Don't shoot one eye closed, says top shot
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Shotgun coach Nick Penn offers his tips for straight shooting. Learn his secrets here.
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I love when people who don't have a complication (cross eye dominance) confidently dismiss it.
I was looking for this comment!
Look up Ben Husthwaite and Ed Solomon. Both are world champions in sporting clays and both world class coaches. They both say try both because some people shoot better with one eye closed. They also say if a coach tries to force you into keeping both eyes open… find another coach.
So has he taught to a world champion level making people shoot with both eyes ? Telling people to not close one eye is rubbish. Most world champion coaches will tell you that 1 eye or 2 doesn't really matter
As a novice clay pigeon shooter (but experienced target shooter), and someone who had to wear a patch as a very young kid over my “strong” eye to correct my lazy eye… if you are very one eye dominant, and that eye is the opposite of the shoulder you mount to, I strongly recommend to shoot how you get the best results, irrespective of this kind of pressured method selling… for me that’s with one eye closed. With two eyes open, I genuinely can’t aim the gun - it’s nothing to do with hand eye coordination, it’s that my left eye is so strong (but I’m right handed) that I couldn’t even get close when trying it. Fortunately, my instructor (a Team GB shooter) doesn’t force a particular method on me… he noticed that with 2 eyes open I was several meters off target. Closing my left eye, I’m pretty accurate, even though I’m a beginner (best result so far at sportrap style lessons being 42/50). My instructor said to carry on shooting one eye closed, as it clearly works for me… and mentioned that international shooters he knows shoot one-eyed where their dominant eye is a natural distraction.
As with most things in life, one-size does not fit all 👍 Happy shooting folks - it’s a brilliant sport, and I’m thrilled to have started it! 😊
Those that do not experience it, don’t understand it.
Gun sights were invented so we didn't have to rely so hard on the human brain - which is imperfect. Line up 2 points along a straight barrel and you know you'll be accurate.
@@tyb525 shotguns don't have sights... some don't even have a bead. If your brain refuses to use the eye that's sat at the stock-end of the barrel, you've got to stop the other eye from focusing somehow (close it, eye correction dot/patch)
It's likely because you are a new clay shooter, you don't quite understand the finer points of good fundamentals in successful clay breaking. In no way are you supposed to look at the barrel or anything attached to the gun when you are on a clay within 70 or so yards. Always look at the target, match your barrel speed with the speed of the target, and pull the trigger. You *need* both eyes open to have the depth perception to allow your brain to compensate the position of the gun with the speed and distance to the target. If you don't, you lose half your field of view and all of your ability to perceive depth. If a clay ever looks fast when you are behind the gun, it's because you aren't looking at the clay with both eyes.
btw- this skill transfers 1:1 to other shooting disciplines. Most people have only fired at stationary or slow-moving targets, and start clay shooting with stationary target fundamentals against clays, and have an incredibly steep learning curve without much success. Become a good clay shooter, and you can be a world class rifleman.
Since I was a kid I always shot both eyes open I had thought everyone did it until I met up with other shooters I thought it was crazy to cut off half your field of view when aiming a firearm and im glad to see others feel the same way about that traditional style of one eye closed
I'm always amused by those without dominance issues telling those with dominance issues it doesn't matter. It's like a man telling a woman what delivering a baby feels like... lol. And it's not like you need to "close" the eye... just dim it down a bit. Quit listening to people who don't understand your eyes to tell you how to use your eyes... smh. once you begin tracking the bird squint your off eye and watch the smoke appear. Not to be a dick, but how many world championships does Nick have? How many does Husthwaite and Solomons have?
I spent a lot of money on a very expensive lesson where they insisted I shoot with both eyes open. I literally couldn't hit anything. this does NOT work for everyone. I am right handed and left eye dominant. and if I have both eyes open, I see two barrels crossed in front of me. Sorry. I WISH This were true for everyone. but its not for me.
Same! I was just going to post this comment.
Same thing here!
@@TheWill76052 Was it difficult to change side of shootting?I have the same problem left eye dominant and i shoot right side so i close left eye a moment before i press trigger.I dont have a lot of missed game but always exist space for improvement...so i think to start practice with a pro coach to change side and aim with full open eyes. Does it worth the time and the money?
What did work? Because i'm exactly the same...
