Teaching kids to shoot

[bornhunter04]

Its time to teach my 6 year old to shoot (.22 and youth bow) She's left handed (like me), but I'm pretty certain she's right eye dominant ( not like me). Question to the hide, should I match her up to her dominant hand or eye? Teach her to hold rifle/ bow right handed or left? I'm thinking right handed would be easiest?

I haven't bought a bow yet, but am looking. Any suggestions? She has about an 18" draw.

 

[dirtybores]

Can't help on the bow, but I'd go right handed on the rifle. Not only does it match eye dominance, but it matches the majority industry support.

As an anecdote experience though: I'm right handed and right eye dominant. A long time ago my dad made me learn to bat left handed, since so many pitchers were right handed. The coordination to do stuff either handed paid dividends in golf, boxing, and weak side shooting later on. A young kid developing neuro pathways for coordination might benefit from learning an activity on their non dominant side.

 

[SanPatHogger]

Maybe get a bow that shoots both right and left handed and start there. Let her shoot both ways and then when she settles on which side she likes best, go from there.

 

[Slash0311]

Conventional wisdom is that a new shooter does better by using the side that matches the eye dominance.

Its easier if a shooter has the same side eye and hand but shooters can do well if they're crossed. That's the way I am. Right handed but left eye dominate. When I started shooting my Dad didn't know any better.

I also say that leaving it up to some extent up to the kiddo. See what kind of apptitude is coming up and be flexible.

Good on you for teaching the next generation.

 

[Milf Dots]

If she's left handed, teach her to do everything left handed... Where eye dominance is involved, teach her both. She's left handed and she should be taught to be proud of that because she's unique. This is 2023 not 1953.

 

[diggler1833]

I still have a 7 and 5 year old around (both girls). We have a couple of the cheapest Academy bows. You have to have something that they can pull.

They usually only stand 5-10' from whatever they're shooting, but they are having a great time...and that's what matters most. We'll work more of the fundamentals as their skills improve...right now fun and safety are paramount.

There are some eye dominance tests you can do at home in a matter of a minute.

I was a lefty until I was about 6. Then I forced myself to learn to be a righty because everything fit better (desks, scissors etc...). I was still left footed in soccer, and better batter as a lefty in baseball. But I developed a really good capability at being ambidextrous at just about everything.

^ Unfortunately for me, I remained left eye dominant. I still shot right-handed (and did well), but I was the match shooter with a piece of cardboard that stuck out from under my cover and covered my eye. Later in life, my vision deteriorated more in my left eye...so it has been easy to keep a righty, even though it isn't natural.

I'd just suggest letting her try shooting both sides, and take an eye dominance test and just going from there. Nothing ruins the fun of shooting with dad like dad making a chore out of it. She may just surprise you and be really good both-handed.

Best of luck man.

 

[CheStadium]

I teach kids from 8 to 18 weekly. Every kid is different, but we have a lot more success moving them to the dominant eye side. If they or the parents resist, we let the cross dominant shooter try shooting glasses that block the dominant eye to force them to use the eye on the shooting side. They just about always switch hands after a couple of weeks of the eye blocking glasses.

I am left handed and cross dominant, and I learned to shoot right handed once I learned about eye dominance (when an instructor in the Navy told me I was right handed from that day forward). My shooting improved very quickly.

 

[91Eunozs]

… should I match her up to her dominant hand or eye? …

Yes.

She’s still young enough to learn both, especially for hand guns.

If she’s right eye dominant, I’d focus (heh, see what I did there?) on shooting long guns right-handed as well. Determining eye dominance is super easy; process is too lengthy to easily describe quickly here, but plenty of videos on how to very easily do it out there.

 

[Modoc]

I agree with 91Eunozs and CheStadium. I too teach youth with BSA, 4H, and Hunter Education. Let the dominant eye lead is what my instructor training preached for rifle. Dominant hand was the Archery instructor’s training. In the field, let them experience both. The biggest challenge in my last group was the young man (7yo) who would use the opposite eye from the hand he was using to work the action of the BB Gun None of the coaching worked, so I kept him safe and worked on stance (offhand) instead. Next session will be the translucent tape on the safety glasses.

 

[doubloon]

She's left handed , but I'm pretty certain she's right eye dominant

You should probably validate the eye dominance, it's not hard. Not necessarily for decision making data but at least for troubleshooting.

I know people who are left handed in everything like writing, computer mouse, fishing, scissors, eating but they shoot and golf right handed. So handedness is easily overcome ... if she's comfortable with it. Don't force it to be any harder on her than it has to be.

Also have a friend who was a sniper in the Rangers that shot right handed but was left eye dominant. He was a hell of a shot with a rifle using his non-dominant eye. But as soon as he ripped the velcro on his pistol everybody in his unit would take a step back and give him room. He wasn't able to overcome his left eye dominance with a pistol.

