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Right hander shooting a left hand bow

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BrianS:
I have been having issues with my left shoulder, which is causing pain when I attempt to shoot my right hand bow (s). Been sitting it out for quite a while, hoping the shoulder will heal. Not shooting is driving me crazy so in a attempt to get back into the game, I borrowed a left hand bow to try. There is zero pain when I shot the left hand bow. I did not shoot well (in fact I shot very poorly) but at least I can continue shooting. Any tips on how to improve other than lots of practice? Side note to those of you who are able to shoot without issues. Cherish every arrow because you never know when or if you will no longer be able to shoot a bow.
Take care,
Brian

Buffalogobbler:
Brian,
My guess is that shooting the lefty is so different you will have to relearn everything, your stance, how you grip the bow, how you sight the target ect...ect…
I would suggest just start out shooting as much as possible and work on the fundamentals, things will probably start to fall in line.
I hope this helps.

Kevin

Pat B:
Like Kevin said you are gonna have to start from scratch learning how to shoot as a lefty. Glenn St Charles had the same problem years ago. He said it took him a few weeks of constant shooting to get to where he was comfortable with his shooting left handed.
You may want to start drawing a lighter bow first to get your muscles used to the switch.

JW_Halverson:
Switching dominant hand is less of a problem with instinct shooting because both eyes are open.

Think of this as a chance to re-learn shooting and abandoning all old habits that were built into shooting already. Start by just plain shooting for form. Get perfect alignment down the arrow shaft to your fingers and on down to your elbow. Concentrate on follow-through by holding firm until the arrow strikes the target.  Hitting the same anchor point and holding for a half instant before release. Spend the time of the arrow flight watching how the arrow moves to determine if your release is clean and the arrow is not wagging the dog or porpoising.

Right about the time all this is coming together, your groups should be tightening up and your muscles developed to the point that the draw is easier.

They train horses on both sides because what one side of their brain learns the other does not automatically follow. Much of archery is muscle memory and you are training a whole new animal by switching to off-hand shooting. It's a second chance at being even better.

Good luck Brian, hope this helps and you are shooting with even more conficence than ever before.

Hawkdancer:
All the above!  It may help to get a set of therapy bands in various weights to do some conditioning when you have time and np bow available or practical.  Have the shoulder checked out for rotator cuff and ligament damage, and get it fixed if necessary.  It does help to be able to shoot comfortablyfrom either side.
Hawkdancer

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