Cross Dominance in Trap Shooting: What You Need to Know

Trap shooting demands consistency. You’re repeating the same fundamental action — call, acquire, break — hundreds of times. When cross-dominance disrupts that process, the results are maddening: you’ll crush 24 targets and inexplicably lose the 25th to a routine straightaway.

How Cross-Dominance Shows Up in Trap

Cross-firing in trap tends to be inconsistent and unpredictable. Your dominant eye may take over the aiming process without warning, especially when you’re tired or when the light changes. The symptoms show up as:

• Missing targets you “should” hit — especially straightaways and gentle angles
• Inconsistency from posts 1 and 2 (or 4 and 5) where the angle brings the cross-dominant eye more into play
• Streaks of good shooting interrupted by unexplainable misses

One experienced trap shooter described it vividly: “I have shot trap 38 years 200,000 targets plus great vision till my 50s. Right-handed, AA 27 but cross-firing has kicked my ass forever. 75 straight looking good go to post 1 hold my breath good post 2 oops damn. You never know when my left eye will lock on and when my barrel hits the target, I pull the trigger.” — George Jacobson

What Trap Shooters Have Tried

George Jacobson’s experience with every possible fix is typical of long-time trap shooters: “I have tried hypnosis osmosis thrombosis scoliosis, and purposely crossing my eyes as my gun approaches the bird. Dots, tape, fiber optics, blade, peep sights you name it I tried it. No luck!”

Another dedicated trap shooter tried the common approach of tape on the glasses: “I normally shoot with tape on my left lens. About 1 1/2 inches along the top of the lens.” — GoDawgs, Trapshooters.com

And Dwayne Noren went through the full list: “In the past I have tried most options - one eye, a spot on glasses lens, covering the upper portion of the glasses lens, sticking on blinder at the end of the barrel, etc.”

What’s Actually Working

Shooters who’ve found a solution that preserves binocular vision report significant improvements in both scores and consistency.

George Jacobson, after decades of struggling: “Saw this thread last week, ordered XD Solutions, got it Thursday, broke 25 strait practice 27 yards 25 straight from post one, 16 yds, and 18 were hard left angles. Bazinga!!!! Went to Bob Redfields Memorial shoot and broke the only 100 straight shots in 16 yd.”

Dwayne Noren found similar results over two seasons: “I have used the XDSolution the past two seasons and it has worked the best for me to prevent my left eye from becoming the dominant eye when moving to the target. I don’t consider myself of All-American talent but during the last two seasons, I have managed to shoot hundreds in singles events and a hundred in a handicap event (from 22 yds.).”

Bert Blackburn, primarily a trap shooter, scored 93/100 at a hunters’ clays shoot — the top score among 44 participants.

The Key Difference

The reason these results stand out is binocular vision. Classic solutions — tape, dots, patches — all reduce your vision to monocular, which costs you depth perception on every target. When you can keep both eyes open and still prevent cross-firing, you get the consistency that trap shooting demands.

For a full comparison of solutions, see our guide on how to fix cross dominance without losing depth perception.