Having to learn to shoot left handed. Need advice and tips

[Bandog]

I suffered severe ulnar neuropathy that required surgery. My right hand (my shooting hand) atrophied and I lost 50% of my strength/muscle in that hand. I can make what muscle I have left stronger but can build no new muscle due to the damage. I am being encouraged to learn to shoot left handed as I am left eye dominant. I've always believed being cross eyed dominant and shooting from my right hurt me competitively. I am trying to stay optimistic. I hear the Rogers school virtually insists you learn to shoot from your eye dominant side. Any thoughts? Or tips? I am trying not to think I am finished in competitive shooting.

[kevinj308]

You can absolutely learn how to go lefty. Really no tips other than slow, accurate dry fire practice to develop the new side. I broke my right wrist once and had to learn to do everything lefty for awhile. At first it feels like a foreign language, because it is. It's amazing how adaptable the brain is. It's gonna take a while, but maybe not as long as you think.

If you want to keep shooting you can, don't give up.

Kevin

[Bandog]

Thanks Kevin. I shoot 1911's in single stack should I go with S&A ambi magazine releases on all my guns or just use my index finger? No I am NOT GIVING UP period!

Edited July 4, 2011 by Bandog

[Bandog]

Are there any Masters or GM's that shoot 1911's left handed?

[kevinj308]

Thanks Kevin. I shoot 1911's in single stack should I go with S&A ambi magazine releases on all my guns or just use my index finger? No I am NOT GIVING UP period!

Try it with your index finger, if you don't like it then put on the ambi release. With the ambi you can use either method.

[ajg308]

It will be awkward for awhile, but you will get used to it. I shoot left handed because of my dominate eye is the left eye. Almost everything else I do right handed.

I am a master in Idpa and A in uspsa. I use my index finger for the mag release. I prefer this because I can do it with any gun I pick up and most importantly my grip is affected the least.

[Bandog]

Thanks for the input guys I sincerely appreciate it.

[Reshoot]

I suffered severe ulnar neuropathy that required surgery. My right hand (my shooting hand) atrophied and I lost 50% of my strength/muscle in that hand. I can make what muscle I have left stronger but can build no new muscle due to the damage. I am being encouraged to learn to shoot left handed as I am left eye dominant. I've always believed being cross eyed dominant and shooting from my right hurt me competitively. I am trying to stay optimistic. I hear the Rogers school virtually insists you learn to shoot from your eye dominant side. Any thoughts? Or tips? I am trying not to think I am finished in competitive shooting.

It is a long, steep hill but it can be done. I am living proof! I was born left handed, you might say, but went blind in my left eye at age 31. Some of my vision returned (in black and white) giving me some depth preception. It is a retinal nerve issue so, it can not be improved.

I gave up hunting and shooting for a year, then decided I would learn to shoot again come hell or high water. I started with 22 caliber handguns, and long guns. I shot from sand bags on the bench until I got used to the feel. For a while I continued to shoot handguns with my left hand, sighting with my right eye. But, when I had to learn long guns all over again I chose to do the same with hand guns. I am a better marksman for having done so.

I will tell you it was very frustrating in the beginning but, if you stick with it you will prevail! Will you become as fast left handed as you were right handed? For me, no. Expecially with long guns. I did have to give up wing shooting.

I wish you the best of luck, and don't give up!

[Silversmoke]

I am naturally right handed and right eye dominant. Because of a past injury to the right elbow I had to either switch to the left hand or quite shooting for an extended period. I chose to switch to the left hand and have been delighted with the results. It did take a few weeks of practice to successfully make the change, but the switch was easier than I had imagined. I now shoot left handed as a preference. The right elbow has long ago healed, but I found that I actually shoot better with the left hand and it has remained the hand of choice. Fear not about making the switch, just do it.

[Bob Hostetter]

I am right handed and left eyed, and normally shoot right handed. However about 20 years while taking a LE class the instructor challenged me to shoot the class left handed and I did. I still, when attending other instructors classes, regularly shoot the whole class left handed. I have every once in a while shoot small local matches left handed at least until I could get some side bets going. It is not as hard as it first seems, commit to it and do it. You already know how to shoot, you just need to slow down a little until it becomes more comfortable.

[38superman]

Bandog,

If you are left eye dominant you absolutely should be shooting southpaw.

If you want to shoot Single Stack, you only need to make sure the blaster has an ambi safety.

As for the mag release,... index finger.

Even on guns with an ambi mag release, I always use the index finger.

I've never been able to use the thumb without having to shift my grip on the gun.

That is (for me anyway) a major disadvantage.

Don't even think of giving up.

Adapt.

You can do it.

Tls

[pjb45]

I heard a story about a guy who was left handed but due to some circumstances learned to shot right handed. I think his name was Robbie something.

