Left- or right-handed archer? The 5-second eye test
Anchor & Arrow
Which hand should hold the bow? It depends on your eyes, not your writing hand. Here's a 5-second test to find out.
Most people assume they should shoot the same way they write. In archery, what matters is your dominant eye: the one that does the aiming. Here's how to find yours in five seconds.
The 5-second eye test
- Extend both arms and make a small triangle with your thumbs and index fingers.
- With both eyes open, frame a distant object inside the triangle, such as a door handle or a tree.
- Close your left eye. If the object stays inside the triangle, you're right-eye dominant: choose a right-handed bow.
- If the object jumps out of the triangle, you're left-eye dominant: choose a left-handed bow.
What does right-handed mean for a bow?
A right-handed archer holds the bow in the left hand and draws the string with the right hand, close to the right eye. A left-handed archer does the opposite.
Buying for someone else?
If you can't ask them to do the test, choose a bow that fits either hand. The First Draw bow has an arrow rest on both sides, so the same bow works for left- and right-handed archers. Nothing to choose, nothing to get wrong.
Ready for your first shot?
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