Info regarding your shooting technique.
 

C&P my other poll here, wanting to see how many of what is out there as far as hand and eye dominance.

"Been unofficially studying shooting techniques for a while now, and the past few months I've been delving into Paul Castle's Center Axis Relock system, which got me to thinking about myself and wondering what the rest of the community is like."

I voted first, I shoot with both eyes open, am right hand dominant and right eye dominant, and am an awkward but able shot with my weak side shooting technique (meaning I can hit a burst on someone, but no way can I place a single shot on a specific part of them in a short time.)

I shoot left just as well as I shoot right.
Thank jebus for P90's with 45mm rds'.

Might want to make a new pole again, since you can't edit it.
I dunno if anyone's dominant with both eyes, but I think you meant right hand, left eye. (which is why I noticed what was wrong with that option ;))

Oops! Ya, right hand dom, left eye dom. Also could have clarified more the monocular question, being one eye for aiming, the other closed. Thanks for pointing out my other boo boo.

I love the AUG for its lefty rightly configuration. I switch when ever I need to.

Left handed glory.

I have better than 20/20 vision, but my left eye is still stronger, and I'm very dominantly left handed, it makes for a weird experience when shooting a bow.

i can't hit shit with my left, my right is my best side.

HERE is an article that talks about hand/arm positions in various shooting positions for airguns. I have always had issues wiith how I shoot and hold a gun and found this very imformative.

http://www.airguns.net/position.html

=Daes=

Off hand shooting
 

Is a **basic** skill that can be learned with practice. As is shooting with both eyes open.

These are things that have to be practiced on the range, and practiced a lot or they never become useable skill.

If you can't shoot both sides.. then you end up limiting your cover options by 50%.

This skill is critical in CQB.. without it you are a liability.

CAR eh? Some interesting concepts there re: instinctive shooting and body mechanics.

I'm right hand, right eye. For airsoft, I tend to use both eyes open for pistol and rifle. For real steel though, I find that I shoot one eye closed for rifle, but still do both eyes open with pistol.

voted Binocular, I keep both eyes open when aiming, but my left eye is odd (from birth) when I have my right eye closed, I can't see details with my left, kind of like when its really dark out and I can sort of make out details when I look beside the object.

Tell me about it! I do the right side dominant thing, but hockey stick and baseball bat on the left side. Archery I hold the bow with my left hand and sight with my right eye, but a slingshot I hold with my right hand and sight with my right eye. Total oddball I am. Golf, well, I'm not much of a golfer, but I can fully use either left or right clubs with equal............ lack of skill. Both feel equally wierd to me, can't decide what I'd buy if I got into it.

Ya, no kidding, especially when you read the artiles that have been put out about it, especially the facts and articles Paul Castle himself has written. Basicaslly, aside from holding the gun close to your body to increase shot speed and reduce felt recoil, if you are right handed and left eye dominant, you hold the pistol in the right hand, cant it at an angle and use your left eye to use the front sight, held at the same distance you read at. I'll dig around for the article I have read and re-read, it's really fascinating!

http://www.sabretactical.com/lefthandedtraining.PDF

If you want to see Paul Castle's video clips of CAR in action, go here: http://warmongers.ca/ main page, go to the video section, then check out the Training & Tactics folder.

When patrolling in the woods or doing FIBUA, I generally look just over the sights with both eyes open an shoot that way for targets that "pop up". But if I have time, (ie target in the distance), than I look through the sight with the right eye, left eye closed.

Dunno if I explained that well, but, you can figure it out, I hope.


I'm right handed.

I can only shoot with both eyes open for a pistol, but an MP5 its right eye all the way unless I hip shoot

Makes sense to me. I used to have my left eye closed, but when i started dealing with scopes, I found it to be more effort and strain to keep my left eye closed than to let it remain open. It actually becomes more of a metal thing, allow your brain to naturally reduce the info from your non-aiming eye to about 10% (or "off") and relax better. I can shoot at 30ft in my basement with the scope set on 9x with no issues as equally as 3x to 9x when aiming at any greater distance.

I'd done some research on pistol techniques earlier in the spring and happened to find Paul's site. Some good video examples...espcially liked his shotgun work.

