I actually do the opposite when I’m putting in golf. I close my right eye, and I seem to get a better line on the ball.
Same here. There was a time in early school years when I tried to become ambidextrous and became better than awkward, but not by much, in throwing and writing and such things. It never occurred to me to go both ways on guitar, though, since that came later in life.
FWIW, the bow I learned on was in the old days where there was no handedness involved. The same bow could be used from either side.
Don’t know anything about left and right issues, so can’t help you there, but archery is mostly about feel, it’s kind of a ‘Luke use the Force’ sorta’ thing ;). Or at least to me it is. So it would seem that useing either hand or eye would work since it’s heavily based on your minds eye and not your physical ones as much. That being said, a good pointer in archery is to pull the arrow back to your eye, makes for a much better sighting. I’ve seen amatures turn into experts just by standing properly and using good technique, And of course, as with anything in life, watching a youtube video tutorial on how to do it goes a very long way.
Happy shooting! 
That’s unfortunate, but not surprising, I guess.
Oh, yeah. Not exaggeration. I’ve got amblyopia (“lazy eye”). I can see motion, but (/e squints at the monitor) I can’t read a damn thing on this monitor through my right eye. My wife is even worse, though; she doesn’t even have an optic nerve in her right eye.
I’d really prefer to take a class, but there’s no school that teaches it within a reasonable driving distance. I’ve got a lot of room on my property, though, so I’m looking for a hobby that takes advantage of all that space.
With your right eye essentially out of the picture, I would recommend you go lefty (your left hand pulls the string). That way you can get your left eye sighted straight along the arrow. It may not feel right at first, but you should get used to it. And as an adult, you should have no problems reaching the target with your “off” hand.
When I say that the left handed bows cost more, I mean the model that has left handed bows will cost more than other models in a manufacture’s lineup. For instance, Brand ABC may have 3 models of bows, Model X, Model Y and Model Z. Model X may go for $150, but it will only have right handed bows. Model Y may only cost $225 but it only has right handed bows, too. Model Z will have both right and left bows, but costs $350 for either one.
There are also inventory issues. Maybe Brand ABC makes Model X lefties for $150, but Bass Pro only stocks the righties for whatever business reason. You just need to search the web and find a couple that you want to try, then track them down in a store (Bass Pro, Cabella’s, or some Mom&Pop archery store) and go try it out. Any reputable archery store should let you try before you buy. If you go compound, they can also measure your draw length and set the draw weight. They may even be able to point you to some archery clubs in the area so you can go shoot with like minded people.
Yes indeed. My vision is much better in my left eye, therefore I use it as my primary focus eye.
Hope you don’t mind the bump. I Googled this and of course wound up at the Dope. 
I have the same issue as the OP. My son and I are taking archery lessons (my little brother, who is 11, has been winning competitions since he was six!).
Couple of issues:
- My son is 7 and he switches between right and left while writing and doing artwork, but seems to be left-hand dominant. He started with his left hand, though.
- Supposedly I did the same as a kid and settled into right-hand dominance (I can still write, with, say, a dry erase marker perfectly with my left, but not with a pencil). I have no recollection, so I had to go on what my mom says. My brother is also a lefty, as well as several cousins (boys and girls).
- I’m left-eye dominant. I also have amblyopia. So does my son. Now what?
- If we’re wearing glasses, will this make a difference?
- My son is a little klutzy, but tough. I’m not worried about him, but…
- My left side has been weakened by an injury. My ENTIRE left side. It’s hard to even build muscle mass in my left arm. Even when I was in great shape 3 years ago (hm…should hit the gym), my left was significantly weaker than my right. I know it’s common, but I mean weak enough that my neurologist remarked on it.
Why the hell can’t I see with my left and also hold the bow with my left? I understand this will take some adjusting, but why not?
I’ll never be a great archer, but I’d like to do this with my son. I just don’t want to be so awful that I’m not having fun.
In high school, hitting a can with a gun was a pain in the ass (had to use my left eye and move my hand over a slight bit until I just plain gave up, figuring I shouldn’t be allowed to hold loaded weapons :D) but archery was a little easier. I never did it seriously and only a few times, but I never embarrassed myself. That was 10+ years ago, but I’m hopeful.
Thanks in advance!
Get a monocle. You’ll be the classiest kid in the Hunger Games.
It’s possible to learn “instinctive” shooting (no sights) being right-handed and left-eyed but it takes a lot of practice judging distance. It’s considerable easier if your dominate eye is directly behind the bowstring/nock/arrow shaft and inline with the front sight if you’re using one.
It’s easier to learn to draw and loose an arrow with your opposite hand than it is to fool your brain into using your non-dominate eye. If you’re left eye dominate, chose a left hand bow.
Learn to draw the arrow by swinging your elbows back and using your upper back muscles. Kinda like standing in a doorway and propelling yourself forward by pushing your elbows against the door frame. Or rowing a boat.
Then it’s a matter of standing as still as possible (holding your form), focus on the target (because you can’t hit it if you can’t see it 
), and ONLY using the muscles needed to release the string (finger shooters) or activating the trigger (release shooters).
Good luck and have fun.
Thank you for your informative post. I think I will try with both and just experiment. I’m not really good at any sports, but I’d like to really give this a go. At the very least, be able to do it with my son. (We have a an adult-child class coming up to test the waters.)
If I have a left-hand bow, but my left side is quite weak, won’t that be incredibly difficult? I guess it’s not I’m using a crossbow. Just standing without a bow and imagining myself with a left-handed bow feels ‘odd’. I feel like I want to fall over.
Definitely going to play around and get some tips from the archery shop/club…I want to have fun, but I don’t want to look like a total moron.
Another question: Honestly, how hard is it to shoot with both eyes open? Is it all hit and miss, only for the very experienced, or perhaps an option for a beginner?
If both of my eyes are open, I can see the target and aim. If I shut one (duh), the target “moves”. If I focus, do I have a chance?
Unless you have a physical handicap, your left side is weak because you don’t use it. Start with a lighter draw bow, 20 or 25lbs and work your way up.
Compound bows (wheels and cams at the limb tips, aka “training wheels”) are draw length specific. If you and your son don’t have approx the same reach (finger tip to finger tip distance with your arms spread wide), it will be difficult for the two of you to use the same bow.
Longbows (straight or “stick” bows, think Merry olde England and Robinhood) and recurve bows (reverse curve to the limbs) are more adaptable to different sized archers. Some longbows don’t have a “window” cutout for the arrow rest. These can be shot either right or left handed but the arrow will be resting on your hand. Some people don’t like that.
Arrows are rated at different “spine”. Spine rate refers to the defection of the arrow when it’s shot. A 50lbs spined arrow wouldn’t flex enough to shoot “around the bow” if shot from a 25lbs bow. Have the achery shop explain “archers paradox” to you. A lot of people don’t understand it and they’ll be impressed that you even know the term. 
A 25lb spined attow might break if shot from a 50lb bow.