Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Chaz on February 03, 2013, 12:31:00 PM
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So I shoot trad.right as I am right handed. Years ago due left eye dominant I taught my self compound lefty and got quite good. Now due to daily pain and shoulder injuries, I'm considering shooting traditional lefty, any advice appreciated. I've bought a lefty Longbow on the way ....really don't want to but daily pain after shooting is getting old. I've experimented pulling my Treadway 50# Longbow
back left-hand and there is no pain
involved. I've tried swimming, weighs, pushups
etc....( can't afford surgery! ).
Only sad thing is I just got this rh Treadway in a trade and absolutely love it.....
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Sorry about spaces..typing on phone is also a pain! :)
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I have just switched over to left hand and I'm over 70. Sold most of my right hand bows, but kept two favorites so I could shoot right handed for fun and to keep back balanced. It felt awkward as all get out putting the arrow on the string with my left hand. Other than that, a piece of cake. My groups weren't quite as tight at first, but after a couple of weeks they tightened right up. You definitely need to stay with it. It will pay off for you. Sounds like your dominant eye and sore shoulder are both telling you to switch.
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shoot real close to target, like 10 feet. Do this until your form has been ingrained in your head. I just switched to left handed and started while at G. Fred's shooting clinic. Best thing is that you don't have any bad habits left handed! So really work on form and concentration on the spot. Good luck and stay with it like Bladepeek said.
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I learned to shoot left with in the past year as a few others have as well. Start close and build up to it. That's all.
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I switched again (and for good) just late this past fall. I kept expecting to beat the target panic bouts I have right handed, and I finally faced up that I can't. I love the hunt too much, and put too much of myself into it to screw up time after time.
Switching allows me to actually anchor, aim and release, when I want to.
It can be done, easier than you think. In fact, to me, the much more difficult thing to overcome, and why I came back to righty before, is the rest of the story. Sneaking, setting up, standing, all those things that you do with the left foot leading, so you are ready to shoot right handed. Man is it wierd to twist it around.
Hang in there. You can do it. Start small and work your way out.
ChuckC
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Switch if you want to. It's not that difficult. I shot lefty for about 6 months a year ago because I couldn't hold my left arm straight while shooting righty. Don't know why. It just wouldn't hold up. After about six months I was able to go back to righty. The one thing I'd suggest is to start out with a light(er) bow when first trying lefty. That way you can focus on form without having to fight to get to and hold at anchor. In my case, it was either shoot lefty or don't shoot and not shooting didn't seem like much fun. I dropped from 50 to 40 pounds and it was no great problem. I was probably about 80% as accurate as right handed. It kept improving, but in the six months never quite got to what I could do right handed.