Left or Right Handed Bow? Test Your Eye Dominance

Should you shoot a left or right handed bow? As with any sport, archers can either be lefty or righty. However, unlike other sports it has nothing to do with the strength or agility of your right or your left arm or leg. Instead it is determined by eye dominance. In fact, some times your dominant eye might not match up with your dominant hand. What should one do in such a case? Since archery is mostly about aiming and thus vision, then eye dominance is the most important factor.

Eye Dominance vs. left or right handed bows

Eye dominance is basically the brain trusting and relying more on one eye over the other. Also called ocular dominance, it is a preference of  the visual input from one specific eye. Consequently we see “more” out of one eye compared to the other.   And as I mentioned before it doesn’t necessarily match with hand dominance. This is called cross-dominance. Basically you could shooting a right handed bow with left eye dominance. Or, a right eye dominant archer shooting a left handed bow.

Why is eye dominance important in archery?

Eye dominance is important in archery because it will determine what kind of bow you will use (right handed or left handed grip) and whether you will pull the string with your right hand (right eye dominant) or with your left (left eye dominant). Some bows are symmetric, like crossbows, so in that case this only matters when you are shooting, and you don’t need to worry about buying the right kind.

Shooting an arrow with a bow is done by standing to the side, not facing the target face-forward. The bow is perpendicular to the body. In this configuration it ends up that one of your eyes is right up close to the arrow. The other eye is further away from the arrow.  So the eye closest to the arrow, actually right behind it has the best view —the  arrow and the target just beyond it.  So, its best if your dominant eye has the best view –this will make aiming easier and feel more natural.

How to determine your dominant eye

1. Make a triangle with your hands outstretched.
2. Next look through it somewhere far with both eyes.
3. Then, close one eye..
4. Then the other.
5. Veredict: You will see that the image will not move when you close one eye, and then open it again. The eye that is open when the image is the same as with both eyes is your dominant one.

Left or right handed bow?

Before buying your first bow , you should figure out if you need a left or right handed bow.  Some times you might be able to borrow or try an ambidextrous or universal bow, so you get the feeling for what you need.

For best results you should use or buy a left hand bow if you are left eye dominant.  You will be holding your bow with your right hand and putting the arrow on the right side of the bow, and pulling the string with your left hand.

Or, if your right eye is dominant then you should get a right hand bow. You will be holding your bow with your left hand and the arrow will be on the left side of the bow, and pulling the string with your right hand.

So just to get this straight:

What to do with cross-dominance in archery?

I mentioned earlier that you should go with your dominant eye for best results, but what are other options?

It has been said that eye dominance, like hand dominance is not all or nothing. If you have to decide between a left and right handed bow, then there is a slight preference towards right-handed bows since they are much more common.

You might find that you can adapt your eye sighting to the other eye, and this would be specially useful if you are right handed with left-eye dominance. Then you would have a slightly easier time since there are more right-handed bows and coaches are more used to this configuration.

For left-handed right eye dominant archers, I know that you have been adaptable all your life to the right-handed world, so using a right handed bow will not be any different and will build on that skill.

Whatever you choose, its important to follow appropriate body alignment and not tilt, or stretch your neck, or rotate your shoulder because it will cause strain and you could injure yourself.

Summing it up

With the simple eye dominance test above you can determine whether you should shoot a left handed or right handed bow. Going with the side or your dominant eye is the best choice in my opinion because you want your dominant eye, which is the strongest and the preferred one by your brain,  to be aiming with.

It can be frustrating if it doesn’t match with your dominant hand, but by going with your dominant eye, aiming will come more naturally. However, you might try something different since the mind is  wonderful and adaptable, and eye dominance does not mean that your other eye does not work.

Now that you know your dominant eye, and have chosen between a right handed or left handed bow, the next step is to determine your draw length and draw weight. And if you know all this you are ready to buy your first bow and other accessories.