Ask the Instructor: Both Eyes Open?

Q: I know I’m supposed to shoot with both eyes open, but I consistently miss unless I wink. Should I force myself to keep both eyes open, or accept that I’m a one-eyed shooter?

A: Binocular vision is a significant advantage. It improves depth perception, peripheral awareness, and target acquisition speed.

But not every shooter can shoot with both eyes open, and not every shooter can shoot enough to retrain the brain to overcome a “drift” problem.

Here are the facts. Only about 20% of the population are strongly right- or left-eye dominant. Most fall somewhere between, meaning that in certain cases, and on certain target presentation, the non-shooting eye may occasionally “take over,” causing the barrel to drift off line. This is referred to as drift. When that happens, the shooter experiences unexplained misses which can effect the shooter’s confidence.

Can a shooter train themselves to shoot with both eyes open?

The short answer is, yes, absolutely, but this comes with major caveats.

Younger shooters who practice frequently have a better chance of retraining the brain to overcome visual dominance. The older you are, and the less frequently you shoot, the less likely it is that you will be able to impact the way the brain processes visual input.

If you determine—preferably with a qualified instructor—that binocular shooting is limiting you, you have three practical options.

• First, acquire the target with both eyes open, then close the non-shooting eye just before the gun reaches the cheek and the shot is executed.

• Second, place a small translucent occlusion dot on your shooting glasses to block the non-dominant eye’s influence without eliminating peripheral awareness.

• Third, in rare cases, commit to full one-eyed shooting. For a bird hunter, that does shoot clays at least once to twice a week, this is often the best solution.

There are elite shooters in every category. The key is consistency. Superior vision is an advantage—but consistent visual input is more important than theoretical perfection.

The goal is not to follow dogma.

The goal is to see the target clearly and move the gun accurately.

Target Shooting Instructor