Noah Taylor actually, I now shoot with two eyes open but have a patch that blurs the target over my left eye. I wear eyeglasses.
I tried both eyes open and on my first outing I hit 50% more clays.
that's most likely because your eye looking the rib is your dominant eye. lucky you
Wonder what he would say for someone with impaired vision in only one eye? I suffered macular degradation in my right eye as an early teen(Coats disease). Loss of inner peripheral vision and a degeneration to about 20/60 over the entire vision field. Shooting right-handed since about 8, I sort of panicked, but my dad said if I wanted to continue I'd need to shoot with the left eye. I became a lefty, but can still shoot right handed. I'm cross eye dominant with a rifle and pistol, but I shoot mostly left-handed with a shotgun. I've tried both eyes open but it does not seem to work for me. I guess my bum eye is sorta like putting tape on your glasses over your non dominant eye. BTW, I'm about average as a shooter goes.
S H I was going to make a similar point, I'm blind in my left eye and shoot perfectly well using my right.
With correctional contact lenses which give me perfect central vision all I can see is two sets of barrels in a V in front of me if I'm focusing on the bird with both eyes open. I'm never accurately in front or behind and I can't tell you where I'm pointing the gun at. If I track with both eyes, but shut my left eye when pulling ahead I get a much more accurate picture - I can see one barrel in my field of view and I know exactly where I'm pointing at! By no means a great shot, but I'm a lot better with one eye!
Cannot say that I agree with Mr. Penn on terms of eye dominance.
First off if it didn't matter there would be little explanation as to why experiences shooters will miss completely if they change shoulder, I have tested this and have seen instructors miss clay at 20 meters on the ground, not to speak of myself. If the issue was that you pull the gun to one side (a possible contributor) when you raise the gun this should have no effect on level shooting, or as in our test shooting, downwards. This would leave Mr. Penn with a problem explaining why people miss low birds or stationary targets when they change shoulders, something eye dominance do account for.
Secondly "the higher I go the more I drag, now that's common sense" Well no it isn't, if you do so you are holding the gun rather retarded and pulling the gun to the side with either the one hand or the other, not putting pressure inwards. You can see people do this if they aim using their shoulders or arms, something you ought never to do and would be the first place to correct. Also "that's common sense" does not constitute an argument in any way shape or form.
I’m left hand, but being told I’m right eye dominant. Obviously I use the trap shotgun on left side. My issue is, if I keep both eyes open I see it “crossed-eye” when I look down the barrel. Regardless of what side I shoot with
Why are the students shooting without eye protection?
I started shooting at about age 8 which was nearly 30 years ago Telling an 8 year old to put a specific lead on something is impossible. Gauging 2 or 3 feet at a target 15+ yards away is impossible for them. I was taught how to set up for shots in terms of hold and focus and where to break birds. No one ever said anything about leads or eye focus. They helped me get set up and let me shoot. As a result, I have always been an instinctual shooter with both eyes open. I have thought about it many times that I don't think I could teach someone to shoot because I can't necessarily tell them what I am doing after I call pull. Perhaps the answer is as simple as keep your eyes open and let the gun do the work. I feel better about teaching my son the way that I learned after seeing this. He still has a couple years before we get behind a shotgun, but at least I feel better about giving him a foundation.
This is a instinctive shooting method. Just like shooting recurve bows instinctively. You shoot with both eyes open and the brain makes correction. Just like throwing a baseball, you don't close one eye and your brain makes the correction. If you don't practice it feels funny and it take a while for your brain to program but once it does it's great.
I keep both eyes open as I track the target but close my left eye as I tighten on the trigger. This has served me quite well through the years. But I was told for years this was wrong and I have repeatedly tried both eyes open with poor results. Then I met a world class trap and skeet shooter who did the same and said something that stuck with me, "if the only proper way to shoot a shotgun was with both eyes open, then it's funny they all are made with ribs and sights". Another thing, the gun absolutely has to fit to shoot both eyes open and gun fit changes with how many layers of clothes you're wearing or weight gain or weight loss. Great for some folks but apparently not me.
Eric Haun interesting comments, I do the same but before I did, I had an expect put an opaque sticker on the left lens of my glasses. I still begin with both eyes open and as I close in on the target I close my left eye. Additionally once I purchase a new gun that fit better my score increased by 20%. Listening to his analogies makes me want to take the sticker off my glasses and try shooting with both eyes open.
