So I've been given wildly conflicting advice for how best to shoot, usually in the context of self defense under stress.
Everyone seems to agree that the body's natural response is to (a) keep both eyes open during a stressful event and (b) remain focused on the threat. Some claim it's likely not even possible to force yourself to change this in such an encounter. Yet I still get differing advice. Several schools of thought seem to emerge here, and I'm curious what techniques others employ.
1. ONE EYE, FRONT SIGHT: the theory here is basically about retraining your body to focus intently on the front sight and nothing else, with the target blurred in the background, and the non-dominant eye closed so you have only ONE sight and ONE target, and can't become confused by false images that may throw off your aim.
2. TWO EYES, FRONT SIGHT: the theory here is "you need both eyes for situational awareness and probably can't force one closed anyhow, so focus intently on the front sight with both eyes, and with enough practice you'll quit noticing the phantom second target from your non-dominant eye. I took a class at a tactical outdoor center that advocated this like gospel.
3. TWO EYES, TARGET: the theory here is the same as above, only it extends to saying you probably can't force your focus away from the threat itself (and shouldn't), so keep your eyes on the target and learn to aim based on a flash sight picture. People who employ this seem to also be fans of highly visible front sights and/or Big Dot Sights, or red dot optics, or (sometimes) laser sights.
When target shooting, I always use #1 because I get the best results by far. When trying to keep both eyes open, though, I seem to do pretty well with #3 so long as the front sight is visible. I have night sights on one gun with an obnoxiously orange front sight that's quite easy to see, and Big Dot on an other that's also easy to see. I have never had an issue with seeing a phantom second front sight. But #2 is just a disaster for me. I end up confused and frequently have ended missing the target entirely because I'm aiming at something that isn't there.
Do I need to be retraining myself to focus on the sights with two eyes, or am I better off learning to shoot instinctively with a flash sight picture and eyes-on-target, and then use one-eyed target shooting techniques if/when the situation could possibly call for it.
Thoughts? Experience?
Everyone seems to agree that the body's natural response is to (a) keep both eyes open during a stressful event and (b) remain focused on the threat. Some claim it's likely not even possible to force yourself to change this in such an encounter. Yet I still get differing advice. Several schools of thought seem to emerge here, and I'm curious what techniques others employ.
1. ONE EYE, FRONT SIGHT: the theory here is basically about retraining your body to focus intently on the front sight and nothing else, with the target blurred in the background, and the non-dominant eye closed so you have only ONE sight and ONE target, and can't become confused by false images that may throw off your aim.
2. TWO EYES, FRONT SIGHT: the theory here is "you need both eyes for situational awareness and probably can't force one closed anyhow, so focus intently on the front sight with both eyes, and with enough practice you'll quit noticing the phantom second target from your non-dominant eye. I took a class at a tactical outdoor center that advocated this like gospel.
3. TWO EYES, TARGET: the theory here is the same as above, only it extends to saying you probably can't force your focus away from the threat itself (and shouldn't), so keep your eyes on the target and learn to aim based on a flash sight picture. People who employ this seem to also be fans of highly visible front sights and/or Big Dot Sights, or red dot optics, or (sometimes) laser sights.
When target shooting, I always use #1 because I get the best results by far. When trying to keep both eyes open, though, I seem to do pretty well with #3 so long as the front sight is visible. I have night sights on one gun with an obnoxiously orange front sight that's quite easy to see, and Big Dot on an other that's also easy to see. I have never had an issue with seeing a phantom second front sight. But #2 is just a disaster for me. I end up confused and frequently have ended missing the target entirely because I'm aiming at something that isn't there.
Do I need to be retraining myself to focus on the sights with two eyes, or am I better off learning to shoot instinctively with a flash sight picture and eyes-on-target, and then use one-eyed target shooting techniques if/when the situation could possibly call for it.
Thoughts? Experience?