Ambidextrous shooters?

[ncrivello]

Hi I just started shooting IDPA/USPSA, my 5th match was last weekend. I could use some feedback/tips from those who are ambidextrous.

I've found that I'm ambidextrous when it comes to shooting handguns. Each hand is slightly better at various aspects of the skills needed for practical shooting however. I'm right eye dominant and write left handed. I seem to shoot better with respect to accuracy lefty but right hand is stronger.

I've sometimes switched hands mid-stage as I'm presented with different shooting positions/sequences. Has anybody done this with success? Is it recommended?

I have a Glock 17 and Sig p226 that I've alternated between (SSP/Production). Dry fire practice is helping me to figure out which gun is better from an ergonomics and fire controls perspective. The reloads are tough for me to get below 1.5 sec with either hand on the Glock; whereas with the Sig I can get 1.0-1.2 right handed, add .2-.3 for left hand. The DA trigger is a drawback, but a reduced hammer spring made a huge difference. The Glock seems to transition quicker, but the ergonomics and controls of the 226 are more comfortable both R and L handed. The 226 also has that great SA trigger.. I need to practice draws for both hands with each gun to see which is better before deciding which gun to stick with.

Thoughts from the peanut gallery?

[seadog_99]

I'm not ambidextrous but I'd guess that picking the hand that feels best and training yourself to work around it will be faster than continuing to switch regularly. I'm interested to see what others have done.

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[morpheus]

Im right handed , left eye dominant just practice practice practice

[ncrivello]

While troubleshooting a magazine release issue, I discovered that the mag release on the 226 is reversible. Sweet!!

[mlmiller1]

If you decide on left hand dominant, you will have smaller selection of holsters & guns that work better left handed plus you will be shooting left handed with your right eye. Another inconvenience. Also more stages are designed by righties meaning you have to adapt more to shoot lefty. Changing gun hands during a stage is going to involve breaking your grip which not only gives you another opportunity to dq by dropping it or breaking 180, but also means you have to regrip the gun. Thats time!

[ncrivello]

If you decide on left hand dominant, you will have smaller selection of holsters & guns that work better left handed plus you will be shooting left handed with your right eye. Another inconvenience. Also more stages are designed by righties meaning you have to adapt more to shoot lefty. Changing gun hands during a stage is going to involve breaking your grip which not only gives you another opportunity to dq by dropping it or breaking 180, but also means you have to regrip the gun. Thats time!

I've been switching hands while on the move, so it isn't really costing time I think. There are instances where taking a shot left handed makes sense, barricades for instance. At the last match there were several courses of fire that had right handed shooters contorting themselves to make a shot that was quite easy for a lefty to make.

I agree breaking the grip to switch is potentially losing time; what I've tried is just switching once where there might be a clear advantage to so. i.e starting left and finish right or vice versa.

I've got the holsters squared away, as blade tech has lefty holsters for both my glock and sig.

[CZinZA]

In my opinion, someone who can shoot equally well with either hand dominant is going to be better than the rest of us - for the reason you mentioned, that sometimes a course is better for a left or right hander.

But whether it is a good use of time to develop such a skill, versus training to improve some other aspect of your shooting - well that is a different story

Sent by Jedi mind control

Edited April 8, 2016 by CZinZA

[tha1000]

Leatham is ambidextrous. He shoots right handed because he is right eye dominant, he shot left handed growing up. Or at least that is what I remember from the Seeklander podcast I heard him on a while back.

[crobber]

A guy that shoots at the local club shoots with either hand, but it is more out of necessity that anything. He is in a wheelchair, and as such chooses to move as little as possible. This means that he needs to take shots at certain targets with his weak hand as opposed to re-holstering and changing his position. It seems he shoots equally well with both hands.

[Marshal82]

I am semi ambi as my father was left handed and taught me that way but I'm a right with a strong right eye dominant. Since you are Right eye, I would focus your skills and shooting to right handed. The better you can see and focus in the game the better you will be. And it's more of a mental training thing to focus your mind.

however keep the left handed gun manipulation in your pocket because there are times it will come in very beneficial. However I would focus on shooting 99% right handed.

[scubadds]

I am left eye dominant and shoot pistol primarily right handed.

I practice dentistry left handed, and my left hand is becoming stronger such that I started returning tennis with my left hand now (both really)

But over the years I feel my left hand may be a better shooting hand, except for some reason the recoil impulse feels stronger with my left hand shooting;

I am thinking about getting a left handed holster just to see how it feels on the draw

Edited May 26, 2016 by scubadds

[Jim Watson]

OP

Pick a gun.

Pick a hand.

Stick with the combination for a while, shoot Classifiers and drills as well as matches.

When you have a baseline, change sides and compare objectively.

Try the other gun.

Settle on one setup and stay with it. Use your ambidexterity when a weak hand only stage comes along.

[Nik Habicht]

I'm a lefty -- with a possible slight tendency to have the left eye be dominant. By the time I discovered shooting though, I'd enjoyed photography as a hobby for a quarter century and as a full-time profession for 7.5 years. Cameras are set up for right handed people, usually utilizing their right eye. That combined with growing up in a righty world led me to develop a certain level of ambidexterity, and made my right eye slightly dominant over the left.

I learned to shoot using my right eye, and my right hand for freestyle. Oddly, when I shoot weak hand only, I use my left eye to see the sights.....

I shoot weak hand slightly more aggressively than stronghand only -- that's the natural lefty tendency coming through. On the other hand I can use most tools with either hand....

Drives my wife crazy.....

[Gcarr]

I am cross eye dominant (left eye / right hand). I am semi ambitious... The older I get the more right side dominant I become. I have read/studied everything on Google. Long story short ... If I were truly ambi and could shoot equally well with ether hand ... I would chose the side of my dominant eye. Test this ... Pick a spot on the wall and very very quickly point at it one hand at a time vs the other hand... What you will find is that you dominant eye side hand will index right to the spot ... Your cross dominant hand will always be little offset to the outside. As you are aware that moa offset grows to a miss on a target at longer distances. With a lot of practice this can be improved on... But it will always be there as well as other things as well... This could turn into a book. It is easy for people to say " Just index the gun under your dominant eye" and everything will be ok... The degree that one eye is dominant over the other and same for hands... Is for you to figure out what works best for you. I hope this helps a little ... People who do not have this condition really have no idea what it's like or how to deal with it.

[GunBugBit]

I am so not ambidextrous.