You mean I didn’t invent that technique ?
Shooting with two eyes open can be advantageous, but dismissing the problems caused by eye dominance is foolish.
Are there no Ophthalmologists out there who shoot clays or what? I feel like so many online instructors make grand statements about what you "can't do" with one eye, or start making stupid analogies about playing baseball or tennis with one eye and they have no idea regarding the mechanics of vision and occulomotor control. The sight picture a cross dominant person sees is simply not the same as a "normal" person and shooting with both eyes open will never work as well for them as a person with same hand and eye dominance.
@Lord7master7mike i also am right hand and left eye dom. i shoot lh and have changed many a junior because of this r to l etc and have always seen difference and happier more confidant shooter
@Lord7master7mike Aiming with left eye with rifle is nonsense, you have to just overcome your instinct aim with left eye. I am also left eye dominant (I am using left eye as dominant for pistols), but I have right eye dominant for rifles because there is no other option, you have to get used to, you can't fight with that.
BTW I never close eye, nobody told me I have to when I was kid so I always shooted like that and it probably works better when you are used to it becasue you see thru your gun, thru your sights and you have 3D vision.
I learned to shoot left handed just because I believed in eye dominance tbh it helps me a lot now I shoot both hands I prefer the left but the right is ok
I know you’re supposed to have both eyes open; I don’t. I close one eye. The 72 geese and 43 ducks I nailed this past season didn’t know the difference. I don’t give definitive shooting advice. I just tell people to do what they feel they’ll be confident and comfortable doing; if they’re successful, roll with it. Having a good fitting gun is really important.
With shotgun sports shooting I was always told shoot with both eyes open my boss even tells me it I can do it but I shoot better with one eye open and I shoot faster with only one eye open
He doesn't explain how to use both eyes
I can't hit shit with two eyes open, far better with one eye on it, with the new red bead brilliant addition.
I just went shooting sporting clays. (I am a total novice w/ clays) Usually I close one eye when shooting anything but I found myself keeping both open. Just felt more natural for clays.
He talks a lot of rubbish. He also doesn't wear safety glasses when coaching nor does he make the people he is 'coaching' wear them...... Really not a very good advertisement for safe shooting.
why is nick standing talking with the gun closed . shouldn't the gun be broken ??????
I’m right handed but heavily left eye dominant. With both eyes open, the front sight disappears into a blur of three or more blurry shapes. My instructor suggested trying to shoot leftie, but no way that’s going to work, so I have no choice but to close my left eye. With my handgun, I can turn my head slightly and pick up my front sight and shoot with both eyes open, but of course can’t do that with my Benelli.
I have the same problem 😕
I’ve just learned to go lefty... it really isn’t hard at all... being able to see and hit my target made the awkwardness go away quickly...
Same here, I was taught in my lessons to close my dominant left eye (right handed shooter) so for two years I've known nothing different and it works for me.
If you chaps don't mind looking a little odd while shooting, here's a tip.
Get a pair of prescription free glasses and cover the dominant eye side with white tape and keep the dominant eye open.
This way, that eye will do its job of gathering light, ensuring the aiming eye doesn't tire prematurely, but won't interfere with the aiming process.
Or.... Remove the glass from the dominant eye side, use it as a stencil on milk carton plastic, then place the plastic 'lens' where the glass lens was. Moderately less daft looking than white tape, but still a tad 'Joe 90'.
Shoot with both eyes closed and use your imagination to aiming.
You have to use ur dominant eye what BS is this 😅😂
I tried everything! One eye closed, both eyes open, even both eyes tightly shut!! Nothing worked. Then One day I woke up with a
splitting headache. Red wine and the single malt the night before may have had something to do with it.Seeing AC Sporting is
only twenty minutes away I decided to get some fresh air.After a strong coffee I went on the Fitasc stand and shot 22 out of 25 !!
Holy S..... I could not believe it. Round 2, shot 23 out of 25. I have not looked back since. The answer? Leave your thinking machine
at home.
All I know is that, since my cataract surgery, my left eye , which was a 6.50 diopter eye, it sees better than my right eye, which has always been dominate. Now, as a right handed shooter, my left eye seems targets and sends its message to the brain along with my right eye and it confuses the hell out of me brain. I’ve had to block my left eye rather than learn to shoot left handed. I think the author is full of baloney.
