kacy Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hi all . I`M fairly new to the sport and when i first started i wasn`t too bad of a shot with one eye shut but listening to some experienced guys they have all said shoot with both eyes and now i miss more than i hit ,what am i doing wrong ?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
point and shoot Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Yes, keep both eyes open. Focus on the bird not the gun! It's all about pointability. Keep looking/Focusing on the bird then put the gun to cheek which should put you in line with the bird, tighten the shoulder to the stock. Don't drop the head - gun to cheek. Follow through and fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiDriver Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hi all . I`M fairly new to the sport and when i first started i wasn`t too bad of a shot with one eye shut but listening to some experienced guys they have all said shoot with both eyes and now i miss more than i hit ,what am i doing wrong ?????? listening to too many other people maybe ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) Probably an eye dominance issue probably slightly left eye Dom and shooting right handed? Do the eye Dom test and have a search...... One eye for static targets 2 for moving http://www.basc.org.uk/en/how-to/shooting/eye-dominance-test.cfm Edited April 3, 2011 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy the plumber Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Friend of mine had an eye dominance problem, he found a small smear of lipsalve in front of the dominant eye on a pair of sunglasses helped his "weak" eye to come into play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COACH Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) Go and see a highly qualified coach, one that many people recommend, he/she will sort it for you. It`s an eye dominance problem most likely and you need to be shown how to cope with it and use it to your advantage. Keeping both eyes open is not necessarily the best option for some as it depends on your degree of dominance amongst other things. You must understand what eye dominance really is, and how bad it is etc. There are also an awful lot of people out there that shoot with just one eye open when there is no need and they would shoot even better with both eyes open if shown how properly. Gun fit is a possibility as well, so get it checked out by the right person, NOT just anyone. Edited April 4, 2011 by COACH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon123 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I always shoot with one eye closed, even if the object is moving or not. ;) I shoot well with the one eye closed, and i don't plan to change my style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hi all . I`M fairly new to the sport and when i first started i wasn`t too bad of a shot with one eye shut but listening to some experienced guys they have all said shoot with both eyes and now i miss more than i hit ,what am i doing wrong ?????? simple answer go back to what you did before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bangs Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 If you can hit them with one eye closed but miss them with both eyes open, the answer is simple ... Close one eye and enjoy your shooting, too many people think it's a rule that all shooters must have both eyes open when using a shotgun on a moving target, and boy do they like to spout it at every opportunity. Missed and injured loads of birds whilst trying to use both eyes, now it's one eye and a much higher hit rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 If you can hit them with one eye closed but miss them with both eyes open, the answer is simple ... Close one eye and enjoy your shooting, too many people think it's a rule that all shooters must have both eyes open when using a shotgun on a moving target, and boy do they like to spout it at every opportunity. Missed and injured loads of birds whilst trying to use both eyes, now it's one eye and a much higher hit rate. If you shoot better with one eye closed have you ever tried with boh eyes closed? Only joking I am not taking the mick. I keep both eyes open right handed, and one eye closed left handed, it is all about eye dominance, get you eyes checked, what is best for you is how you shoot best and most comfortably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodyPopper Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Yup, two eyes open is the ideal - because binocular vision is what helps you judge speed, distance and angle. But, if you shoot better with one eye closed, then do it. There are various checks for eye dominance but, if you do them yourself (like I did) you could end up confused. On a couple of tests, I'm right-eyed dominant, but on a couple of others, I'm left eyed (for example, if you hand me a telescope, I'll put it to my left eye). I went to the coach at my clay pigeon club and explained this problem. He did some tests and said "You're right. Weird." His suggestion was for me to half close my left eye as I mount the gun and then open both once I'm on the bird. It seems to work. At least, I shoot better that way than any other way I've found so far. I asked the coach whether I should go to the optician for advice. His view was that I could end up spending hundreds and shooting badly. So, find what works and stick to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kacy Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Thanks for all your comments and pardon the PUN ther`s more to this than meets the eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 I'm a right handed shooter with left eye dominance. I have been shooting with my left eye closed since i started shooting and i have no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 I'm a right handed shooter with left eye dominance. I have been shooting with my left eye closed since i started shooting and i have no problems. Your profile picture is the proof of what you have told us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 I'm a right handed shooter with left eye dominance. I have been shooting with my left eye closed since