We'd covered similar reaction drills in my old martial arts club to show how quickly an opponent can cover ground and close the safe distance.

I editted one of my previous posts, included the link for the interesting info I found and studied, as well as provided a link to our team website where I uploaded the video clips.

Binocular (Use both eyes open when aiming)

I guess these people don't use the sights? I just tried looking through my sights with both eyes and it gave me a headache.

Is there a site that shows proper shooting technique such as stance and grip?

I was told by my friend who used to shoot in competitions that binocular is used when you are using a scope.

I'm in kind of the same boat as MikeL.
I find it being so easy to track a bb in airsoft I usually use both eye's for quick aquisitions but if I have a chance and time to look through the sites and adjust my aim I'll close my left eye.
Pretty much the same for pistols except I find I usually only use both eyes due to closer target range at the time and my left eye kind of just dims out or shuts off leaving my right eye more dominant.

I have no problem shooting both eye open. I still see the sight clearly. When sniping, I scan both eye open and looking tru the scope. That give me a strange 3d view of my field of fire. Than when it's time to take the shot, I use only my right eye to fire.

Shooting pistols or SMG, always 2 eyes. I guess it's instinct, when the weapon come to a ready position, it's already lined up where I want to shoot. Visual confirmation tru the sights is just... a confirmation.
:snipe:

Yup, Aimed Quick Kill VS Aimed Shot

Using the rough allignment of the foresight and rear sight to establish windage.. and natural point of aim to establish elevation. Both eyes open.

VS.. fully resolved sight picture, closing disengaged eye.

I usually shoot with my left eye closed, but when I'm sport shooting (ie: have the TIME to aim) I shoot with both eyes open.

I was reading a book called Warrior Spirit written by an Ex Navy Seal and he said that he was trained to use one eye to aim while the other eye is used to actively search for potential targets

Lol, that's funny. What he meant was he left his none sighting eye picked up on movement (human, and other species, eye picks up things in this order 1st/ Movement, 2nd/ Contrast, 3rd/ Colour.......... meaning that he left his eye open and would alternate between what was seen through the scope and what was seen outside the scope. He has what I have, the ability to shut off one eye and allow most of the info from the eye you choose to look. The way you describe it is like he has a wandering eye, which would freak anyone out to see. Lol

Glad to see I posted an interesting topic/poll. Here are the results as I type this, and is very interesting (just wish I knew how was attached to what vote though.)

View Poll Results: What kind of shooter are you?
Monocular (Use one eye when aiming, the other closed) 24 23.08%
Binocular (Use both eyes open when aiming) 38 36.54%
Right handed dominant, right eye dominant 56 53.85%
Right eye dominant, left hand dominant 6 5.77%
Left hand dominant, left eye dominant 8 7.69%
Left hand dominant, right eye dominant 1 0.96%
Relatively ambideterous (either fully both side or 100% on one side and 50% the other 18 17.31%

I just edited it for my mistakes IN the questions I asked, nothing more. Thanks for making this a decent discussion guys, it's VERY informative!

I keep both eyes open, but aim with my right eye. I use this for handguns and rifles. I'm right handed so my right hand is always on the trigger. But I can shoot handguns with my left hand, I'm practising with rifles.

Dustin

when I read the book I was thinking of THE END from Metal Gear Solid 3 and I'm like OH MY GOD...

both hands, both eyes :) but obviously left hand lacks the familiarity (sp?) but i practice almost everything ambidextrously. (sports, everyday activity, shooting :) )

Right hand (on trigger) right eye.

Single eye (right) on iron sights, both eyes for my Acog.

Bino when shooting my AUG. Gotta love that RDS :) At night games i cant see the colour difference when looking through the tube (as in glass distors (sp?) colours), so all i see is a red dot and BBs hit whatever the dot is on :) Kinda trippy sometimes.

I've found that I need to keep the dot brightness turned WAY down on my RDS or it glares in the lense and I can't see shit. But yes. Love the RDS. Worship the RDS. Sex the RDS.

aiming with boths eyes open seems weird. So does being right handed, but left eye dominant.