I'm shooting for a few years now, I look at the bird with 2 eyes open. But right before I shoot I close one eye( just like crow). Is it worth changing to 2 eyes open all the time?
+Jean Buys Nick Penn says yes. / Charlie
Very strong opinions, almost borderline aggressive! But some good points although no two people are the same
And it must also be a lot of luck that Dave Carrie with only one eye shoots the birds he does and with the consistancy.
It's about the human brain. I have only one eye, and I can shoot as well as anyone, but it's because my brain has adjusted to having only one eye. If you have two good eyes, and close one, you're brain does not make this adjustment. It can't.
One eye can do convergence and smooth pursuit. Way too much misinformation has been passed down that if you close an eye the world suddenly falls apart if you're holding a shotgun. It's rubbish.
I am a wingshooter of very long and heavy experience in the American west. I think that one of my early advantages in hitting birds and clay targets was that I never had a blooming lesson. Before I bought my first shotgun, I read a very old book about birding. Alone with no one to critique me, I learned from trial and error how to hit and how to miss. Not to boast, but I got good in a short interval. I think that the trick is to refrain from overthinking the matter.
Em português???
My problem is, all my life I've been right eye dominant shooter. Now that I am getting older, my dominant eye switched. It is extremely hard to change the whole brain thinking while shooting opposite side and with lots of training not easily to get used to. It is better for me to close one eye and shoot. Good video for new shooters though.
You shouldn't need to switch. Muscle memory and brain circuitry should still exist regardless of eye dominance. Changing things up throw it all out of whack.
i had the same problem so i started shooting left eye closed after about 6 weeks my brain went back to my right eye now shooting both eyes open again give it a try
His theories are proven totally wrong. Christ, there is a lot of bullsh** in clay shooting! 🙄
I shoot right hand with a left dominant eye. It depends on distance of the target. I dont close my eye on close targets, but if it gets out to a distance I squint just a touch to blur my left eye.
Funny. I watched one of Ben Husthwaite's videos, the other evening, in which he trashed anyone who thinks we must shoot with both eyes open! For the new shooter, is has to be baffling.
I'm not much of a clay shooter, although I enjoy it. But, as a rifle shooter, I will say that eyes work best in tandem. It's not just for gathering light - our brains are instantly metering the light to judge depth of field. A throwback to the days when such party tricks helped us know how far we needed to throw a spear to kill an animal and therefore not starve.
The problem is that if you close and open and close and open and close and open one eye, the muscles working the pupil will tire, prematurely.
The eye which stays open will need to do the work for both eyes and will also tire sooner than if both eyes did the job.
It's rather like two guys carrying a log. If one of them decides to take a rest, every two minutes, while the other drags the log for both, the pair of them will wind up knackered.
That said, dismissing eye dominance as an issue seems a little rash.
I pick up 40 plus days a year (not this year) I'm sure some of the guns shoot with both eyes closed !!!
Dominant eye is very important when using a shotgun and trying to hit moving targets. Speaking as a Doctor, I can tell you that not everyone can suppress the image from their non-dominant eye. This is why some people do better closing their non dominant eye. However, if you can suppress the image from your non dominant eye, and keep your dominant one in the right place when shooting, then the main gain from keeping both eyes open is that the pupil on your dominant eye will be smaller when you're keeping your other eye open. This gives the shooter a much clearer target to shoot at, due to increased depth of focus. I don't agree with the instructor who implies that you can use both eyes and depth perception when shooting a moving target with a shotgun. If you did that, then your point of focus, is, ipso facto, half way between your right and left eye, and this is NOT where the bead at the end of the shotgun barrel is, in relation to the target. If you were relying on that theory, then you'd need to put your chin on the stock and have the barrel exactly half way between your eyes. What's needed is an instructor who can spot what their students are doing, and work to their strengths. Some can keep both eyes open and suppress the false image from the non dominant eye, but most cannot, and will get fed up of altering their body position and technique to try and compensate for this. I suspect this instructor will find about 60% of his students unable to follow his advice, due to an inability to spot his student's innate capacities.