Shotguns and open sights seem to be more sensitive to eye dominance than scoped firearms. Got a friend who shoots right handed because that's what his dad told him was right. Wasn't until one day he was complaining to me in the field about having trouble focusing on birds that I made him put a little square of tape on the left lens of his sunglasses. His shooting improved almost immediately ... left eye dominance.

 

[AngryKoala]

At some point you should teach to shoot both. I wasn't that lucky and I'm cross dominant (right hand, left eye). It will be much easier later on if she is taught early.

 

[JbBooks]

When my son started shooting he wanted to use his left eye (he’s right handed) and he was having hell shutting that eye, so we just had him keep both eyes open and he eventually started using his right eye because it was more comfortable. Worked the same way with his tiny recurve.

 

[Joelives]

I rarely post but in my experience with my daughter its about building confidence! The single shot peep sight Cricket will be a disaster!! Get a semi .22 with a red dot and let her have fun hitting things, look up BAC (bindon aiming concept) red dots rock with the kids. Basicly the red dot sights are neutral, then transition to an optical sight and work on the eye dominance. If they are not having fun, nighter will you.

 

[sandhiller]

My oldest was showing signs of being left handed.

I taught him to shoot and rope right handed.

I didn't want to sentence him to a lifetime of left handed rifles and a left handed roper just screws up everybody in a branding pen

Now he is ambidextrous although predominantly right handed.

 

[Pharmseller]

If she's left handed, teach her to do everything left handed... Where eye dominance is involved, teach her both. She's left handed and she should be taught to be proud of that because she's unique. This is 2023 not 1953.

10% ain’t unique.




P

 

[GTOJOSH]

Make sure which eye is dominant first. Then teach to shoot on that side.
I taught youth for years, then got voluntold to teach youth 4h. It was great, and lots of kids turned out as dang good shooters. My daughter was left eye dominant and eventhough left handed guns are harder to get, more expensive, etc, I taught her to shoot left. Now she has good confidence hitting targets, we built a lefty ar together for her when she turned old enough, and she can outshoot me offhand now.
Once the basics are down, and repetitive action is established, kids just thrive.
Shooting is a great equalizer. I may never be tall enough to play in the nba, fast enough to run against Usain Bolt, or coordinated enough to beat Forrest Gump in table tennis; but my daughter can- and has- won against her brothers, and adults, and enjoys doing it well.

 

[Modoc]

Ambidextrous is a great talent to have. I was doing great shooting until I developed a cataract in my left eye, that changed the game when I couldn’t see the sights, bead, or target. I could swap eyes at will back then.

 

[ggmanning]

My kids started with Mission bows. Shot them well into middle/early high school on our school shooting teams before getting larger bows. Bows are easy today and adjust draw without a bow press. Most will have draw and weight ranges to allow use for years before moving up. There are several very good child LOP 22's now. If she is truly right eye dominant do her a favor and start her shooting right handed.

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

Eye Dominance follows Brain Dominance so if she's right eye dominant start her with a right handed bow/long guns. Fucking with eye dominance/retraining can make serious problems for some people's learning and retention and perception.

VooDoo

 

[hlee]

My younger son is right handed and left eye dominant. He shoots left handed. He started left handed and says it feels weird to shoot right handed.

If your kid is right eye dominant, let her shoot right handed.

 

[david walter]

Easy to test which eye is dominant. Don’t guess.

https://www.warbyparker.com/learn/dominant-eye-test?

I’m ambidextrous, which presented as left handed as a youth and right handed since a broken left arm as a youth and an army of nuns with rulers “breaking me of being wrong handed.”

IMHO, aligning with the dominant eye is more important than hand dominance in shooting.

I can and do shoot from either side, but shooting left eye (I’m right eye dominant) takes more thought.

 

[bornhunter04]

Thanks for all the replies and insights. I hadn't thought of using a red dot on the .22 to start, I'll be doing that to build her confidence. With a rifle I can see what feels natural wasy enough, bows are harder since the risers are one hand or the other. She bats left handed and throws lefty, but definitely will looks towards developing ambidextrous skills. Might be time to go to the bow shop and see what we can try out. Any recommendations on youth bows? Saw mission bows brought up, I know tech has changed alot on them.

 

[SanPatHogger]

There are bows that are both left and right handed

 

[hlee]

Thanks for all the replies and insights. I hadn't thought of using a red dot on the .22 to start, I'll be doing that to build her confidence. With a rifle I can see what feels natural wasy enough, bows are harder since the risers are one hand or the other. She bats left handed and throws lefty, but definitely will looks towards developing ambidextrous skills. Might be time to go to the bow shop and see what we can try out. Any recommendations on youth bows? Saw mission bows brought up, I know tech has changed alot on them.

Diamond infinite edge.