I have thought about this for several years and am considering trying it in the off season. My left shoulder has been giving me fits when I shoot (Right handed). Usually it doesn't hurt when I shoot, but for several days after, it will be weak and my shooting suffers. Either I don't practice much and I lack confidence in my shooting when I hunt or I shoot enough to feel confident but then my confidence dwindles when my shoulder gets shakey. I'm thinking that if I switch to a left-hand bow maybe my left shoulder will do better drawing than pushing. Has anyone switched to their non-dominant hand (and non-dominant eye)? How was the learning curve? Any advice going into it. I've shot right-handed for 33 years.
I hear a lot of people on here do left handed and right.... Always wanted to try since I am left eye dom. hmmmmm Maybe an idea for a third bow is to get a left handed one.
The learning curve was short for me. A couple of days. Nocking an arrow with speed and style, however, may take years. After 12 months it still feels a bit awkward.
Changing sides in archery isn't that hard but I couldn't shoot a rifle or shotgun left handed.
Also, find a very light bow to begin with until the muscles build up.
Motty
I had a shoulder issue sometime back. I found that if I used less motion in my shoulder when drawing I did not add to the stress and it healed itself. By less motion I mean that I started my draw with my draw hand about at my left breast pocket and completed the draw with a half push pull/half swing draw with just a few inches of straight back pull. I switched to left hand when I pulled my middle draw finger out of the socket shooting a 96 pound bow. That finally healed and I can shoot right handed again, but the heavy bows and shooting hundreds of arrows a day with my 60 pound bows are over. The hardest part for me was getting through sticks with a left hand back quiver. I may be pretty much ambidextrous in the eyes hands and arms, but less so with my walking. Even going left handed, you may need to watch which motions that may aggravate your shoulder, it all depends where the inflammation originates. When aiming, if your head is slightly tilted, you will see two arrows. The lower left one will become the important one. Give your eyes a chance to adjust by picking an imaginary point to place your arrow, imaginary. The aiming process will be learned quicker if a bit of acknowledgement of the arrow's position is consciously given at first. After a while your hand eye coordination will become more automatic.
I made the switch...shoot both ways now. Sent you a PM...
I have been thinking about this as my bow arm shoulder has not regained strength since a total shoulder replacement in 2014. I have not seriously tried shooting left handed as I am strongly right dominant, but if someone can give me some tips I am game. I have thrown a few arrows (from right handed bows ) off the left side and the drawing is not a problem, more the eyes.....and then what do I do with my beautiful RH bows???????????
I shoot lefty now. I shot right handed for 35 years. Nocking the arrow is the hardest part to learn..LOL!
I have had a shoulder injury that has been a continual bother. This now has me thinking about giving left hand shooting a try.
we've said it before. Switching is not as difficult as it sounds.
More difficult is switching the rest of you, how you walk, how you sneak, how you posture. All of that needs to change as well once you decide to hunt leftie ( or whichever switched side).
Try it and give it a real chance. First, the anchor just won't feel right, cause you have no idea what right feels like. In a day or two that goes away. Then comes the aim process, and that corrects relatively quickly as well.
Oh, the down side. Well..... you got all this stuff in right hand, that now doesn't work as well for you.
ChuckC
Made that switch years ago, little ackward at first but it comes around pretty quickly.
Best advice I can give, start with a very light bow. the learning curve will be shorter and it gives your body time to build up to the switch witthout hurting yourself.
Although I do not own a RH bow now, I know I could shoot either way without any trouble at all.
I made the switch back about 1994ish. After the first couple of weeks it was a piece of cake for me. I got rid of all my right handed bows so I would not be tempted back and it was pretty easy from day 1. I switched to my dominate eye so I can't say how switching to your non-dominate eye will go but the mechanics of drawing and shooting was easy to pick up for me in short time. As has been mentioned - start out real light! Good luck.
This year, one day I went turkey hunting as a lefty, but switched to my righty glove and changed my arm guard because i found a perfect spot to sit for shooting right handed. No turkey, but I did get a pheasant, missed the first one, had two arrows with me out of my left hand quiver, got the second one.