I shoot with both eyes open and I never use my aim point. I have used my gun enough that I rarely need to actually aim, I just point and shoot and can get the BB's where I need them to go. No I am not trying to sound like a super star, it's just the way I shoot. Once in a while I do a single shot to see how my gun is reacting and then I am good to go.

You use the tracer "walk onto target" technique. Instinctive shooting is a skill many have, but far more wish they had. I'm pretty good with it as well, but I'm no Jesse James, so I aim for whatever part of the body is best for my BBs to hit. If it's just a head 80-100ft away, oh well, nature of the game. Just sucks when the guy turns into an idiot and shits on you for his exposing his head.

Hmmm, it all seems to come together now. Makes sense. I can see how you would need to be prepared in certain situations to use the other side in the Police Force or Military. I always knew of this but I think I'm going to start practicing more of these combinations of shooting.

Exactly! Think about CQB or room clearing, the less of your body you expose the less of a target you become. If you can shoot from the exposed side around a doorway, you will be able to hit the other guy and give him less of a target. Approach door jam so it blocks your right side, switch to left and put only gun and eye around the jam to acquire target and fire. Keeps your entire body behind the wall. Plant your non-shooting side foot at the base of that wall as a body reference point, then pop around the corner, acquire target, knock off a couple rounds then back off. Works most of the time, and chances of getting hit are slim. Great stuff this technique thing!

CAR system eh? You on Lightfighter, Stalker? Drop me a PM if you are.

Some LEO and MIL guys commented how while the CAR system was great for super-tight areas (like... a car :rolleyes: ) or sitting down, it's not the end-all system like Castle promotes it. Notice how the bladed stance exposes his entire side torso, making most vests and plate carriers useless. Oh, and two of his students have shot themselves in accidents during training.

Paul Castle is getting a show on A&E though supposedly. Drop me that PM if you're on LF! :cheers:

Sorry, not on Lightfighter?

Ya, as with any system (or martial art for that matter) it's always best to find out what techniques work for you, what is natural and can be implimented with reaction, and adopt them into your 'Bag of Tricks'. Not every technique in a system is good for everyone, so it's up to the individual to soak up everything he can and make use of what suits him/her best in the time of need. You develop your own personal style that way, and makes what you do natural.

Ya, I noticed the exposure presented in his blade stance, presenting the ballistic chest plate away from the threat. Looks to me that if a hit is gonna take place dead on, the supporting arm with take the hit and help offer a bit of protection for the underarm area. Notice the arm is tucked close to the ribs, much like a boxer does to protect them? I think part of the benefit is reduced target area, and if a hit were to occur off center on the chest, the trauma would be less as it'd be a glancing blow instead of a full frontal shot.

Overall with CAR, I'm fasciated mostly with the system and dealing with left & right equally, the recoil absorbing 'center axis' techniques and the methods of dealing with strong side hand and opposite side strong eye useage. I tend to hold my pistol close to my body and laterally a fair bit, but use the right hand and right eye to place the front sight on my target and double tap. I've loosely tried right hand/left eye and it just doesn't do much for me. BUT, I'll be working on left hand/right eye to see how it works for me. Gotta get my left hand trigger finger up to speed to knock of rapid fast double taps. Hey, winter is coming and I gotta do something airsoft related, right?

Cool man. I can recall tucking the pistol in close a cpl times myself around tight corners.

+1 on the bag of tricks.

I'm one of those oddball shooters,

when i'm shooting with a pistol, i shoot right handed, both eyes open and but aim with my left eye. When i hold up a gun and put it on target, i close each eye to see which one it lines up with, and everytime, i've lined it up with my left eye.

but when i shoot a rifle, i shoot right handed, and when i bring my rifle up i automatically sight it in with my right eye, and still shoot with both eyes open. It's quite odd.

This is me.

The reason for my apparently odd style is that, obviously, I'm right handed, and unfortunatley, my eyesight it my right eye is completely shot (no pun intended).

So I'm forced to look funny whilst tilting my head at a rather awkward angle :)
(Not that I don't look funny to begin with :roll: )

Anyways, good poll!

