Has anyone had a child that is left and right handed (amadextrius)?? My son has been wanting to join the archery team at school. This was the first year he was old enough. He practice some in gym class but was not able to try out because he did not get enough arrows in the target during gym. He has asked for a bow for Christmas so he can practice and try out for the team next year. The problem I have is he writes and eats left handed but can do some thing right handed. Ex. He bats right handed in baseball, but throws with his left hand, he kicks a soccer ball with his right foot. We have done some left eye right eye dominant tests with him and believe he is left eye dominant but when we ask how he wants to hold the bow he shows us how a right handed person would hold the bow which would make him use his right eye. Any one out there have any suggestions. If we get him a bow I am going to talk to the store and make sure if we get him a right or left handed bow that we can exchange it for the other if needed. Any help would be appreciated.
Sorry I will add a little to my story. He has tried shooting the bow in gym class left and right handed. But since this is only done in gym class one time a week for three weeks, he really cant get afeel for what HE likes. Since he can do things both ways we have always had to give him a little more time to figure out how he wants it to be. (ex. the bat, kicking, throwing a ball) It can get frustrating for him because someone else can be practiceing something and he is just figureing out what he wants to do.
Can you take him to a local archery club and get advice from them there? I bet they have people who would be willing to work with him to get a good answer for you. Sounds like a great opportunity for him!
My husband is an avid archer. He was ranked nationally in college and although he doesn't use it, he is a certified archery instructor. He says eye dominance does not necessarily coincide with hand dominance. My husband for instance is a right handed archer with left eye dominance. The key is learned to compensate. For my husband, sites are a trick. He says with is left eye dominance he sees double, so he has to aim with the one that looks more "real". The one that is less blurry. He said if you son is truly ambidextrous, meaning he can do everything equally then he should be able to "choose" and it would be easier to choose the eye dominance to match the arm...so for you son it sounds like shooting left handed would be easiest. If your son switches his handedness depending on the activity, which it sounds like it may be the case with your son, it could get trickier. He said it may take some trial and error, but generally go with the first instinct, what feels most comfortable, which it sounds like for your son may be right handed. If you have any specific questions, feel free to private message me and I can ask the hubby. He is always up for getting someone in to the sport he loves. :)
Maybe the only way he's been taught to use a bow is right handed (I learned to crochet left handed, for example, because the person teaching me was a lefty) and that's why he's doing so badly at hitting the target? Maybe trying a left handed one would help.
There are archery groups all over who might have members willing to teach your son for FREE or a very minimal charge. They have all the equipment and could be a great help before you spend any money. We were given free lessons for all the scouts that wanted them.
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the term is ambidextrous. I would suggest that you look for an archery instructor because presumably s/he will have taught kids who are both left and right handed. DOes your son show similar righthandedness with other sports?
Can you rent him a bow?
My daughter is left handed when she writes but does everything else right handed. I write with my right hand but do most everything else with my left hand.
Things may be more complicated because with archery he has to aim with one eye or the other, but it really depends on how his brain works.
I would talk to the sporting goods store or pro shop and see about getting him a rental until he knows for sure which side he has a true affinity for.
Best wishes!
I'm not sure what to advise in terms of archery but you should definitely support his ambidexterity. I'm also ambidextrous. In fact, when I entered kindergarten I could write with either hand but the teacher thought this was abnormal so she told my mother to work with me until I favored only one hand (I write left-handed). When I was involved in archery, many years ago, I seem to remember doing it both ways with comfort. Take him to the store and let him experiment until he sees which bow feels right.
My hubby and FIL are both left dominant but can do many things right handed. Both shoot bows and guns left.
As an added note:
My 2 yr old is left hand dominant also, which my husband hates (this was clear to us at 9 mos and my husband wanted me to discourage him from being left dominant but I refused).
Congratulation on your son wanting to participate in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP)! It is an absolutely amazing program for kids in 4th - 12th grade. You should be able to talk to the coaches in your school to get their advice on which bow to use. They should have all been trained by regional NASP instructors before they started working with their team. If they can't give you the answers you need I would suggest you check out the NASP website. www.nasparchery.com I wish him the best of luck!