I made the switch years ago after fighting target panic and snap shooting without improvement. It took several years before I was really comfortable with the switch and shooting well. Start out with a lightweight bow that is easy to draw and hold. Initially work on developing good shooting form. Shoot at a blank target bale and focus on the draw, hold, and release. As you get comfortable with this process begin shooting targets at close range only (10-15 yards max). Gradually increase your distance as you become more comfortable and are showing progress with your shooting. Gradually work your way to a suitable hunting weight bow. I suggest buying and selling used bow while working your way up to hunting weight. This process will take time. It is not something you can do in a month or two.
For those having a tp issue, it is a good chance to rebuild form and perhaps using a secondary aiming get programmed in to help control that fear of missing. That TP may be a bit ingrained in ones head, additional steps to insure that it does not return to the new hand may be worth considering as part of ones routine. That does not mean that one cannot develop a fluid shooting routine, if control is part of the routine and one has confidence where the arrow is pointing, TP can be prevented. Your draw length may vary from the previous hand, head positions, arm length, shoulder angles and overall stature may be different, your draw length does not always fall on a whole inch.
I shot lefty my whole life till a few years ago when I had shoulder issues. Switched to right with no problems, now I can shoot both ways and truthfully shoot right handed better.
I too switched several years ago, and it was surprisingly not that difficult. Now I can shoot both ways and feel like I am more balanced.
Doug,
I made the transition many years ago after struggling with accuracy shooting right hand. Since I am L.E.D., it has made a huge difference and you will be surprised how quickly you can make the adjustment. I can send you a bow to borrow for as long as needed, hope you and family are well buddy.
I've been righty in everything I've ever done in life. An elbow surgery forced be to shoot lefty. Found the best thing I ever did.
In MPHO everyone should shoot holding the bow in their strong arm. Learning to draw back is easy, but getting the bow on target and holding requires greater strength and eye to hand coordination.
QuoteOriginally posted by Kingstaken:
I've been righty in everything I've ever done in life. An elbow surgery forced me to shoot lefty. Found the best thing I ever did.
In MPHO everyone should shoot holding the bow in their strong arm. Learning to draw back is easy, but getting the bow on target and holding requires greater strength and eye to hand coordination.
Thank you all for your responses. Barry, thanks for the offer-had a friend loan me a 35# LH bow and I shot it last night for the first time...It felt super-awkward but I was surprised that I shot it very well. I had to close my right eye or risk shooting my motorcycle (shooting in the garage). It seems doable and my shoulder feels ok this morning after about 30 shots or so.
I have a good friend that switched. He did great with it.
I bought a used left hand bow years ago and found I could shoot about the same with practice. I am right handed, left eye dominant. I did however ended up selling that bow. Then a couple years later, I was told by an instructor that the best way for me to get better was to shoot lefty for eye dominance. I bought another left bow and found it completely awkward. I took the bow back and am glad I did. Some can do it, but if you're not physically built for it like me, it could be a long, hard transition.
It has been about 2.5 yrs for me. I started tinkering with it, borrowed LH bow from a buddy. I would go back and forth. Then on a hunt in Idaho in September 2014, I had the TP so bad that I shot a longbow with a leather plate electrical taped to the right side of the bow so I could shoot it LH. That ime in the mountains was the turning point for me when I "knew" my future shooting a stickbow was LH. Today, I have no issues shooting LH. Nocking the arrow, fluid, snap shot; something that TP took away from me right handed. I came to a place of "acceptance" that I needed to change. I tried everything RH, but I could not regain a fluid snap shot shooting style that I prefer for hunting. The cool thing is left handed mind does not know anything else. If I was to use a gap or reference aiming system I believe the change would be more difficult due to my right eye being dominant.
(http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n559/jeffbschulz/1908066_10152634436640240_4679116309107219183_n_zpsc7vp1rwt.jpg) (http://s1139.photobucket.com/user/jeffbschulz/media/1908066_10152634436640240_4679116309107219183_n_zpsc7vp1rwt.jpg.html)