyway) and I really wanted that Hunter's Safety Certificate, but I appreciate the advice nonetheless, even if I've spent 18 years thinking I was "supposed" to shoot left handed. Didn't make much sense to me honestly.

[@pipersmitty87]

But your gun is now sitting in your hand off centered. Not a solution

[@MrRevolver]

No it's not

[@mcdavidw]

I'm cross dominant and this video isn't clear to everyone because Caleb isn't cross dominant. People who are cross dominant should shoot with their best eye and most dexterous hand.

[@MrRevolver]

Fun fact: I am cross-eye dominant. But I learned to shoot a million years ago, so instead of shooting with my left hand, I shoot right handed.

[@TheCHris8726]

And what about people with diplopia. There is really no choice for us but to close one eye? . My instructor teaching us that modern frontal stance with both eyes open and he is very unhappy when I close my one eye. I'm a professional soldier for many years now and recently got into dynamic pistol shooting and it's a nightmare couse when i trying with both eyes open my vision is all f***cked up. Any pro tips covering that problem?

[@MrRevolver]

Double vision is tricky; and honestly I'd just go with "close one eye" on that one. If your instructor is so dogmatic that they can't accept it's the only way for you to shoot, then you need a new instructor, not a new technique. I don't have experience with correcting that though, so take that for what's it is worth.

[@Sunviewer338]

TheCHris8726 There are people who shoot with one eye closed. No less than champion shooter, Brian Enos, said he doesn't thinking closing one eye is that big a deal. Why would an instructor insist you do things the way he's doing them even if it doesn't work for you? That's horseshit.

[@matthewkabbash]

Did Bob Ross paint those Happy Paintings.If he signed them they might be worth something. Should get them framed.

[@gunsforeveryone7994]

Your method often causes a shift in point of impact, in my experience with students. You are having to move the gun across the center of the body, away from your shooting side. This repositioning can be awkward for a lot of people, especially new shooters. This may seem like a simple issue, but assuming that it's so minor and that there is only one solution downplays the difficulty a lot of people have with fixing it.

[@MrRevolver]

If moving the gun three inches causes a shift in your "student's" point of impact, they have other issues beyond cross eye dominance.

[@gunsforeveryone7994]

New shooters don't have a strong foundation of fundamentals that they can draw on to correct shifts in point of impact. And what's with the "students"?

[@MrRevolver]

+Guns For Everyone Maybe if they lack a strong foundation of fundamentals you should work on teaching them that, instead of dicking around with weird "fixes" that are a lot more complicated than moving the gun 3 inches.

[@gb93669]

Gun Nuts Media I know this is an older video, but several have popped up on this subject recently. I believe moving the gun 3 inches over feels less natural than center body. I prefer the solution of canting my head approximately 5 degrees. This is much more natural to do. It does not decrease peripheral vision any significant amount. "Problem" solved. I have always done this. You should check out T-Rex Arms' recent video on this. It is excellent. He also goes into rifles with different scopes. His head position is the same as mine. And he shoots incredibly well doing it this way.

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

I'm right handed and I can't close my left eye at all.

[@ubtaz8210]

that video did not address the issue at all I need to switch the drop leg holster from left leg to right and be able to draw properly

[@paraAA82]

I will write the following all in caps to express my gratitude: THANK GOD I FOUND THIS VIDEO!!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! I am cross-eye dominant and being struggled for years. And yes, I had the misfortune to find a so called "expert" to advised me to start learning how to shoot with the other hand. I left the class because his advise lack total common sense. Then I found your video and felt I did the right thing leaving his class. I can not express enough my gratitude to you. I just subscribed to your channel and also liked in FB. By the way, do you have the same while shooting rifles and shotguns by any chance? again many, many thanks and God bless.

[@johnbates4185]

No such thing as cross-eye dominate... It's called cross-dominate. If your eyes are crossed.... you might want to see a Optometrist.

[@dagubment]

+John Bates stfu John, we know what he meant.

[@johnbates4185]

dagubment You must have a mouse in your pocket.

[@99999jj]

i dont get this at all. if you get a sight picture and then move the gun, aren't you well off the target then?

[@tscooter22]

No. All you are doing is moving the gun in front of your dominant eye, then you don't shoot however many inches off at the range. ;-) Works great!

[@notahotshot]

nineyjj he does not mean for you to get a sight picture with your right eye and the move the gun to shoot with your left eye. He's saying that you should just use your dominate eye for aiming by moving your gun a few inches. In other words during training and practice of you are right handed/left eyed continue shooting right handed while aiming with your left eye.

[@boardeasy259]

Nice !

[@whocares5188]

I'm right hand but shoot rifles left hand it's normal for me been doing it from a kid

[@heythatsprettygood6978]

shit man im right handed but left eyed how will i be able to shoot a gun in military

[@SingleSup540]

I did it for 7 years, learned to shoot with my left hand. Much easier with an M16/M4 than a pistol from what i've learned

[@johnbates4185]

lol... First it's Called "Cross-Dominant"... NOT Crossed-eyed Dominated Have ya herd of Natural point of Aim? Every time you switched from right eye to the left eye... you just through off you NPA. Moving the weapon is not the answer. Isosceles has been around longer than the weaver stance... instructors know this. Isosceles became popular in the 80's. The reason why he doesn't talk about rifles.... Cause that's what you do.. Most branches of the military teaches personnel how to shoot one handed weak-side.

[@danmize5106]

No offense... but...terrible advice. Drop your chin to the non dominate bicep. no fuss no muss.

[@MrRevolver]

Yeah, because neck strain is such a good idea. If your method was best, you'd see top pros use it. They don't. We call that a clue.