i started shooting and i have no problems. I am the same but shoot left handed both eyes open, why because my left eye is much better and very dominant.... The gizmos didn't work and I got some proper advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) I wonder of anyone can tell us when and how the tradition of keeping both eyes open when shooting a shotgun came into being. I suspect it was when the extra barrel was added or when the Cowboys used to shoot from the hip in the Wild Wild West. True cross eye dominance where the shooter is right handed and the left eye is dominant is not common. I have a freind who is a really excellent shot and also an optician and he opines that its a load of baloney. At the range we are shooting effectively it doesnt make a bit of difference and if you are comfortable shooting with one eye closed and it works for you then carry on He has represented England at Junior level CPS and regularly wins more than his fair share of Clay shoots. I shoot similarly, rifle, pistol, shotgun. On one of my guns I have filed a v shaped groove on the block which I line up with the bead and aim like a rifle. The only thing I have to worry about is the proper lead given the speed of the bird and as most people know if you miss you generally miss behind. Shooting a shot gun effectively improves with practice, like golf, cricket, casting a fly, or any other sport requiring hand eye co-ordination its what your brain becomes accustomed to. Saying this I know of a crack shot with one arm who shoots from the hip so it just illustrates that its what your eyes teach your brain and where your brain positions your body. Like I said if its comfortable, effective and aint broke dont fix it. Try removing the bead and fixing one of those yellow or red fibre optic sights to line up the gun on a fixed target like a piece of white painted plywood and see how the pattern is effected by keeping one eye open an then both while swinging through with a shot. If you notice an appreciable difference I will eat my hat. Edited April 5, 2011 by Fisherman Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Kacy, Check your eye dominance.Easiest way is get a CD disc,hold it at arms length and with both eyes open look through the hole at an object in the distance/on a wall.Then in one smooth movement bring the disc back toward your face keeping the object in the 'hole'.If the disc comes straight back all the way to one eye that is your dominant eye.If that is your right eye and you shoot off your right shoulder all is well in life..shoot with both open no probs.If however it comes toward your nose(rare)or your left eye then bit different! Go see a coach to explain in depth but if goes to your left eye you will either need to change shoulder OR close left eye. Hope this helps,ATB, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timps Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 True cross eye dominance where the shooter is right handed and the left eye is dominant is not common. I have a freind who is a really excellent shot and also an optician and he opines that its a load of baloney. At the range we are shooting effectively it doesnt make a bit of difference and if you are comfortable shooting with one eye closed and it works for you then carry on Well I strongly disagree with your friend as I have been though it and its the first thing any coach worth his salt checks for. Try removing the bead and fixing one of those yellow or red fibre optic sights to line up the gun on a fixed target like a piece of white painted plywood and see how the pattern is effected by keeping one eye open an then both while swinging through with a shot. If you notice an appreciable difference I will eat my hat. Not too sure what you are trying to get at here, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. The pattern plate is fixed in place so swinging through a stationary target has no meaning as there is no need to judge its speed, distance or direction. If I was a betting man I would say doing that test, then one eye shut would win even in a non cross dominant shooter but its results are quite meaningless. If you repeated the test with a pattern plate on a moving trolley (not just left to right but at slight offset angle as well) then I fear for the safety of your hat. Plenty of targets can be shot effectively with one eye shut, teals and anything on the skeet range because as you have rightly pointed out you just need to get the lead right and those targets are easy to judge with one eye shut. However on a sporting course you are going to come across a target you have never seen before that is speeding up or slowing down as well as crossing, looping, climbing or dropping. This type of target can be hit with one eye shut but it’s a heck of lot easier with both eyes open or at least acquiring the sight picture before dimming an eye. At the end of the day those targets missed to acquire the sight picture in the first place makes the difference between the top shots and the mid pack hence why for sporting most recommend both eyes open. As far as the OP like everyone has said check your dominance there are plenty of post on here about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beretta Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 im with you on this timps if your left eye dominant and shoot off right shoulder you will miss most that you shoot at. not all, but most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Agree with Timps. Also worth noting that eye dominance changes with age and even to a degree if you are very tired! A left eyed dominant right hand shooter will clean MISS a pattern plate at 30 yards,it can be a good 3 foot off so this eye dominance thing is absolutely fundamental and essential to 2 eye shotgun shooting. Anybody going to a coach for the first time or new to shooting will have the eye dominance checked very early in the lesson,it is always an early chapter in the main reference shooting books,Ken Davies/Stanbury/Carlisle devote pages to it BECAUSE with a shotgun you shoot where you look..and if you are inadvertedly looking with the 'wrong' eye you have little chance of hitting anything. There is little point learning Mount/lead/and all the other stuff until