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Advice for my 6 year old

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monty3777

New Member
My six year old son is left eye dominant, but he insists on shooting right handed. This means he rolls his head over so that he can gain a sight picture with his left eye and it really screws up his accuracy. I'm wondering if I should insist that he shoot left handed, or let him develop his own style and perhaps even learn to compensate and shoot right handed? What do you think?

My idea is to buy him a left/right handed recurve for his birthday so that he can use both hands and perhaps recognize that he shoots better left handed on his own. He wants a bow for his birthday (next month) and I don't want to spend the money on a bow like his brother's if it just reinforces bad habits. Thanks in advance for your time!!
 
My brother is left eye dominant but right handed as well. He has always shot left handed. In my mind, it would be easier to train yourself to shoot with your off eye rather than your off hand. but i don't know for sure. I like your idea of the recurve though. It will let him figure it out on his own. Remember, he's only 6 so he's got a lot to learn about what is not only comfortable, but what allows him to perform well too. The main thing right now and that you should be happy of is that your 6 year old is wanting to take part in shooting and hunting! Good work with that. Keep him out there, the rest will fall in place.
 
My six year old is the opposite. He is left handed, right eye dominant. I bought him a right handed bow so he shoots right handed but does everything else lefty. He does really well with it and it doesn't bother him abit. I thinks it's important to start out with what works best for the kid and just stick with it. With his BB gun he will sometimes try shooting it left but when he goes to aim the gun realizes what he is doing and switches hands, I believe it is because he is more comfortable using his right eye.
 
My son is left eye dominant. He writes left hand, throws right hand, shoots a gun left hand and his bow right hand. He training himself to use either eye depending on what he is shooting. Goofy as heck but it works for him.
 
I'm left eye dominant and right handed... Never had a problem at all. In basic training, I remember they made everyone do the thumb test to find out which eye was dominant and made people switch their shooting style to agree with their eye dominance.. Thankfully, I knew what they were up to and faked being right eye dominant, and ended up still being one of the better shooters. The best way to learn is to make sure he is closing his left eye and only keeping the right eye open. The only time the eye dominance factor is going to come into play is if he has both eyes open when shooting. That being said. I shoot my bow with both eyes open. I just make sure that I am focusing through the peep. I keep both eyes open because I like to be able to see my surroundings while I'm shooting.
 
I am right handed and left eye dominate. Sooo with the rifle and pistol I aim with the left and my bow with my right. Just let the young man do what feels natural thats what my old man did with me and it worked.
 
I'm right-handed, but left eye dominant. So I personally shoot left. I think I'll just leave the kid alone. We shot today. 10 yards targets shot from elevated platform (with a compound bow). He shot an apple and a small pumpkin. Not bad for 5 going on 6. Probably better to leave it be. But it's painful to watch him curl his head over the butt of his .22 to get a sight with his left eye (shooting right handed). Oh well, kids. He'll figure it out on his own in time.
 
I would maybe try getting him an eye patch for now. I shoot everything right handed normally, and am right eye dominant, but a few years ago shotgun hunting I had a big buck sneak up behind me in the fluffy snow and I couldn't move. He was on my right side so I would of had to stand, turn, and shoot and he knew something wasn't right and when he looked away it was for a few seconds. Since then I've bought a cheap eye patch from walmart and I have it flipped up above my eye during gun season. I practiced shooting left handed and if this situation would ever occur again, I just flip the patch over my right eye and go left handed. The buck was big enough to warrant the extra precautions to make sure that never happened again.
 
my buddy is right handed and can hardly see out of his right eye.He still shoots right handed and just tilts his head over a little farther and just uses his left eye to look through the peep.He has never had any problem doing it that way.His peep is a little higher than most but it works.
 
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