Mir

When I started archery at age 11 (am 2 weeks to 34 now) my instructor punched a small hole out on a peice of paper, told me to hold it at arms length with the target centered, then slowly draw it back to my face while maintaining the bull in the hole. Each time it went to my right eye. Dirt simple clarification that I am right eye dominant (curiousity though, that according to my mother, I was left hand dominant before I started school, and that was back in the '70s and it was common place to force students to learn to be right handed. I was one, as well as my sister.)

Reason I brought this poll up was purely based upon my studying the CAR system, and the reasons given for canting the firearm to the oppposite eye from the shooting hand and such, also because I know what I am good at regarding shooting, so was curious what the rest of the community was like, and am super happy I've so far gotten 337 responses, as well as a superbly integration of techniques, discussion regarding some aspects of technique, and hey, this thread in itself made my old bud Greylocks actually CALL me to discuss airsoft, technique and real steel!!!! I'd like to thank each and every one of you for participating in this, it's been an education to me about you, and hopefully some of the stuff I've said and posted will help you learn your own technique and excell at it, as well a good look at the complexities of shooting techniques and the mentality behind certain stances/systems. Been a great asset to AirSoft Canada and wouldn't be a bad idea to sticky this for fun, since only the mature airsofters replied.

Thanks again to ALL of you!

Michael/Stalker

thats what HE says, but im pretty sure he aimbots

I shoot the same way I shoot real steel.
both eyes open, its an easy, relaxed way to shoot. one eye means your forcing the other closed....not to mention depth perception and view range.
picture in a picture
being able to focus through your optics on a small area while still being able to keep focus with the other eye on your periferal(sp).
Deer hunting, always use both eye. for a moving target, lead, watch it with both and as it drifts into focus with your shooting eye in the optics, all is well, while keeping view of the surrondings.

heck, best way to describ it is the old Delta Force games.
http://x2.putfile.com/11/31623485581.jpg

though in hardcore airsoft combat, with the low fps and terrible accuracy, optics arnt always needed. aiming with a stream of BBs works too.

what game is that

My eyes are a bit wonky so I shout aim beater with one eye cloesed. But what eye I ues to aim with depends one witch one feels the most tired at the time.

I use my left hand & eye, but will switch to right hand & eye if I cant get a good shot with my left.

As for real steel, Almost always use my left hand & eye, cept for when shooting armalites.

They have a habit of sending brass right towards my face. :(

Good thing they have the brass deflector, eh? Ya, I know, doesn't work 100%, but still, imagine what the original M16 was like for left handed shooters!

I believe awhile ago they trained everyone to shoot right handed, so if you were a leftie you had to suck it up an adapt to shooting right handed. Forget where I heard that from though.

Plus, most weapons(atleast the ones I've fired) were designed with right handed shooters in mind. An some AR15s don't have the brass deflectors, or even forward assists.

I shoot left, left eye dom, and own an ar. The brass from an ar comes nowhere near my(or anyone elses) face. So... (cough *I call BS* cough). Maybe in the 60's this was an issue (pre-deflector) but not since, and no deflector is pretty rare. It goes forward and to the right, regardless of left or right handedness.

Interesting, The AR15 I was going ape on, It sent brass to the rear right direction.

Guess its safe to say that it was just that one gun being odd?

Here's a pic of one of the AR15's.

When/where was this, and who's gun was it?

Considering the study I quoted earlier:

9 out of 10 People are right handed
8 out of 10 People are right footed
7 out of 10 People are right eyed
6 out of 10 People are right eared

(BTW, I'm right footed as well, but left eared............ ya, I'm fucked).

Part of my deciding on a poll was this line in the CAR PDF file I posted:

"3 out of 10 people are left eye dominant. So now we have a substantial group who are right handed, and left eye preferred."

I wanted to see how many of you are like this, and so far the results are............

24 out of 368, Right hand (damn lack poll edit ability!!!) dominant, left eye dominant 6.52%............ ok, 3 out of 10 is pushing it for our community. :roll:

RidgeDale. Couple weeks back. Unsure on the owner.

Old model M16A1's and Colt sp1's do not have a brass deflector built in, but rather come with one that snaps on. Niether of these models is produced anymore (Colt stopped production in 1985), and the A1 was also phased out in the 80's. So if you did indeed fire an ar as you said, it was at least 20 years old.

