Unlike rifle shooting, which uses both a foresight and a rear sight to align the gun with the target, shotgun shooting relies on the shooter’s eye as the rear sight. This means that if the shooter’s eye is not correctly aligned with the gun—or if the “off eye” interferes—it will adversely affect the shot’s accuracy.
For instance, many shooters understand that if the head is too high on the stock, the barrel will lift, causing the shot to go high. Similarly, the “master eye” (the eye over the rib of the gun) must be dominant to ensure the shot aligns with where the shooter is looking. If the off eye (the eye not over the rib) becomes dominant, it incorrectly aligns the sight picture, pulling the shot off target.
How Eye Dominance Affects Shot Placement
Off-Eye Dominance Example: In the scenario pictured below, a right-handed shooter is affected by left-eye dominance. The left eye incorrectly aligns the bead of the gun with the target, pulling the gun to the left. As a result, the shot misses to the left, even though the shooter perceives the gun to be correctly aligned before firing.
Head Tilt Example: The second image shows another manifestation of eye dominance which occurs when the shooter’s head tilts over the gun to allow the off eye to look down the rib. This head position can resemble a gun fit issue, such as improper cast, to an inexperienced observer. In this case, the shot typically goes high and left because the barrel is misaligned.
Identifying Eye Dominance
Accurately diagnosing eye dominance is crucial to addressing related shooting issues. While several methods can be used, including finger pointing, observing the shooter with the gun, and analysing performance while shooting, each has its own strengths.
Finger Pointing Method
This quick and simple method provides an initial indication of eye dominance:
Have the shooter stand approximately 2 meters from the coach with both eyes open.
The shooter should point swiftly at the coach’s master eye multiple times to establish an average reading.
The coach observes the alignment of the shooter’s finger relative to their eyes.
This method helps identify varying degrees of dominance, as eye dominance is not a binary phenomenon (i.e., not strictly left or right). It’s essential to avoid using techniques like the “hole in a card” method, which can inaccurately classify shooters with central vision as left or right dominant.
Gun Alignment Method
While finger pointing is useful as a preliminary test, the true picture often changes when the shooter mounts the gun.
Have the shooter place an unloaded, proven-safe gun in their shoulder.
The shooter aims at the coach’s extended finger, which should initially align with the master eye.
The coach moves their finger towards the off eye and back again to observe whether the off eye influences the shooter’s alignment.
This method allows the coach to assess how the presence of the gun impacts dominance and alignment.
Observation During Shooting
For coaches working in high-turnover settings like corporate shooting events, analysing eye dominance during live shooting can be effective, though it requires experience.
Use a simple target with minimal lateral movement to observe the shooter’s alignment and shot placement.
A right-handed shooter with left-eye dominance, might consistently miss to the left of the target.
Once the issue is identified, it still needs to be addressed off-range for lasting improvement.
While this method is time-efficient, it’s not ideal for in-depth diagnosis. Eye dominance work is best conducted in a controlled environment before live shooting begins.
Conclusion
Understanding and identifying eye dominance issues is fundamental for improving shotgun shooting accuracy. Techniques like the finger pointing method, gun alignment checks, and careful observation provide valuable insights. However, each shooter is unique, and a thorough diagnosis is crucial to developing a tailored solution. Before choosing to use i-spot please also check the article on Binocular disparity. It might be that this is your issue or you may have a combination of both.
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