# Teach me how to shoot with both eyes open



## cnmodaw

The way I was taught was this....start shooting at say 20 yards. Look at the target and pick a spot, a small spot. Now focus on that spot without drawing your bow. You don't focus on that spot with only one eye, you have both eyes open but have a dominant eye. Now while keeping your focus on that spot, draw your bow back without ever taking your focus off the spot and never closing your non dominant eye. The trick is to keep your focus on the target, your subconscious will take care of your pin. Now while practicing, you might switch your focus over to the pin here or there, but you should be able to shoot comfortably with bow eyes open.


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## da white shoe

Shooting with both eyes open has a lot of advantages and it's by far better in hunting situations, IMO... but, I don't think that everyone has the eyes for it.
I would start closer than 20 yards. A small spot at five yards would be better. Find out what your eyes *can* do... and what they *can't *do.
You may be able to train yourself to ignore what your off eye is seeing, but it will probably take a lot of specific-type practice... ie; different lighting conditions and different distances. 
Depending on your eyes, you may be forced to shoot with less than both eyes fully open. Not the end of the world... a lot of good shooters do it that way.
The best some people can do is to slightly squint their non-aiming eye. That will blur the vision enough to insure that you are aiming with the correct pin image.


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## Ta2guru13

Thank you for the tips guys. If i run into any issues or have questions i'll be right back on here to work out the kinks. Thanks again


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## Rick!

Some other "two-eyed" shooting exercises could be:

shoot a scoped rifle with both eyes open,
shoot a traditional recurve with both eyes open, 
shoot a round of trap with both eyes open, 
pistols are harder with both eyes but could be tried,
even something as simple as shooting a game of eight ball aiming with both eyes open (get low enough to see the "sight plane").

Lastly, put your 3D buck by your deer stand and then shoot with one eye and both eyes open from your stand. It'll be easy to "get it" if you do that.


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## Ta2guru13

I actually went outside just a few minutes ago and was suprised to find out that by staring at the target continuously before and while drawing, I was able to squint my left eye one time and focus my right instantly and then open my left eye and was completely comfortable with it. I was shocked. Maybe I won't have much issue. Hopefully before long I won't have to squint my non dominant eye. Thanks for all the pointers guys


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## yeniar0005

tried shooting this way last night for the first time,really seemed like i could focus more on the X. glad now that i read this thread and could try this and hopefully it is one more step to help make me more consistant


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## ron w

just quick blink of your subordinate eye, should be all that's required to bring you dominant eye into focus. a blink, rather than a squint, is eliminates the tension your vision has to deal with when you squint one eye.....holding a squint actually changes the shape of your eyball and puts your vision under tension that effects both eye's function. you will focus better if your vision can operate in the more relaxed condition of both eyes open and seeing, more or less, " normaly". the blink establishes that eye dominance without the distortion squinting produces, so the eyes can get on with their job of focusing clearly.


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## da white shoe

ron w said:


> just quick blink of your subordinate eye, should be all that's required to bring you dominant eye into focus. a blink, rather than a squint, is eliminates the tension your vision has to deal with when you squint one eye.....holding a squint actually changes the shape of your eyball and puts your vision under tension that effects both eye's function. you will focus better if your vision can operate in the more relaxed condition of both eyes open and seeing, more or less, " normaly". the blink establishes that eye dominance without the distortion squinting produces, so the eyes can get on with their job of focusing clearly.


Makes sense.


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## sawtoothscream

Just start doing it and thi gs will start comi g arou d after a week or two. Thats what I did. I don't know how I ever shot with one eye closed


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## Ta2guru13

well i can consistantly shoot with both eyes open, and fairly easy now. I just have to get myself out of the habit of shooting one eyed lol. i tend to realize about 5-10 shots in that i am shooting with only one eye and then switch. I have noticed tho that shooting with both eyes really lets you see the arrow in flight and where it impacts target. Couldn't be happier. Thanks for all the advice guys!


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## ron w

be care with about getting into the habit of "seeing your arrow in flight". it leads to what is know as "peeking". it will result in the same effect as grabbing your bow......namely, inconsistent groups resulting from a bad follow through by starting the "peek", before the shot actually happens. all you should be doing during that time is concentrating your sight and focus on where you want the arrow to land....all the way until it lands. you have to train yourself to ignore the peripheral view of the arrow in flight and focus only on where you want the arrow to land on the target. 
I have said a thousand time on here that, " anything you do after the shot, begins before the shot happens", and peeking is also one of those things......you expect to see the arrow's flight, so you start looking for it, before the arrow leaves the bow, in order to be sure you see it. this takes your focus off the task of aiming, and directs the bow, through your hand to eye co-ordination, to aim where you are looking. if you are looking somewhere between the target and yourself, trying to catch the arrow in flight, you will unconsciously move your pin towards where you look and actually be aiming at absolutely nothing, right at the very instant your shot breaks......guess where the arrow will go?


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## Ta2guru13

that's some pretty good advice and something that would have probably drove me insane after a little while because I wouldnt have realized I was doing it. Ill keep my eye on the "x" :banana: Headed to the range now to apply my new skills. My best score yet is 297 with 36 X's. Shooting for that 300 today!!


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## muddyfuzzy

i learned to do it rifle shooting years ago and it paid off when i switched to bowhunting. its is simply alot more simple to do with a rifle and i would suggest that as a starting point so you don't get overwhelmed by a busy sight picture with a bow.


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