[Joe4d]

In addition to shooting and dry firing I would hazard to guess making an effort to do everything else left handed would speed the learning curve.

[Bandog]

Bandog,

If you are left eye dominant you absolutely should be shooting southpaw.

If you want to shoot Single Stack, you only need to make sure the blaster has an ambi safety.

As for the mag release,... index finger.

Even on guns with an ambi mag release, I always use the index finger.

I've never been able to use the thumb without having to shift my grip on the gun.

That is (for me anyway) a major disadvantage.

Don't even think of giving up.

Adapt.

Thank you won't! Nick

You can do it.

Tls

[JimmyZip]

I have been dry firing left handed quite a bit recently. I'm trying to see what I will have to teach my left-handed daughter this coming season as she wants to start. The first practice, I hadn't changed my rig around, so it was a wash. The second, I had a LH holster for an evening and changed my rig around. It was pretty cool. after about an hour I could do mag changes smoothly, and my trigger control was actually better with my LH. I incorporate a 50/50 weak hand/strong hand routinely now. It feels more natural every day. I imagine if I really just shot that way, and dryfired that way only with my rig turned around, it might take a month or so to really get caught up. I'm only a C in Production though, so realize where I'm coming from.

JZ

P.S. Long guns are another issue altogether!

[Sin-ster]

Just something to think about, and will be totally relative to how you feel about it. (After all, we don't know exactly what the condition of your right hand is via a text description.)

While a balanced grip is what's commonly discussed around here, you'll also hear lots of people talking about 70-30, 60-40 spreads between weak and strong hand. I think these differences actually come down to a communication confusion/failure, and are actually talking about the same thing. Because the support hand actually wraps around a large part of the weapon hand, a lot of the pressure (specifically on the front strap) actually comes from the support hand, although it's delivered through the weapon hand in several places. While I go for a balanced grip, I discovered that my support hand is doing most of the work, other than the (important) surface of the backstrap.

The point is that you may not want to switch to using your injured hand in a support capacity. Provided you've got dexterity of the trigger finger and enough strength front-to-back to keep the gun from moving around, you're probably better off with the way you shoot now. Obviously, if further damage or pain is a concern, you've got to make the switch. If you have trouble with manipulating the trigger, it'll be the same story.

Only you can make this decision of course, and as others have noted, it might actually be an advantage to shoot in unison with your dominant eye! As others have said, you can definitely do it! Although I'm not confident enough (speed wise) to do it in competition, I've been forced to learn how to shoot with both hands in a free style grip and I'm here to tell you that you'll probably be surprised how fast you take to it.

Good luck, and good on you for sticking with it.

[Bandog]

You guys are great! Thanks for all the support. Really I appreciate it. Right now I am two weeks post op and my arm still looks like someone stuck a lemon underneath my skin near my elbow. Truth be told I think I am jumping the gun into thinking I cannot shoot right side again. I am beginning to see slowly that is not may not necessarily true. It may come down to a matter of preference six weeks from now. I like when going left how the gun naturally comes up to my left eye. Though I don't know if I can develop the speed (drawing from the holster) from my left that I can from my right. That is my greatest concern and it is a toss up. Though it sure feels more natural drawing slowly from the left after a few hundred times. Really I think that even though I have damage that is not going anywhere to my right hand I can over come it. The questions is do I want to. Am I better off shooting left? I simply don't know at this point. I am the type that wants to push the limits. Now I am just confused. Left feels more natural. Though shooting right I have had 100's of thousands of presentations. I want answers though I may have to wait for a while. I just hate being in a position where I am hurt and don't know what is going to happen or what is best. Thank you to all of you. Nick

[benos]

There was a guy I used to shoot with long ago, who broke his right arm (he was right handed). That didn't stop him from shooting IPSC matches. He just shot everything weak hand only. After a month or so of shooting everything weak hand only, believe me, he was a holy terrror.

If your mind does not limit you, you will not be limited.

be

[Avezorak]

Thanks Kevin. I shoot 1911's in single stack should I go with S&A ambi magazine releases on all my guns or just use my index finger? No I am NOT GIVING UP period!

I like the design of the Mitchell mag release over the S&A. Check it out if you decide to go that way.

http://www.bulletworks.com/Mag_catch.html

And good luck in your endeavor.......

[patton63]

Thanks Kevin. I shoot 1911's in single stack should I go with S&A ambi magazine releases on all my guns or just use my index finger? No I am NOT GIVING UP period!

I am a lefty and wouldn't know what do to with an ambi magazine release on my 1911s. But, then again, all of my long guns are righ-handed too. With some practice, working the slide release and magazine release with your index finger begins to feel quite natural - through muscle memory, you figure out how to angle the pistol for the quickest engagement. Good luck as you learn the new skill, and welcome to the world of southpaw shooting.