Did you know that just like you have a dominant hand you also have a dominant eye? One of the first things you need to do when you are getting started with archery is determine your eye dominance. Knowing which eye is your dominant eye is going to help you in choosing the proper bow. In this article we will discuss 3 different methods for determining your dominant eye and why it’s important.
The Importance of Eye Dominance in Archery
Will you need a left or right handed bow? The answer to that question is determined by which of your eyes is dominant. Your dominant eye provides a slightly higher input to the visual part of your brain. It more accurately gives information about the location of objects. This is why shooting with your dominant eye will be more accurate and feel more natural. Eye dominance and hand dominance are not always the same. Perform one or all of these simple tests to learn which eye is you dominant one.
Eye Correction
If you wear glasses or contact lenses and you intend to shoot your bow wearing them, then you need to perform these tests wearing them. Eye correction can change your dominant eye. Recently, we discovered that my granddaughter, who I had tested many times as right eye dominant, changed to left eye dominant. She wears glasses and has worn them long enough now for her eye dominance to change. Fortunately, at that time she was not shooting much and we were able to switch to her dominate eye. Unfortunately, I had just made her a new bow that was now for the wrong hand.
Determining Your Eye Dominance Test 1
Bring your hands together with your arms extended. Overlap your fingers and thumbs to form a small triangle opening. Sight on a fixed object about ten feet away. Center it in the opening. Now close your left eye. If the object stays centered, you are right eye dominant. If the object moved, you are left eye dominant. Confirm this by leaving your left eye open and closing the right. Whichever eye is open when the object stays centered is your dominant eye.
Determining Your Eye Dominance Test 2
Bring your hands together with your arms extended. Overlap your fingers and thumbs to form a small triangle opening. Sight on a fixed object about ten feet away. Now slowly pull your hands towards your face keeping the object centered in the opening. Continue until your hands touch your face. The eye that is uncovered is your dominant eye.
Determining Your Eye Dominance Test 3
Bring your hands together with your arms extended. Overlap your fingers and thumbs to form a small triangle opening. Sight on a second person’s face from about 6 to 8 feet away. Only your dominant eye will be visible to the other person.
Applying The Knowledge of the Eye Dominance Test
It is not uncommon to have different dominant eye and hand. You will want to shoot a bow that matches your dominant eye. A right handed bow is held with the left hand and the string is pulled with the right hand. A left handed bow would be the reverse. This lines the arrow up with your dominant eye to achieve your best accuracy. There are a few people who will not have one eye more dominant than the other and these tests will not conclusively determine a dominant eye. This is called co-dominance. In this case shoot with the hand that feels the most natural. Usually this is the dominant hand.
More Archery Learning Resources for Beginners
- 3 Ways To Determine Your Archery Bow Draw Length
- Archery Basics: How to Determine What Draw Weight Is Right For You
- Beginners Guide To The Four Basic Types Of Archery Bows