Well thank you very much Bunny. That clearly explains it all. :)

i have a bad right eye and i am right handed so i just switched and tried left handed to use left eye...so much better :P

The gun you are showing doesnt have a deflector, thats probably why you are having brass in the face. As stated above its probably a much older AR.

I shoot with both eyes open, but with my left eye half-way open and am right hand dominant and right eye dominant.

Ah... Yeah... we should have a new poll, I like those things.

Need some daily poll about something new each day. That'd be cool.
Maybe ASCers could do that for ASC to get some money for the site... meh, could be.

I find engagement distances with AEGs and the guns accuracy don't warrant using the sites like you would with a real gun. I find that tracking a target, distance evaluation and target transition are generally better served by using binocular aiming at a flash sight picture. This reduces my reaction time on putting fire on multiple targets and prepares me for unexpected actions or movement over my 160 degree field of view. I've tried doing it a number of different ways and this suits airsoft for me the best. Given the dynamics of airsoft gaming, developing your instinctive shooting serves you well.

I'm right hand dominent and left eye dominent. REALLY hard to aim with the left eye when your gun is on the right side.I normally have to shoot left but I switch back and forth often.

Easier with a pistol than with a shoulder fired gun. Pistol you can cant to the left to line the sights up with your left eye, but much more difficult (if not impossible) to shoulder a gun and get your left eye inline with the sights on a rifle. I tried out of curiousity with my MP5, my face got in the way and I couldn't look through my RDS.

I'm right-handed, but left-eye dominant (wierd as hell). On a Rifle (Scope or iron sigts) i use my right eye, but for handguns, i use my left-eye. If needs be, i will switch hands without too much problem, both with rifle and handgun. Its mostly a challenge in difficult position with a Scoped rifle (sniper), but still doable. So i'd say i'm 100%/50%.

As a side note, i'm an instinctive shooter; meaning i don't often 'look down' the barrel for long. I'll point and shoot mostly on reflex based on experience of BB trajectory. Anyone else do that? I guess it takes practice, but for Airsoft, sighting is sort of a waste of time in my opinion, unless using a long scope of some kind.

who says I am when I'm playing airsoft? if you've played with me, you know I'm just pointing it in the general direction of fire half the time :D. I just watch the trace of the bb's, it's easy enough to actually follow the round rather then actually properly aim it. at least it's like that for me.
as for real steel; I just can't get over partially closing the eye when I'm actually about to fire the weapon on semi, yet I can have both eyes open and unload a 30 round mag into a face of a target from 10 feet and have four rounds miss (sounds like nothing till you try it, ahh memories) go figure.
Greg

I'm right handed binocular. I'd be both right if I was able to close my left eye without closing my right. I feel handicap.

I've played with you Yeoman, but the only time I actually saw you in battle my my sitting around the base during Op: Nam III this past summer, listening to you and the other guys chat, saw Mafiaso Grande stroll past like he was not in the game, passed him off as not to shoot, then when out of sight turned around and shot you and the rest of us, then laughed. Fucker, really sneaky. Will be wise next year. Hehe, anyways, like I said, the only time I played with you, you got shot. Hehe

yeah that was something wasn't eh?
that whole thing made me bloody well lost when I saw him just strolling on by.
at least you didn't see me flank the other team by myself, get all confused since I was good ol' foxtail's team there just standing there, and me just wandering back to the team heh.
Greg

No kidding, having that game plan with three teams, two opposed to eachother and targets all day (US vs. NVA/VC) and having MAC-SOG having an alliance with either team, depending on their own personal mission at the time. Made for a really difficult day!

I also recall telling everyone on the team, "If you see one guy from the other team strolling by like he's hit/on his way to the staging area to reload, eat, whatever, shoot him anyways." Hehe, sneaky Mafiaso made it legal to shoot guys without reason.

With a rifle/ sights or scope I aim with my left eye and am a righty no matter what. Pistols I am binocular and once again a righty. However my left hand is much more agile and quick.. great for a left side bolt action / etc..

I cross my eyes so it would appear that I'm firing two guns at the same time.

The downside of doing this is there are twice as many targets to shoot at! I wonder why....? :roll:

:lol:

:infantry: i use both eyes. in close conbact situations. but will go to closing my left eye for longer ranges just clears up the line of sight for me. in air soft its easier to pick up the flight of the shot with both eyes open.