You don't need barrel in middle of your eyes. You still see sights with one eye (dominant or not, it doesn't matter, I have left eye dominant, but with rifle, I just can't see sights with left eye obviously) even with both eyes opened, second eye only makes 3D vision. I didn't know such simple thing as shooting with both eyes opened is such complicated thing for most of people, I am shooting like that whole my life, it's simple. You focus on target and you see only ghost of sights, that's how it works, you see 2D projection of sights so you don't have to refocus on sights and to target, you just keep your focus on target with both eyes, but you see sights with one eye.
I think I started shooting with both eyes opend because of I have left eye dominant so when I am aiming with rifle I tend to look with my dominant eye, but I have to see even sights so I invented shooting with both eyes opened, after 20 years of shooting (with everything from toy guns to real guns) it looks simple for me, but it's probably not so simple.
I have had this trouble in the past, shooting trap targets. I've had to go to adding a bit of tape in front of my left eye to prevent it seeing the target. I find the biggest benefit from two eye shooting is picking up the target faster and getting my focus locked in faster, but it definitely hinders maintaining focus as the barrel is moving into the target picture.
I find it interesting that for the ladies gun fit there was no mention of changing the pitch or angle of the recoil pad against their chest. Women here in Texas often have prominent breasts that require the toe of the recoil pad to have more angle off to prevent discomfort...and if the toe can be kicked out to align the recoil pad with the natural crease i.e. angle of the shoulder pocket..vs straight up and down...so much the better ! Knockers Up ole girl...ta ta...titi...ta da
The Vittoria range actually have a modified pitch and a semi-Monte Carlo butt, to better fit the shape of the chest for women. They also have a minimal (about 1mm I think) cast and a semi-Monte Carlo butt to allow for the narrower shoulders and a better into the shoulder pocket. That, along with no palm swell and a smaller diameter pistol grip are probably as important as the reduced length of pull described in this video.
Dave Carrie the legend, has only one eye, and is an amazing shot.....
🤷🏻♂️
if thats all you got but if you have an advantage and dont use it your loss
Spot on Carlos.
Thank you for a very informative video! At 68, I am new to trap shooting. I am a retired police officer and was a range master for over 20 years. With pistols, I always shot with my left eye closed. I tried this with trap. It worked for the first time, 23/25. It went downhill from there....I became VERY frustrated with my shooting. I began listening to too many people and my scores went from bad to worse. I happened upon your video about a month ago and watched it about 10 times ! I went to the trap range and made a conscious effort to keep both eyes open. It took about 3 rounds to make a go of it. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING !!!! See the bird, shoot the bird !!!!! I now concentrate on the bird, not my shotgun and I am shooting in the 20's every round ! Thank you Sir ! Greatly appreciated !!! JJP
We've both had a similar experience. And isn't it incredible how much more comfortable and relaxed shooting is when you start keeping both eyes open. I can shoot with one eye closed but find I have to concentrate much harder and it wares me down.
This video changed how I shoot and has increased my enjoyment of the sport immensely.
Thank you very much Nick Penn.
most of the people on here don't know which one of their eyes is their master eye and until now didn't even know there was such a thing and until they do they cant make any sensible decision as to a remedy . Find a professional EXPERIENCED instructor and get proper advice and help before wasting money and frustration time 75% of shooters don't need any help GET CHECKED FIRST
He is exactly right. I am an archer. I use no dedicated aiming method. Otherwise known as instinctive. I concentrate on the shot process built by time and effort. It can be done.
Archery is different to shooting a shotgun. Are you shooting a moving target? I used to do archery and never had a problem. Clay shooting and off eye dominant/central vision? Nightmare until recently
I guess he's talking about getting in the 'zone' I get that Pigeon shooting after missing a few but it's not easy.
Really? Let's et's ask Pete Blakely. A world class shooting instructer at the Dallas gun club. He disagrees. He has an excellent book that covers this issue. Many, many, master class shooters wink an eye.
I acquire the target with both eyes open, then wink an eye a split second before the trigger. THAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR ME.
I tried both eyes open for a year. My score dropped.
He is off on this one, closing an eye is not as detrimental as he makes it sound. It depends a lot on the person, saying you can't read distance or speed with one eye closed is garbage. I think the problem here is how the info is fed, he preaches in absolutes rather than a recommended practice or technique.
