Understanding Cross-Dominance
So you have determined that you’re cross-dominant (left-eye dominant, right-handed, or vice versa). Now what? There are a ton of theories out there and there is no right or wrong answer. Here are some things for you to consider.
In pistol shooting the Holy Grail is having the axis of the barrel in line with your arm and eye so that your wrist is not bent left or right. This provides several benefits:
This allows for a solid foundation for the recoil. When shooting a semi-automatic the action needs a solid foundation to work against. Not having a solid foundation can lead to malfunctions.
Rapid acquisition of target. When the dominant eye and dominant hand are on the same side, it allows for quick alignment on a target because it is a straight line.
Besides losing the benefits above, the challenge of shooting with a bent wrist can be exacerbated if the shooter has weak wrists. Shooting a larger caliber with more recoil could be painful.
So do you switch to your non-dominant hand or do you try to make things work? The answer is it depends. Let’s take a look at some thoughts. Again there is no right or wrong answer, each person is unique and you have to consider the options and figure out which is best for you.
Target shooting/competitive shooting games like Bullseye (no drawing from a holster but shooting for accuracy) then I would recommend that you switch to the hand your dominant eye is on.
Self Defense/action competitive shooting games like International Defensive pistol shooting which require drawing from a holster and reloading etc will require finer motor skills under stress. It might be better to stick with shooting with your dominant hand.
Shooting experience is another factor to consider if you have been shooting cross dominant or carrying a gun for years, then I would not recommend that you switch.
If you want to hold the gun with your dominant hand, there are several solutions that are out there and you need to figure out what is right for you. The solutions typically boil down to doing something with your eyes or doing something with your hands. Either approach has its challenges.
Let’s take a look at some of the eye/head options. Some approaches are:
A. Close the dominant eye – This works well, but it has a couple of things to consider. It minimizes your peripheral vision which if in a personal defense situation could be detrimental. If shooting at the range, it makes your face tired. Some options for the range to minimize face muscle fatigue are:
a. Piece of tape over the dominant eye – semi-translucent scotch tape is the best but any will do.
b. An occluder - This is a flip-down eye patch that clips onto your safety glasses. These are used in shooting competitions quite frequently.
c. Squint – sometimes just squinting or partially closing your dominant eye is enough to allow your non-dominant eye to take over.
B. Move the head – Here you are moving your head so that the dominant eye is line with the sights. This is done typically through two methods.
a. Rotating the head – If you are right-handed and left-eye dominant, rotate your head to the right about 15 degrees (ie move your chin towards your right shoulder) so that your left eye is in alignment with the sights when your right arm/hand are extended straight out. This reduces your peripheral vision to one side of the target.
b. Titling the head – The famous Jeff Cooper used this method of tilting your head slightly to the side. If right-handed and left-eye dominant you would tilt your head so as to align the left eye with the gun in the right hand. Here you are actually tilting your head to the side so that your right ear is closer to your right shoulder.
Now let’s take a look at the gun options.
A. Rotate the gun – Leave the gun in your dominant hand but rotate the gun about 30 degrees to align the sights to your dominant eye. For a right-handed - left-eye dominant shooter, the top of the gun would be rotated to the left (counterclockwise) to align the sights in front of the left eye. This allows the wrist to remain straight reasonably straight.
B. Move the gun – move the gun so it is in front of the dominant eye. This will cause the wrist to be bent and possibly lead to several issues. Users of this method should have strong wrists.
C. Center Axis Relock (CAR) method – This is a change in stance that allows the gun to be rotated with bent arms to align easily with either eye.
Another option is to shoot with your weak hand – This has pros and cons and is highly debated. If you are going to target shoot only, switching hands is a reasonable alternative. You especially may want to consider it if you are left-handed. Many guns, especially revolvers are built for right-handed people. If you are left-handed and not going to carry a gun for self-defense, then switching hands is a very reasonable option.
If however, you are going to be carrying a gun for personal defense, most people in a crisis situation will react without thinking. If you are naturally right-handed then that is what you typically are going to want to use to shoot unless you do a lot of practicing. The last thing you want to do is have to stop and think about shooting with your left hand. Keep in mind however that in a crisis situation, however, your weak hand is still doing a lot of things (reloading, racking the slide, supporting the strong hand, operating a flashlight, etc). It isn’t like you aren’t counting on it. It really is a matter of practice.
You may want to consider how long you have been shooting. If you haven’t really started then you haven’t gotten used to shooting so it might not be that bad as you don’t have much muscle memory. If you have been shooting for a long time, then switching hands may not be the best answer for you.
By: Scott Sampson
Copyright 2014