When shooting with airsoft, I'm ambidextrous. I shoot/aim just as good with my right eye/hand as I do with my left. Furhtermore tested at the end of 'Nam3 with Stalker and Quantis' M24s/whatever the other ones were.(That was quite the little shoot we had going on too, lol)

Shooting real firearms? I'm not sure as I've never shot a real firearms, but I'm thinking about going to a range something to try it out...In which case I'll test it out.

BTW, I still can't get over pegging Knifewound right in the middle of the chest from so far away with your M24, Stalker. That thing shoots lazers.

I am a freak I shoot Left Handed long guns and right handed sidearm. I am left eye dominant and right hand dominant. For some reason I have always shot rifles and pool left but everything else I do right handed.

Oh well, brings the poll to a new generation of airsofters.

Since it's back to life.

Shooting
Rifle, iron sights and telescopic sights. R hand & R eye with L closed.
Rifle, RDS. R hand with both eyes open.
Pistol R hand with L eye similar to Quell.

Walking about
Rifle passes from L to R hand as needed.

might as well contribute to the necropost.

Right hand right eye dominant, maybe 50%+ on the left side.
Used to be strickly right side but in CQB the need to shoot with the left side sometimes forces you to learn

I like to close both eyes and shoot with a guns in both ways using the gansta technique.

its not always effective, but after a few "clips" theres nobody left.

BEO, with an EOTech.

Left handed AR operator... :rolleyes:.... ugh.

Haven't worked on my shooting technique as much as my reload, and IA drills... but.. yeh... gettin' there.

ambidextrous, both eyes open or one closed depending on how i feel.

ok ill play

for hunting rifles i can shoot either way right or left although im better shooting left
if its a firearm with a pistol grip i can only shoot right hand right eye for some reason
pistols im right hand left eye

I'm a very strange shooter...

I'm right hand - left eye dominant since my left eye is stronger than my right. When using a rifle, I'll shoot with one eye closed. When shooting with a pistol, I typically shoot with both eyes open and aim with my LEFT eye but shoot right handed. That last part can change, depending on the situation I'm in but that's typically my ideal method. I can very easily switch to left handed with a rifle. When I'm maneuvering, I'll almost always shoot right handed because I can acquire a target much faster. However I find when I'm using a rifle without a pistol grip, I'm able to hold the rifle much more steady when trying to snipe or target shoot. This makes operating a bolt a lot harder, so for that reason alone I'll shoot right handed.

I'm firearm dependant.

With rifles I'm right hand dominated and I use my right eye through the iron sights and my left eye to view the area. Like many, if I have to time and can see a shot, I'll take my time and pin point it with just my right eye.

With pistols/small-arms, I'm still right hand dominated, but I aim with my left eye down the sights and keep my right eye open to maintain my field of vision.

I shoot, watch where the BB goes, then correct :D

in CQB though, I'm completely left dominant

Monocular (because I'm classy), right hand/right eye with rifle...pistol I may or may not have both eyes open (depends on distance of shot).

Keeping one eye closed is classy? Lol, it's one thing to focus on other than the reticle, therefore it's not classy, it's a hindrance. Add in the fact you reduce situational, awareness by at least 50%........................ No wonder you serve appetizers in the respawn area all the time. Lol

Depends if i'm using a scope or not. If i run a scope i shoot with my left eye closed, if i am using sights then both eyes open

I'm both right hand and right eye dominant. How I shoot depends on what sights I'm using. With iron sights and scopes, I tend to close my left eye. With a dot sight, I tend to shoot with both eyes open.

lol, I was trying to make a play on words (monocular/monocle):

http://www.htloz.net/forums/grill/cats/nedm-monocle.jpg

But I seem to have failed horribly :(

Chef had you filled with tequila again, didn't he? Sheesh!

Actually I was filled with Strawberry Wine...http://www.airsoftcanada.com/images/...n_rolleyes.gif

I am right handed and monocular, but left eye dominant because I can only wink with my right eye, I can't close my left eye without closing my right. Therefore I have to shoot like a lefty, even with a pistol, which sucks.