IDPA, one eyed shooting...

[rlj174]

I've given it a fair chance during IDPA events however I'm going back to squinting my right eye when running the stages.

I'm a right hand shooter and left eye dominant and farsighted to boot, I can shoot at the range taking my sweet time fairly accurately with both eyes open however when on the move and needing to shoot quicker the sights are just too blurry to be accurate.

Anyone else out there shoot "one-eyed" during IDPA style events?

I realize keeping both eyes open enhances my peripheral vision however I'm not too concerned with combat situations at the moment.......

 

[Bobson]

Growing up, I pretty much taught myself to shoot. Dad owned guns but was never much of a shooter. Anyway, I'd shoot with both eyes open and focus on the target... Later, I was taught to close my non-dominant eye and focus on the front sight - aka the correct way.

Didn't realize IDPA shooters typically shoot both eyes open. Still focus on the front sight though?

 

[rlj174]

Didn't realize IDPA shooters typically shoot both eyes open.

maybe thats why I've been struggling with accuracy......

 

[Bobson]

It may very well be. Is that the topic you had hoped to discuss in this thread (meaning shooting accurately)? If not, we can cut this short so it doesn't get derailed.

 

[1911 guy]

Quote:
Later, I was taught to close my non-dominant eye and focus on the front sight - aka the correct way.

Except it's not. Granted, things may, and sometimes must, be done slightly differently to accommodate a shooter. But closing one eye is not, at any class, competition or military instruction, taught as "correct".

Scopes, irons, red dots, all are used best by the majority of shooters with both eyes open. Again, some shooters may have issues that require closing one eye. But it not the preferred method.

 

[rlj174]

Just asking if other IDPA participants use 1 or 2 eyes.....Shooting accurately and slowly standing still is not a huge issue for me however being on the move is. Trying to figure out if I need to continue working with both eyes open and hope one day I can get it or go ahead and make the transition to one eyed shooting while on the move.

 

[Bobson]

Granted, things may, and sometimes must, be done slightly differently to accommodate a shooter. But closing one eye is not, at any class, competition or military instruction, taught as "correct".

Hmm. Coulda sworn we were taught to shoot with just one eye open in the Air Force, but it has been 12 years since, so it may just be that it's a fuzzy detail of a memory... I know we were taught to shoot that way at an academy I attended much more recently.

Anyway, let's get back to the OP's issue. What I was or wasn't taught isn't important right now.

Trying to figure out if I need to continue working with both eyes open and hope one day I can get it or go ahead and make the transition to one eyed shooting while on the move.

How do you view IDPA? (1) There are some guys who shoot IDPA in their carry stuff exclusively, use the same mouse gun they carry daily, dress as they would on any normal day, etc. They view IDPA as a way to practice for a real SD scenario. (2) Other guys use OWB holsters, larger guns than they would ever try to carry on a normal day, etc - to give them an edge in the game. Nothing wrong with that. They view IDPA as a sport, as entertainment. In it to win it, etc.

Where do you line up? Do you conceal carry at all, or is that something you don't worry about? Do you view IDPA as a sport you play for fun, or as an opportunity to practice in your normal EDC gear, to prepare for that day where you may need to defend yourself?

If you're one of the Option #1 guys, you may want to continue trying to learn to shoot both eyes open. After all, based on your perspective of the game, it doesn't matter if you come in dead last every time, as long as you're growing personally. If you're an Option #2 guy, stop limiting your ability to perform and just do what works best for you.

Ultimately - and this is true no matter what you think of IDPA, or what you decide to do - it doesn't matter what the "right" or "correct" way to shoot is. This isn't a test in school where you have to use a #2 pencil and fill the bubbles in just right. Just do what works best for you. If that means you make modifications to your style, great, as long as it benefits you, and you aren't being unsafe or hurting anyone by doing it.

 

[strambo]

For defense or combat, both eyes open is correct. For a hobby or a game, do whatever works best for that endeavor.

I just went through a simunition scenario instructor course. Both eyes were open, my sit. awareness and marksmanship was solid, but to my frustration I don't remember seeing the sights at all, just point shooting (which I have trained). I need to work on getting on the sights under stress.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

You will be fine squinting. You will not loose much peripheral as under stress our field of vision narrows substantially. Making good hits is the most important thing. It's not like your eye is closed for long.

 

[raubvogel]

I was taught in kitty school the thing about shooting with one eye was not loss of peripheral vision, but the muscles of the closed eye affecting the other. Something like the open eye wanting to close to match the other one since they like to do things together.

But that was a long time ago

 

[murf]

depth perception disappears when shooting with one eye closed. i would think it better to have both eyes open in a run-and-gun style shooting contest or scenario.

murf

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

cross eyed dominant, right handed, far sighted... checking in.
OP and I shoot the same way.

I shoot with both eyes open for idpa, uspsa, multi gun, etc.

Sometimes I am looking at my target and not the front sight. It works a good portion of the time, but I am getting to the point where I need to slow down and zero the stage to bring my overall time down a bit.

 

[ATLDave]

Here's a discussion on Ben Stoeger's podcast about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbMxfy_icT0

 

[mgmorden]

I don't shoot IDPA but do shoot USPSA. I'm not great - B class - but just personally I find I do better squinting or closing my non dominant eye. The gun is close enough that with both eyes open it puts the target VERY out of focus. With only one eye I can keep front sight focus and the target still is relatively clear.

At the end of the day though do what works for you.

 

[Drail]

Some people cannot train their brain to shoot with both eyes open simply because your brain doesn't want to process visual information when presented with two distinct images because the object is too close to resolve two images into one. But if you can relax and not fight your brain - it is MUCH better. Closing one eye strains the other eye and reduces your peripheral vision. It took a long time to teach my wife to shoot with both eyes open but once she learned her scores improved and she started beating a whole lot of guys who only used one eye. Think about how many things you do every day like inserting a key into a lock or pressing a button on machine or tying your shoes. Do you close one eye when you do these things?

 

[old lady new shooter]

Some people cannot train their brain to shoot with both eyes open simply because your brain doesn't want to process visual information when presented with two distinct images because the object is too close to resolve two images into one. But if you can relax and not fight your brain - it is MUCH better. Closing one eye strains the other eye and reduces your peripheral vision. It took a long time to teach my wife to shoot with both eyes open but once she learned her scores improved and she started beating a whole lot of guys who only used one eye. Think about how many things you do every day like inserting a key into a lock or pressing a button on machine or tying your shoes. Do you close one eye when you do these things?

Those things are further away than the sight on my gun. And sometimes I might not even look, just do them by feel. With both eyes open trying to look at the front sight I end up seeing double.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

You only lose about 15% of you vision with one eye as opposed to two.

Depth perception is the biggest issue, however it can be automatically adapted for easily and naturally with your body (kinda).

I'd shot what is most comfortable. I've never been able to master the "both-eyes-open" approach... heck, some days I feel like both eyes are closed.

 

[rlj174]

update, shot IDPA last night and score dramatically improved shooting with one eye. Accuracy was very consistent compared to the previous 3 times I shot with both eyes open.......still have a lot of practice/work to do however quickly closing one eye when firing has done the trick, at least for me.

Appreciate all the advice.......