both eyes

[ricky bob]

Does anyone shoot recurve or longbow with one eye closed ? I have been shooting a recurve for about 6 months and recently tried shooting with my left (non dominant) eye closed. This seemed to focus and sharpen my gap shooting. So, just curious if anyone gap shoots with one eye closed.
thank you
rickybob

[moebow]

Difficult to answer.  Coaches will encourage both eyes open in ANY of the shooting sports unless there is a physical (or mental) reason to deviate.  Your vision will always be better with both eyes, again unless there is a good reason.

Arne

[Silent footed]

It will work, and will improve your focus when shooting at known distances, which is good. But you lose depth perception when you close one eye. Your brain actually has an internal wiring that relies off of a trigonometric concept called parallax to estimate distances to various objects in your surroundings.

Why am I saying this? Because it's an essential part of split vision archery/snap shooting, which is a form of gap shooting hijacked by instinct (I once heard it called gap-stinctive).

I started with gap and am now at the point where I no longer estimate range. Almost ever. Instead,  I focus my eyes on my mark, usually a clump of dirt or grass, swing up, and draw, unconsciously setting my sight picture over the final 6 inches of my now straight back draw by setting the gap off my leftmost arrow point based on the objects' size and the space spanned at its distance between the two arrow points that appear in my secondary vision, have it lined up, and the arrow released the instant I hit my secondary anchor.  If I were to begin closing one eye at this point, my groups would be vertical strings!

It is my personal feeling that you not limit your growth by closing one eye, and I encourage you not to. But there is nothing inherently wrong with it either, if that makes sense. You will still be a good archer either way.

[Roy from Pa]

I've tried it both ways and both eyes open works best for me.

[Sam McMichael]

I also have tried closing one eye but found it did not work. I seem to lose depth perception at longer range.

[ricky bob]

Thanks to all for replies to my question about closing one eye. I am impressed with trad gang responses.
thanks again
rickybob (I'm a gap shooter, but there is no gap in rickybob)

[PrimitivePete]

Without a doubt, both eyes open. My feeling is with both eyes open I am getting more detail on my shot than with one.

[the rifleman]

I have no idea what depth perception is--- or 3 dimensional vision--- never had it--- wouldn't know how to use it if i did.  My vision in my right eye has been very week since i was a kid so i learned to shoot left handed.  I keep both eyes open, but my right eye does very little-- so in essence im shooting with one eye.  Although I don't have depth perception, I'm very accurate at yardage estimation.

[Zeebob]

Interesting, I have never thought about much.  I’m blind in one eye so I don’t have a lot of choice in the matter.  I now if I’m having an off day practicing I have a good excuse!

[SlowBowKing]

My buddies that shoot gap shoot with one eye.

I shoot instinctive with both eyes open.

[Lori]

My husband had a stroke in his left eye a few weeks back, bad sneezing fit, had a blind spot in his central vision. He went out to shoot right handed and found that he had to go back to the secondary aiming as described by Howard Hill, since his depth perception was way off. He much prefers to be more instinctive. It made no difference if he had the patch on his injured eye when shooting, he said it was because he was familiar with the aiming on anything under 30 yards and we were on home turf.  As the blood was clearing and his sight was getting better, he thought he would try left handed again, he still needed to consider the secondary imaging.  Personally, I cannot do that secondary gap at all, I need both eyes open and shootinstictively. Apparently, one eye by itself can be deceiving. We always wear a patch on the non-use eye when out with the telescopes, holding the off eye closed can strain the vision of the open eye and create pupil distortion when using the telescope, it is better if the eyes are relaxed and open.