Oh and for all the comments I see below about seeing the side of your barrel etc etc the clou is and point that is in my view correctly made 'YOU SHOULD NEVER LOOK AT YOUR BARREL !!!' it is physically impossible for a human to focus on two things and for shure when the are 30mtr's apart !!
Yea sounds good but i think with incoming clays all should be wearing eye protection
Very informative video.
So am I to understand that my grandfathers, Unlces, cousins, and myself ALL lucked their way through several combat tours with many different weapons in many different campaigns?
This whole “works for everyone” shit is dumb.
The ONLY two things EVERY person does without fail is be born, and die.
Ive been shooting with one eye closed since i started shooting with alot of people telling me that its "the wrong way". Yet i consistenly shoot low 90/100s and see the errors of my shots only in concentration errors or i have not enough experience with a target.
I’m 40 years old and have been shooting since I was 10. I never realized people looked at their beads or closed one eye when using a shotgun. I can’t imagine hitting anything if I did that
It's people like me who were trained on rifle sights. It's instinctive to aim with one eye then. Use only one eye and your brain doesn't have to worry about making corrections for 2 eyes.
I’ve always kept both eyes open and looked down the barrel when shooting a shotgun. You can see more and make a more accurate shot.
Dragging on a driven bird? No, it's because you're not following the bird due to poor method.
What an absolute load of rubbish. If you're cross dominant then ignore this video.
I pull with right or left hand.
Sorry are we talking about shooting?
Why no eye protection on the young lady?
What's going to happen? Eye protection not necessary
@@Chukartramp I've been hit by pieces of broken clays before. You want to take the risk then you are a fool.
Fat feminine baby
... there is now a gun made "for ladies" bruh okay... all my ex's are going to laugh at this "lady gun" lmao imagine them now just going the fuck is a lady gun
I can't fire wide open, will get two barrels crossed and miss everything...my left eye is dominant
When I tried this it looked like the barrel crossed over can I train my eyes or is this because my eyesight is not 20 20
So this guy thinks he’s got it all worked out ? And everyone else never figured it out ? Hundreds of book one of the most studied sports ever how to shoot. It’s all about the eyes watch the target let the hands go to the target one eye two eyes doesn’t matter. Paralysis by over analysis computers and little Irish guys oh dear.
Respectfully disagree.... there is no black and white approach on this issue (as on many things in life)...
I can’t do it. Everything is blurry and I can’t hit crap when I keep both eyes open. I can’t even focus on my target.
I used to go bird shooting and I missed 80% of the time. Now I know why : when pointing my finger to a still target and close my left eye and then without moving I open both eyes I find that I have shot way to the left of the target.Same for moving targets or birds, I was shooting way to the left of the bird, hence missing.
I've tried 2 eyes for shooting trap but it doesn't work for me .......but i shoot sporting clays with both eyes open
Irony is listening to a guy talk about how important the eyes are in shooting but doesn’t wear shooting glasses
The shooting sport hasn't been fully explored... Not sure the US Military would agee lol
Bullshit, Shoot how you feel comfortable. What works for them doesn't mean it will work for you.
This dude is only trying to teach what he has been taught. It’s just not true what he is saying. I challenge anyone to do some serious research on the “one eye” deal.. my son has 5 state championships and a national championship with one eye closed.
I guess I’m screwed! I’m blind n my right eye since 13 years old was right handed but left eye dominant!
This works great if your dominant eye is on your shooting side.
Yup,im cross dominance :P
I shoot with left eye closed and I am fairly good tried with both eyes open no good
Totally agree, I love my Beretta Vittoria, fits as perfect as it can. Will need to try keeping both eyes open.
I come from a law enforcement background & never understood the eye dominance test because I couldn't get it to work. Consequently, I learned to keep both eyes open on the range (which caused me to see two guns when focusing on the target) and aim with the gun to the left. I was always a consistent top gun shooter with mostly perfect scores. Years later I learned about "mixed ocular dominance" which means your eyes are equally dominant, which is why the dominance test never worked for me.
you have CENTRAL vision you can shoot both eyes open if you squint the eye you don't want to be dominant do this until your brain automatically acquires the preferred eye on aiming
@@alanbush4192 Cool. I just tested that and it does make the sight picture clearer. 👍
I never heard the term "mixed ocular dominance"... For me whatever eye is closer to the direction I'm looking at becomes dominant. Huh... must be this.
