I am a relatively new shooter and working really hard on improving visual skills and ability to quickly acquire the target picture and read the true angle.
I have the Phil Kiner eye video program and am doing it a twice a day.
Questions
1) Has anyone had improvments from this program?
2) Any other programs / suggestions on ways to improve?
I have really good vision but when I miss birds and take time to analzye it is clear that I am just generally looking at the bird not really "seeing" it clearly and locking onto the leading edge. Seems like a lot of times I just Stab at the bird while other times when I really see it clearly the swing is much more smooth and the hits way more consistent.
May be more mental than visual I know. I am working with several Mental concentration excercises as well.
Phil K. has studied and understands the relationship to good vision focus on the target and breaking the target. All top shooters can do it, Phil understands it.
Phil- About three years ago you asked me the same question as you asked Brad. I just looked at you, smiled and immediately understood my problem. Now, left hand targets from posts 1,2 and 3 no longer just disappear from my vision right before I release the trigger. I can still miss them, but for different reasons. Your study cross sighting has help many shooters. Thank you.
Braid
From what I have learned from the very good shooters is 3 basic things.
1. when you get to the range don't spend all your time socializing, take time to watch the targets, pick out a broken piece and follow it to the ground, this will get your eyes use to following the target before it is your time to shoot.DO NOT MOVE YOUR HEAD JUST YOUR EYES.
2.You said when you miss you try to figure out what you did wrong. That breaks concentration for the next target. that target is gone, you can't get it back so move to the next target, one at a time. The top shooters say" WHAT MISS"
3. WOOD TO WOOD ,WOOD TO WOOD from what I can gather even the best lift there head.When you don't see the target in retaliation to the sight picture you lifted your head most of the time. I hope this helps it is just my observation.
Pete
kgun_shooter- The problem is , if you are right handed, your left eye becoming dominant for the left target that disappears. I have my left lens taped but now and then, I was peeking under the tape or just trying to look through the tape. Now I have my lens taped and I close, or nearly close my left eye. There are other solutions that work for some. Check out Phil Kiner's work. He is the authority on this problem.
I do a set of exercise similar to what they called the CLOCK over on the deadtargetsschool site. You can really feel those eye muscles work and it really does seem to help. The "effect" seems to last about 20 minutes and then must be repeated. It only take a couple of minutes to perform the exercises.
I was exposed to these exercises at Trap Coaching School. We sat on a bench and watched about a dozen targets. Then we were lead through the exercise. Then we watched about a dozen more targets and this time I was getting a harder, sharper focus and faster to boot. It was an eye-opener...pun intended!
Further study revealed it helps more than just your shooting! We get kinda lazy and start to use our big neck muscles to move our eyes instead of using these smaller eye muscles. Ever see older folks walking around looking down to see where they are going? Many have weak eye muscles, can't seem to change focal lengths, so they look down. But this eats up a lot of your peripheral vision and also effects your balance.They start bumping into objects, fall down, break a hip, and then die! It does happen just like that. Keep your eyes strong, your head up, and look out at the world...not down. Dad is 82 now and I talked to him about all this and showed him the exercises. He swears up and down this really helps, not just to see better, but also just walking around!
Bradinidaho...the exercises will help, but you actually answered your question when you said " it is clear that I am just generally looking at the bird not really "seeing" it clearly and locking onto the leading edge." There is a huge difference in looking at a target and putting hard, hard target focus on a bird. The problem is you. You are the only one that can force your eyes out and hard onto that bird. You can excise your eyeballs 12 hours a day, buy all the training aids, eat a ton of carrots and it will not help UNLESS you work hard on target focus.
Shotgunning Rule #1 is eye on rock. I think that means do everything you can...exercises, stay hydrated, good clean glasses, hard target focus...any thing to better see the bird.
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