Teaching someone to shoot with both eyes open

[AllenM]

Since I am cross eye dominant I have never experienced the problem of shooting with both eyes open. Such as seeing two targets or whatever happens. I am not even sure how to describe the issues but I have known multiple people that have struggled with it and I am working with a new shooter now that is having a problem with it.
What are some techniques used to over come this?
My wife puts a piece of scotch tape over one lens but is reluctant to work towards removing the tape.

Just looking for suggestions here.

 

[gregkl]

Allen, I am cross dominant.

With pistol I "cheat" my stance a little. Sort of like a modified Weaver. By making the slight shift, my left eye aligns with the sights and I am good to go.

With shotgun I started out closing the left eye but found out quickly that you get really fatigued shooting a round of Trap so I put a piece of opaque Cellophane tape over the left lens of my glasses. My scores when from 8-9 hits per round to 17 instantly.

With scoped rifle until two weeks ago I closed the left eye. Two weeks ago at a Revere Riders event I put on my shotgun glasses(the ones with the tape). It worked equally as well with not getting fatigued.

I do the same with irons.

Allen, some are going to chime in that you should teach this person to switch "handing". If they are young and are truly new, you may be able to do that. At 56(exactly as today is my birthday) and a lifetime of shooting I tried and I don't have enough years left in my life to learn how to shoot left handed. I am much better off using the tape.

Both eyes open is a little different to those that have been taught to close one eye. Some will say it's easy to shoot both eyes open but those of us who are cross dominant know better. There is no sight alignment if you are cross dominant and keep both eyes open. It is very easy to demonstrate with a shotgun since most of them have a rib running the full length of the barrel.

 

[bulletsmith]

I'm struggling with this myself. My approach is to spend as much time as I can with my rifle pointed at stuff (not people) while I look through it. I look out the window at trees, small animals, features on trees, anything to focus on. Same with handgun. I figure more time is better. My wife loves this behavior.

I remember reading years ago about an experiment done on volunteers. They wore glasses that made everything appear upside down. After a period of time, their brain stopped seeing the world as upside down and began to interpret the image as normal. I figure that if this is true, it's not an eye thing, it's a brain thing. With time, it should become "normal".

 

[AllenM]

Allen, I am cross dominant.

With pistol I "cheat" my stance a little. Sort of like a modified Weaver. By making the slight shift, my left eye aligns with the sights and I am good to go.

With shotgun I started out closing the left eye but found out quickly that you get really fatigued shooting a round of Trap so I put a piece of opaque Cellophane tape over the left lens of my glasses. My scores when from 8-9 hits per round to 17 instantly.

With scoped rifle until two weeks ago I closed the left eye. Two weeks ago at a Revere Riders event I put on my shotgun glasses(the ones with the tape). It worked equally as well with not getting fatigued.

I do the same with irons.

Allen, some are going to chime in that you should teach this person to switch "handing". If they are young and are truly new, you may be able to do that. At 56(exactly as today is my birthday) and a lifetime of shooting I tried and I don't have enough years left in my life to learn how to shoot left handed. I am much better off using the tape.

Both eyes open is a little different to those that have been taught to close one eye. Some will say it's easy to shoot both eyes open but those of us who are cross dominant know better. There is no sight alignment if you are cross dominant and keep both eyes open. It is very easy to demonstrate with a shotgun since most of them have a rib running the full length of the barrel.

Greg I do the same thing as far as shifting my body some to align with my left eye. I shoot both eyes open without issue. Only problem it causes is limited range of motion when trying to shift to the left. Tons of movement going right

As for Long gun I shoot left handed and always have.

 

[AllenM]

I'm struggling with this myself. My approach is to spend as much time as I can with my rifle pointed at stuff (not people) while I look through it. I look out the window at trees, small animals, features on trees, anything to focus on. Same with handgun. I figure more time is better. My wife loves this behavior.

I remember reading years ago about an experiment done on volunteers. They wore glasses that made everything appear upside down. After a period of time, their brain stopped seeing the world as upside down and began to interpret the image as normal. I figure that if this is true, it's not an eye thing, it's a brain thing. With time, it should become "normal".

I like that and will pass it on for practice sake, Have not heard the one about the upside down glasses

 

[halfmileharry]

I have the start of a cataract on my rt eye. I'm Rt handed and I've compensated by changing my stance with rt foot forward a little. It makes cross eye dominant much easier for me. It's enough to still allow me to shoot both eyes open.
As I'm "Maturing" I'm constantly having to compromise and/or change my decades old routines.
Getting old sucks and isn't for the weak or lazy.

 

[NHT3]

I've had several people in class recently that have had the laser surgery that allows close vision with one eye and distance with the other and found that creates the same issue. I also know a guy that had it done that couldn't deal with it and had to have surgery on the "close" eye to make it match the other. I'm not sure it's a fixable issue for some people. Seems I have days that my concentration is better and I can shoot with both eyes open and other days I have to squint one eye to get the job done.. Not sure that answers your question but what I'm saying is, it's easy for some and may be impossible for others.. ??

