Part of the complete guide: How to improve your archery score
When you look at the world with both eyes open, the brain does not blend the two images equally: it selects one as its reference. That eye is your dominant eye, and it is the one that guides alignment when you aim. In archery this matters considerably, because the aim is built precisely on the alignment between eye, reference point, and target.
Yet it is one of the things most often skipped at the start. There is a common assumption that the aiming eye is on the same side as the preferred hand, and for most people that holds true. But for a sizeable share of archers it does not, and that is where problems begin: shooting right-handed with a dominant left eye, while the brain aims through the wrong eye without anyone noticing.
In this article we look at what ocular dominance is, how to find yours in thirty seconds, what to do when eye and hand do not agree, and how to navigate this in practice, whether you are a beginner or already established in the sport.
What ocular dominance is
Ocular dominance is the brain's tendency to rely on input from one eye over the other for alignment and aiming tasks. It has nothing to do with how well you see from each eye: you can have perfect acuity in both and still have a clearly dominant eye. It is a processing preference, not a matter of visual sharpness.
The consequence for archery is direct: if you aim with both eyes open, as is often the better approach, it will be the dominant eye that determines where the sight line falls. If that eye is on the opposite side to how you set up the bow, the alignment that feels correct actually is not, and you tend to compensate in ways that undermine consistency.
How to find your dominant eye
The simplest method is the triangle test, shown in the figure above: form a small triangle with your hands, frame a distant object with both eyes open, then close one eye at a time. The eye with which the object stays inside the triangle is the dominant one; with the other eye the object appears to shift away.
An equally quick alternative is the hole-in-card test: hold a card with a small hole at arm's length, look at an object through the hole with both eyes open, then alternate. The same logic applies. Run the test a couple of times on different days: in a small percentage of people, dominance is weak or variable, and that is useful information to have.
Cross-dominance: when eye and hand do not agree
Cross-dominance refers to the situation where the hand you would naturally draw with is on one side and the dominant eye is on the other: for example, right-handed with a dominant left eye. It is not a flaw or a rarity; it happens to many people, but in archery it needs to be managed. Without doing so, the brain tries to aim through the dominant eye while the bow is set up for the other one.
This brings me to the point I want to state plainly, because it is the source of half the confusion: ocular dominance is stable and, in everyday practice, does not shift with any exercise we know of. The lever you actually have is a different one, and simpler than it might seem: you can change your shooting side, meaning which side you set the bow up from. You do not force the eye to follow the hand; you move the hand to the side of the eye.
Everything else follows from this. There are three practical approaches, though they are not on the same level: one resolves the problem at its root, the other two are workarounds designed for archers already established on one side who cannot, or prefer not to, start over.
Change your shooting side
Set the bow up on the side of the dominant eye, even if it is not the hand you would instinctively use. This is the solution that resolves cross-dominance at its root, because it lets the right eye aim. The new hand adapts within a few weeks; ocular dominance does not. For those starting from scratch or with only a few months of experience, switching now almost always makes sense: the cost of changing is low at this stage, and very high later on.
Occlude the dominant eye
For those who have been shooting for years on their hand side and switching is not realistic: aim by applying a small opaque patch to the lens or visor, temporarily blocking the dominant eye at the moment of aiming. It does not change the eye, it simply takes it out of play. A practical and widespread solution, used at high levels too.
Close the dominant eye
The bare-bones version of the previous option: close the dominant eye only during the aiming phase. It works, but closing one eye reduces stability and depth perception slightly. Partial occlusion is generally preferable when possible: keep both eyes open and let the patch do the work.
Preferred hand and laterality
The preferred hand matters, but less than the eye. A non-dominant hand can be trained to hold the bow or manage the string with relative ease over a matter of weeks; ocular dominance, by contrast, is stable and does not shift with common shooting exercises. This is why, when the two do not align, the right move is to change the shooting side rather than expect to retrain the eye: faced with clear cross-dominance in a beginner, the prevailing guidance is to let the eye take priority over the hand.
One nuance worth adding: research on the interaction between hand preference and dominant eye confirms that cross-dominance has a measurable effect on performance. In practice, those who use a sight tend to be less affected: the external visual reference guides the sight line, whereas archers shooting instinctively depend more heavily on the aiming eye. For instinctive shooters, cross-dominance carries more weight and needs to be managed more carefully.
There is also the case of weak ocular dominance: some people do not have a clearly dominant eye. In those situations cross-dominance matters less, and shooting from the hand side while managing aim through occlusion is a perfectly workable approach. This is another reason to run the test carefully rather than assume.
What to do in practice
If you are just starting out: test your dominant eye before choosing a shooting side, and discuss it with your coach. If there is clear cross-dominance, the right move is not to try to change the eye, but to set up from the dominant eye's side from the very beginning. This is the window where the decision costs almost nothing and saves years of compensation.
If you are already shooting from your hand side and are discovering cross-dominance now: do not upend everything. Switching sides after years of practice is a major undertaking, and only makes sense in specific cases with proper technical guidance. In the vast majority of situations, the better approach is to stay on your side and manage aim through occlusion of the dominant eye: apply the patch, check whether lateral dispersion improves, and give the change a few weeks before drawing any conclusions.
Ocular dominance is stable. Your shooting side can be changed.
That is the practical core of this. Faced with cross-dominance, beginners should almost always change their shooting side and set up the bow on the dominant eye's side. Those who have been shooting for years manage it through occlusion, without overhauling everything. Archers using a sight are less affected; instinctive shooters need to deal with it more directly. The worst outcome is to ignore it: continuing to aim with the wrong eye is a quiet but persistent drag on consistency.
Further reading. What you read here rests on the scientific literature. To keep the text readable I do not cite individual studies inline, but you will find the full reference list, over 120 studies and books, on the dedicated page.
Go to the bibliographyThe same reading, but applied to your shot.
What you read here is the theory. Video analysis brings it to your movement: your numbers, what is not adding up and why, the few things worth starting with. Send me a video, and I will give you a thorough read of it.
