Shooting Pistols and Eye Dominance: Cross-Dominance Solutions

[Elderberry]

USA Carry by Ben Findley 8/26/2019

Shooting a handgun in self-defense situations obviously involves coordination between the eyes and hands of the shooter. This article considers eye dominance and its relationship to pistol accuracy in personal protection. What is not so obvious to shooters is that most of our brains have a strong preference for one eye over the other and that this can change. I have learned over my many years of teaching handgun students that some do not know which eye is their dominant eye or preferred eye. We easily and quickly determine this in class.

Interesting Eye-Dominance Observations & Conclusions for Shooters

Most shooters’ brains are innately hard-wired for an eye preference or a dominant eye, according to scientific studies. About 65% to 70% of shooters have a right-eye preference. About 80% are also right-handed. A small percentage of about 1% have equal-eye dominance or no dominance or preference with either eye. This is called Co-Dominance. See my August 20, 2013 article about Dominant Hand and Eye Decisions in Aiming.

Mixed or alternating Ocular Dominance exists where a shooter uses one eye for certain tasks or functions and the other eye is dominant for other tasks at different times. But recognize that eye dominance is not absolute and your Ocular Dominance can change. A shooter can train their eyes to change dominance, perhaps to accommodate an eye injury, accident, or aging, but this takes considerable time and effort. Most shooting experts, but certainly not all, recommend changing hand dominance before changing eye dominance IF changing dominance is a decision. For some shooters, the preferred or dominant eye may be weaker than the other eye, e.g., due to injury or congenitally at birth. Other shooters are Center Dominant, which is like being ambidextrous with hands, but instead of two equally-strong hands, they have two equally-strong eyes.

Note: Shooters and Instructors need to establish the individual’s eye dominance before learning or teaching handgun fundamentals.

I was halfway thru a Pistol Marksmanship Course at the U of H before the instructor brought up Eye Dominance. I am right handed and left eye dominant. Once he talked about it in class my groups went to hell for several classes until I just put it out of my mind and went back to shooting the way I'd always done.

The Goal of Handgun Training

Keep in mind that the goal of self-defense handgun training is not to change eye dominance, but rather to enhance accuracy and apply shooting basics to stop the threat for self-defense. The Flash Sight Picture Technique is a very effective approach for close-up self-defense shooting. See my October 29, 2012, related article here.

Cross Dominance

The side of the dominant eye and dominant hand do not always match. This is called Cross Dominance. Confirmations for this and things I have noticed in class (and clues for a shooter with Cross Dominance) are if target misses are slightly high and/or way off to the side… and, of course, are not attributable to other factors. Remember, Mixed Ocular Dominance (alternating Dominance) may exist, if one eye is dominant for certain things and the other eye is dominant at different times for other things. In this case, there is not strong dominance of one eye over the other eye. Some professional shooters, like Rob Leatham, say that Cross Dominance is not an issue and does not matter since shooters will naturally adapt to their situation and learn to be effective with their eye dominance.

4 Basic Options for Cross Dominance Aiming

Here are four Aiming solutions for an example situation, where the shooter is right handed and left-eye dominant:

More: https://www.usacarry.com/shooting-cross-dominance-solutions/

[thackney]

The side of the dominant eye and dominant hand do not always match. This is called Cross Dominance.

I have this, right handed and left eye dominant.  Mild ambidextrous.

[Elderberry]

I have this, right handed and left eye dominant.  Mild ambidextrous.

Same as me. I shoot rifle with my non-dominant eye and handguns with both eyes open. I never knew I was left eye dominant until it was brought up in that pistol class. I was always shooting with my dominant eye without me being consciously being aware of it.

[Bigun]

I have this, right handed and left eye dominant.  Mild ambidextrous.

I am also right-handed and left eye dominant.  I learned this at an early age and it has never had much effect on my shooting abilities with firearms.  I have always shot rifles and shotguns left-handed and carry my pistol on the right side. Predominantly shoot it right-handed as well.  I found the left eye dominance thing to be a much bigger problem when shooting a bow.

My pistol shooting practice consists of several small objects on the ground in an irregular pattern and at varying distances which I try to hit as quickly as I can.  Shooting small groups is necessary if you shoot in pistol matches but in life or death situations it's still who gets there first with the most.

[thackney]

I typically close my left eye when using a rifle.

[Bigun]

I typically close my left eye when using a rifle.

That is a physical impossibility with me so I just shoot long guns left-handed.

[andy58-in-nh]

Same as me. I shoot rifle with my non-dominant eye and handguns with both eyes open. I never knew I was left eye dominant until it was brought up in that pistol class. I was always shooting with my dominant eye without me being consciously being aware of it.

Same with me. I am right-handed and left-eye dominant, which certainly does affect pistol accuracy. I find that I have a tendency to adopt a sight picture with my left eye open and right eye closed first, and then both eyes open after having aligned the front and rear sights.