[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member [/FONT]NRA Basic pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] /[/FONT][FONT=&amp] RSO[/FONT]
Glock certified armorer- M&P Certified armorer
[FONT=&amp]“[/FONT]Safety is not something that you hold in your hands, it happens between your ears” Col. Jeff Cooper

 

[bulletsmith]

I like that and will pass it on for practice sake, Have not heard the one about the upside down glasses

Here's a Wikipedia article on the glasses guy. Looks like I was wrong about the volunteers. The article only speaks of him trying his experiments on himself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M._Stratton

 

[actaeon277]

Try a gun with a red dot.
Use both eyes open on the red dot.
Then after a while, shift back to a gun with iron sights.

Sometimes, if I notice my right eye trying to be dominant, I blink. After the blink, everything comes out ok.

 

[AllenM]

I am not sure, but I think I need to clarify, the guy I am talking about is not cross dominate

 

[mammynun]

My issue is that I don't seem to be dominant enough in either eye to effectively shoot a pistol with both eyes open.. The sight picture "in my brain" randomly switches back and forth between eyes. RDS's present no issues, and closing my non-dominant eye while shooting magnified optics doesn't induce any extra fatigue that I've noticed.

 

[actaeon277]

I am not sure, but I think I need to clarify, the guy I am talking about is not cross dominate

I'm not either.
But I wanted to teach cross dominant people, and the only way to teach, was to do.
So I taught myself to shoot with either eye, either "handed"

 

[AllenM]

It would be interesting to see if I can teach myself to use my right eye. I grew up shooting only rifles out west. I only started doing handguns since moving to Indiana. I never gave it a second thought. It was just natural to use my left eye.

 

[sdtech58]

One drill that I do daily, without a firearm, is to use a pencil tip as my "front sight". Hold the pencil out at arms length and pick a "target" on the wall (I usually use an outlet or light switch). I get the sight picture as I think it should look with both eyes, focusing on the front sight, then close my non-dominant eye to "verify" the sight picture. You can do the same thing during dry fire sessions, and then during live fire at the range. It takes a decent amount of practice to train your brain, and going to the range a few times a month won't get it. You can do this drill anywhere. It will become natural with enough practice.

 

[romack991]

Do they need to learn to shoot with both eyes open?

I'm slightly left-eye dominant but shoot with right eye/hand. I squint or close the left eye depending on what I'm shooting. Works fine. For a while, I tried pretty hard to teach myself to shoot with both eyes open but it just wasn't worth it. There was/are a lot more important things I could be focused on.

-Tim

 

[Coach]

Do they need to learn to shoot with both eyes open?

I'm slightly left-eye dominant but shoot with right eye/hand. I squint or close the left eye depending on what I'm shooting. Works fine. For a while, I tried pretty hard to teach myself to shoot with both eyes open but it just wasn't worth it. There was/are a lot more important things I could be focused on.

-Tim

Here it is.

 

[AllenM]

Do they need to learn to shoot with both eyes open?

I'm slightly left-eye dominant but shoot with right eye/hand. I squint or close the left eye depending on what I'm shooting. Works fine. For a while, I tried pretty hard to teach myself to shoot with both eyes open but it just wasn't worth it. There was/are a lot more important things I could be focused on.

-Tim

I am right hand left eye. I shoot both eyes open. I don't see how you could do it any other way for stuff like USPSA or other compition type shooting.
I am no pro but to me it is more practical

 

[AllenM]

Here it is.

Really? I would have thought you would have been supporting both eyes open? Who knew?

 

[AllenM]

One drill that I do daily, without a firearm, is to use a pencil tip as my "front sight". Hold the pencil out at arms length and pick a "target" on the wall (I usually use an outlet or light switch). I get the sight picture as I think it should look with both eyes, focusing on the front sight, then close my non-dominant eye to "verify" the sight picture. You can do the same thing during dry fire sessions, and then during live fire at the range. It takes a decent amount of practice to train your brain, and going to the range a few times a month won't get it. You can do this drill anywhere. It will become natural with enough practice.

I like it

 

[halfmileharry]

One drill that I do daily, without a firearm, is to use a pencil tip as my "front sight". Hold the pencil out at arms length and pick a "target" on the wall (I usually use an outlet or light switch). I get the sight picture as I think it should look with both eyes, focusing on the front sight, then close my non-dominant eye to "verify" the sight picture. You can do the same thing during dry fire sessions, and then during live fire at the range. It takes a decent amount of practice to train your brain, and going to the range a few times a month won't get it. You can do this drill anywhere. It will become natural with enough practice.

I'll give that a shot. It sounds like a good drill.