If I'm starting out with a new shooter, my instruction would definitely be to tell them to learn to shoot ANY firearm with both eyes wide open. However, there are many, many situations that come with age and other changes that arise that result in BETTER shooting with one eye closed. As someone who has shot shotguns reasonably well for 65 years, I switched to a technique in sporting clays that has greatly improved my shooting. I call for the clay with both eyes open but as I move the gun to my shoulder, I shut my left eye. It works very well and no one can convince me otherwise. Here is a great video on this topic. th-cam.com/video/7a0-akPdynQ/w-d-xo.html
It's very very hard. You can train your eyes and brain to achieve it but it will take a lot of time and money (A LOT!) and not guaranteed to improve your scores (especially with cross eye dominance). Many people think eye dominance changes or is a set thing, not many know it is possible to be right or left eye dominant but BARELY...meaning the non-dominant eye can and will take over given the tiniest reason. I'd agree completely closing one eye is not going to help but something to restrict can benefit. Just remember, lessons are worth the money, I'll always strongly recommend...but the guys and gals teaching you rely on you coming back and the longer it takes you to learn the more money they earn. The other thing about missing left or right that is talked about here is that if is so often caused by gun fit...it's frustrating how few people bother to actually get their gun fit, a millimetre or two at the muzzle can make several inches or more difference at 30/40yds. So if you fit isn't quite right....you'll miss no matter what your eyes are doing. I do think they technique he teaches works, I use it for trap shooting and it took some getting used to and trust. But, I can't use it for game or sporting where I have to shoot maintained lead... Just trying to teach people a whole new technique sounds like a good business strategy, not sure if it's as pragmatic for the shooter.
Not closing eye is definitely better, but you have to resist to all that "gun instructors" and teachers who force you do that becuase it's the only correct way how to shoot. I am always saying you can't move to better level of shooting when you still have to close eye. You don't have 3D vision, you don't see distance, you have to constantly blinking, it looks good in movies and it's probably ok for slow target shooting when you have time and you mostly know distance, but for practical shooting it's nonsense. Person who has to close eye to aiming doesn't know how to shoot. I am so tired from all that shooters who are saying me I have to close eye and I don't know how to shoot when it's actually vice versa. With both eyes opened, you are aiming similarly like with red dot sight and also you can see even what is under your sights! That's very important and when you have too big front sight, you see thru that.
NEVER shoot ANY gun without eye protection !!!!!!!
Eye dominance is a thing, this guy is talking out of his arse, i have shot 1 eyed for years with good results,and i have now started shooting both eyes open with the same outcome
What a load of rubbish!!!! Not sure how he should get away with so much bullshit.
I’m left handed and I need to shut my right eye in the seconds before taking the shot, if I don’t I hit nothing.
It’s not surprising the comments are mixed. Demonstrates that this is not a hard and fast rule.
Nick Penn clearly does not know what he's talking about, he acts like he's the fountain of all clay shooting knowledge and he's conducted many peer-reviewed, double-blind scientific experiments about eye dominance.
He clearly doesn't know what he's on about and he's outright lying regarding eye dominance "doesn't mean a thing". Any instructor will tell you to keep both eyes open and he talks like it's his idea. I feel sorry for anyone having lessons with him.
agree with you totally Juniper. This Nick Penn does not know what he is talking about. Also when shooting a driven bird with one eye for 20 years I do not loose sight of the bird and I have shot some very good pheasants
Its hard to get at first but after a bit of practice its amazing. I dont even see my gun anymore but somehow i hit them. My tip is keep above you rib cage ridged and swivel you hips, kind of feels like you aiming with your chest. Do try it and dont give up after your first miss, you are always going to go down in score when you try something new but in the long run you might improve loads
your gun must always be in your peripheral vision and the target in your focal vision. if you reverse them you will miss .NEVER LOOK AT THE GUN
Tell us how hour off hand dominant. Otherwise you don't have a clue what you r talking about. If you got a cat shootin 97s with a small patch or squinting you'd tell them to shoot ur way and score in the 50s???
There may not be eye dominance but the can dang sure be one better or stronger than the other. I can’t see crap out of my left eye.