it is known you are seeing what you are looking at. Hope this makes sense. Best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Agree with Timps. Also worth noting that eye dominance changes with age and even to a degree if you are very tired! A left eyed dominant right hand shooter will clean MISS a pattern plate at 30 yards,it can be a good 3 foot off so this eye dominance thing is absolutely fundamental and essential to 2 eye shotgun shooting. Anybody going to a coach for the first time or new to shooting will have the eye dominance checked very early in the lesson,it is always an early chapter in the main reference shooting books,Ken Davies/Stanbury/Carlisle devote pages to it BECAUSE with a shotgun you shoot where you look..and if you are inadvertedly looking with the 'wrong' eye you have little chance of hitting anything. There is little point learning Mount/lead/and all the other stuff until it is known you are seeing what you are looking at. Hope this makes sense. Best. I dont disagree with all thats been said generally, But if you are a right hand shooter you are closing the left eye and Vice Versa...only when you try shooting with both eyes does Eye dominance come into play.. of course all coaches will teach you to keep both eyes open and hence eye dominance will be paramount...even if you have a weaker right eye and shoot right handed when you are looking straight down the rib and lining up the bead at 30 yards you should be able to hit a pattern consistantly at that distance. As I say...if you are closing one eye and shooting successfully dont change or waste good money having it coached out of you for the sake of tradition. If its comfortable and you are happy stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beretta Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 you seem to have altered your view a bit from your last post which seemed ( to me anyway) to say that even if left eye dominant and both eyes open shooting off right shoulder it would make no difference at the ranges we shoot at. i dont know any coaches that will 'make' you shoot both eyes open unless it is proved possible that they can do. lining up the bead with a target is fine for the plate but when shooting live or clays you do not shoot this way, you look at what your shooting at and if the left eye takes over, you will miss. i agree that if your ok with one eye open and the other is more dominant then leave alone, unless, there is something that can be used to aid the use of both eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Fisherman Mike, Hi,sure eye dominance is of course a non issue if 1 eye is closed. 2 eyes is ideal because depth perception/range/target acquisition and line reading are easier. if 2 eyes is a non goer,which it is for some people,then a 1 eye option is the only option.For any given shooter it is easier to use 2,but if they want to shoot off their 'natural' or comfortable shoulder but that is'nt their dominant eye side, then they will need to either dim or fully shut the other eye.Many shooters do this,some change shoulders.......some don't even know their eye dominance is skewed.. For the OP though,starting out,if he/she establishes their eye dominance position it should dictate how he/she takes their shooting forward.Some folk take to changing shoulder well,others it feels like writing with the wrong hand...The OP needs to see if it is an Eye dominance issue(which it sure sounds like) then go and see a coach to discuss the options and decide which is the best method for them. ATB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timps Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 you seem to have altered your view a bit from your last post which seemed ( to me anyway) to say that even if left eye dominant and both eyes open shooting off right shoulder it would make no difference at the ranges we shoot at. i dont know any coaches that will 'make' you shoot both eyes open unless it is proved possible that they can do. lining up the bead with a target is fine for the plate but when shooting live or clays you do not shoot this way, you look at what your shooting at and if the left eye takes over, you will miss. i agree that if your ok with one eye open and the other is more dominant then leave alone, unless, there is something that can be used to aid the use of both eyes. That’s the inference I got as well and I totally agree with everything beretta says Fisherman Mike, Hi,sure eye dominance is of course a non issue if 1 eye is closed. 2 eyes is ideal because depth perception/range/target acquisition and line reading are easier. if 2 eyes is a non goer,which it is for some people,then a 1 eye option is the only option.For any given shooter it is easier to use 2,but if they want to shoot off their 'natural' or comfortable shoulder but that is'nt their dominant eye side, then they will need to either dim or fully shut the other eye.Many shooters do this,some change shoulders.......some don't even know their eye dominance is skewed.. For the OP though,starting out,if he/she establishes their eye dominance position it should dictate how he/she takes their shooting forward.Some folk take to changing shoulder well,others it feels like writing with the wrong hand...The OP needs to see if it is an Eye dominance issue(which it sure sounds like) then go and see a coach to discuss the options and decide which is the best method for them. ATB. Totally agree with dougall on this as well, I speak from experience (a few years dimming an eye and now a few years both open) its not tradition its a benefit to use both eyes if possible, so its worth trying to find out if you can. If not then no harm done at least you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COACH Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I`m with Beretta and Dougall on this one. Find out for sure from a competent coach. Even if you are strongly left eye dominant and wish to shoot from your right shoulder you should ALWAYS call for the bird and see it with BOTH eyes open. As the gun comes into the cheek you then shut your left eye and not before. That way you can judge the speed and distance of the target so give the correct amount of lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.