Being Spot On

Both seeing your target and being able to hit your target are necessities when it comes to shooting firearms. However, seeing your target doesn't necessarily mean you're going to hit your target. If you've been to the range lately you probably have a paper target that proves this point. Seeing it and hitting it, are two different things.

How well you hit your target can depend on many factors, for me it's Monovision but more on this later.

You have a dominant eye and a non-dominant eye, everyone does. You also have a dominant hand and a non-dominant hand. These two factors can impact both seeing and hitting the target you're aiming at.

If you aren't sure which eye or hand is dominant, follow these steps to find out:

How to determine which eye is dominant:

Here is one way to tell which of your eyes are dominant. Take both hands and cross them over to make a triangle.

Hold that triangle out in front of you with outstretched hands. Now put that triangle on an item you see across the room. Perhaps a light switch or outlet, these work great for this exercise. Tighten up the triangle so that it nicely frames the item. Next slowly pull your 'triangled' hands to your face all the while keeping the light switch or outlet in full view. Once your hands reach your face the triangle will be over only one eye. That is your dominant eye.

How to determine which hand is dominant:

Pretend you are angry and about to throw a punch. Which fist is clenched and would you use to throw that punch? This is your dominant hand.

If you're right-eye dominant and right-hand dominant, using your right hand to shoot while using your right-eye in the sights, works. If you are left-eye dominant and left-hand dominant, than using your left hand to shoot while using your left-eye in the sights, all works. If you are left-eye dominant and right-hand dominant, this is called being cross-eye dominant.

Numerous years ago I moved to using one contact for seeing far (my left eye) and using my right eye for close up (without a corrective contact lens) This is called Monovision. Having Monovision (using your left eye to see far and your right eye to see close up) and being right handed, means I am cross-eye dominant.

So you're cross-eye dominant, now what?

You may or may not be a 'shooter', someone who regularly goes to the range and/or participates in shooting events. Either way, if you have a firearm, you'll want to hit what you're aiming at. So learning how to adjust for your sight 'issues' makes sense. Working with a trainer, you can learn about options to adjust for cross eye dominance like, closing one eye, aligning your dominant eye to be in line with the sights or tilting your firearm so the sights more closely line up with the dominant eye. Overcoming cross-eye dominance is possible but will take a little more practice and tends to be easier with a pistol than a long gun.

If you take a friend to the range and they're just not hitting the target, try the dominant eye and hand test to see if cross eye dominance could be the reason.

Be safe,

Kristen