It just goes to prove if you say something with enough conviction you must be right. Please forgive the snipe but this type of information is extremely confusing to a novice such as myself. I have only been shooting for about 5 months and am currently taking lessons with a club coach. I'm ex services and have been trained and practised over 12 years to shoot with one eye open and that unfortunately sticks with me. My instructor has tried to get me to open both eyes (R eye dominant) but has made it very clear that I should shoot in a way that I feel comfortable with. I have adopted an unusual style which incorporates both options in that I use both eyes open to pick up and track the clay, but close my left eye just as I get to the kill zone. I have to say I am quite pleased with my performance so far, even though I have yet to be tested in some really difficult presentations, but one eye works for me. Please forgive my apparent novice arrogance but I know what works for me and for this very experienced gentleman to dismiss this subject in the way he does seems to offer insult to all the coaches out there who have a different opinion.
If you use the sticky tape over one eye , it basically ruins the point of it, there is no point
what works for one does not allways work for another
Yabba yabba yabba. What ever. Shot the way that suits you.
Shut up before i pull your address and show you how accurate you can be with both
Complacent and lazy it seems like
shooting with one eye closed is not a big problem when shooting parkour, but when you start shooting skeet, 2 eyes open is essential.
Tell that to a one eye shooter.
Why didn't yall say so . Its kald hand eye coordination
You can shoot clay targets with one eye closed. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Once upon a time I shot perfect rounds of skeet and trap with one eye closed. Clays are predictable, birds are not. If you shoot with one eye closed you will not be as good as at hunting as you could be if you shot with both eyes open. I am right eye dominate, but neither of my hands is dominate and I shoot on either side regularly. When I shoot left handed I relax my dominate right eye and raise my left eye brow. For me it takes less effort than squinting or closing one eye. If you close an eye to shoot while hunting at some point you will miss simply because you took a harder shot and missed when there was a easier shot you were unable to see. Gun fit and mount is paramount. Tape a drinking straw to the top of your barrel where it meets the receiver. Then mount your gun with both eyes closed. When you open your eyes you will be looking down the straw if the gun fits and is mounted properly.
keep the gun open when you are talking instruction!!!. 90% of my pupils are beginner's and even though I do an eye test at the start I always start them shooting with one eye closed because even if there eye dominance is the right way round I have found that there brain gets confused and you get inconsistent results as there eyes conflict with one another for dominance. only when they are shooting consistently do I introduce them to the next level of both eyes open and even then some will struggle with the concept. Much better to drive home the concept of never looking at the end of the gun and only at the target as failure to do this causes more misses than anything else. You can see instantly if someone is looking at the gun as the barrels suddenly start doing an impersonation of Harry Potters wand. But eye dominance problems not resolved will screw you up.. 14 years CPSA academy qualified..& head instructor at big south of England club . Still classAA not bad for 72 eh
Point shooting is not used for casual range clay or target shooting, sorry.
I thought it depends on whether you are left or right handed and which is your dominant eye. If you are right handed and right eye dominant both eyes open. If you are right handed and left eye dominant you will have to keep one eye closed- or so I was told at my recent clay pigeon instruction.
I'm right handed but left eye dominant......everyone was always taught to shoot with one eye closed here in Malta. In my case it's the only way I can shoot....always suited me well ! I've even been to the U.K. on woodpigeon and always got my fair share....consistently having a 1: 2.5 shot to kill ratio sits pretty well in my book !
If i’m not allowed to look at the bead, how do i know if i’m leading the target?
If I shoot both eyes open I can see two barrels… and hit half as much!
what a load of old bollocks. ive always shot with one eye closed (left eye dominant).i read the targets with two eyes open. then shut one eye when the gun is in the shoulder. are you saying i could be in AAA class for sporting or A in fitasc if i was "guessing" every target?
ever heard of Dave Carrie?
One more magic thing happens when you start shooting ducks with your both eyes opened... You don't need whatever lead anymore... You shoot stright in the duck, no matter the distance or it's speed, and you hit your target. Your brain makes all the math... and regulates the speed of your gun... (you are shooting through the target) Sounds good? Right, feels even better! If while shooting you are trying to analyze every step you do... and controll your actions with your mind... your brain commander is blocked.... It's hard to understand, even harder to explain how it actually works, but it does. Nick Penn, thank you! From Russia with Love.