How well to focus on Sight Picture while firing?

[amarinder]

Last month, my performance jumped from 550s to 565s because changes in grip and following a new schedule. But at that same time, I was also making lot of errors like not being aware of exact sight picture at the time of release of my shot. My subconscious mind was pressing the trigger. I was getting better but also started getting nervous.

This month, in practice sessions I started to pay more attention towards sight picture while firing.
During the match also I will start focusing on Sight Picture to be aware of where I am shooting. In the initial 3 series, my performance be 90-92. This will make me loose me motivation and again I will fall back to old shooting style in between the match, and in last 3 series my performance would go up again to 95-97

My coach says not to pay make effort towards making "perfect" sight picture during match. Well, that makes me feel that my shots are just luck.

What to do?

[jmdavis]

Stop over thinking and listen to your coach. If you focus on sight picture rather than the front sight you are going to be disappointed.

[scausi]

Either listen to your coach , or get a new one.
Don't think he would be too happy that your questioning his advise on a public forum .
Getting advise from anyone that decides to throw their 2 cents worth in.
Cheers. S

[dronning]

My coach says not to pay make effort towards making "perfect" sight picture during match. Well, that makes me feel that my shots are just luck.

What to do?

Your subconscious can process 1,000's (maybe millions) of things simultaneously, that's where the phrase just trust it plays in. By adhering to a both a mental and physical shot process your subconscious takes over the shot and it is far more capable than you are.

Trust your coach.

Dave

[Gwhite]

You can focus on your front sight, while still being aware of your sight picture. In order of importance:

1) Focus on front sight
2) Focus on front sight
...
5) Focus on front sight
6) Sight alignment
7) Sight alignment
8) Sight picture



A small error in sight picture will have much less effect than a similar error in sight alignment. You can't achieve good sight alignment unless you focus on the front sight.

[ShootingSight]

Are you shooting with a corrective lens?

The lens in the human eye is elastic, and your relaxed eye wants to focus at infinity (on the target). You need to exert conscious effort to draw your focus in to look at the front sight and/or the sight picture. If you alter your focus between the front sight and the sight picture, it will alter your point of impact, as the width of the blur line changes the apparent size of the front sight - mostly affecting elevation, so you will string your shot groups vertically.

By adding a +0.75 diopter lens (or adding +0.75 to any distance prescription you need), your eye's relaxed focal point will be shifted back to the hyperfocal distance of the sights, which is the distance where your totally relaxed eye will form a perfect sight picture, with no conscious or subconscious effort needed.

Without a lens, you need to focus on the front sight, because your brain needs a concrete focal reference, however from an optical point of view, this is less than ideal. Better is to focus on the sight picture, as long as you can do it consistently. Because the lens does all the work for your eye, so the eye muscle can stay totally relaxed, you can achieve consistent focus and see the sight picture at the same time.

Art Neergaard
ShootingSight llc

[amarinder]

Are you shooting with a corrective lens?

The lens in the human eye is elastic, and your relaxed eye wants to focus at infinity (on the target). You need to exert conscious effort to draw your focus in to look at the front sight and/or the sight picture. If you alter your focus between the front sight and the sight picture, it will alter your point of impact, as the width of the blur line changes the apparent size of the front sight - mostly affecting elevation, so you will string your shot groups vertically.

By adding a +0.75 diopter lens (or adding +0.75 to any distance prescription you need), your eye's relaxed focal point will be shifted back to the hyperfocal distance of the sights, which is the distance where your totally relaxed eye will form a perfect sight picture, with no conscious or subconscious effort needed.

Without a lens, you need to focus on the front sight, because your brain needs a concrete focal reference, however from an optical point of view, this is less than ideal. Better is to focus on the sight picture, as long as you can do it consistently. Because the lens does all the work for your eye, so the eye muscle can stay totally relaxed, you can achieve consistent focus and see the sight picture at the same time.

Art Neergaard
ShootingSight llc

No Boss. I dont shoot with corrective lens. I just use a paper blinder. If I have to find the most suitable corrective lens for myself, how should I proceed?

[Rover]

Maybe you should; your eyes can change rather quickly and you may also have astigmatism. When did you last have an eye exam?

You can tell when you have the correct magnification when you raise the gun and the front sight is instantly in focus. If you have to mess around, it's wrong.

[Gwhite]

Although it's usually a bit too much correction, try a cheap par of +1D reading glasses from the drugstore. If that seems to help, then you should explore the matter further. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find cheap glasses as weak as is typically best for shooting.

They do exist, and are actually becoming common for computer users:

http://www.aclens.com/Accessories/Readi ... Id=1218644

http://designer-reading-glasses.com/0-7 ... HwodOUsGVQ

[ShootingSight]

If you want to explore shooting glasses, best is to visit an eye doctor for a regular eye exam.

You will walk away from that exam with a prescription for distance vision. Even if the prescription is zero, which means you have perfect distance vision with no astigmatism, or else if you do have a slight correction, it is valuable, as I can do all the math for you to shift from a distance prescription to your shooting prescription.

Email me the prescription, or post it here, and email me to look for it. I'm happy to do the math via email or via postings.

Art

[amarinder]

If you want to explore shooting glasses, best is to visit an eye doctor for a regular eye exam.

You will walk away from that exam with a prescription for distance vision. Even if the prescription is zero, which means you have perfect distance vision with no astigmatism, or else if you do have a slight correction, it is valuable, as I can do all the math for you to shift from a distance prescription to your shooting prescription.

Email me the prescription, or post it here, and email me to look for it. I'm happy to do the math via email or via postings.

Art

Here is the prescription from my eye check up done yesterday. http://i58.tinypic.com/343kec6.jpg
Would using lens on Perfect eyes impact my sight when I am without lens?

[seamaster]

You have perfect vision !! Right eye perfect, left eye with negligeable astigmatism.

You are 26. I bet you could focus to just 2 inches in front of your nose !!

I would bet you can shoot perfectly well with just left eye patch. Many many Olympians do just that.

But if you want to play with plus lens for front sight inquisition, I suggest you get a testing lens, one with +0.25, +0.5, +0.75, +1.0 in a row. Play with it to see which one is truely comfortable for front sight watching.

The categorical "+0.75" might not be optimal for your perfect young right eye.

[shaky hands]

You have perfect vision !! I bet you could focus to just 2 inches in front of your nose !!

Actually, the enhanced ability to focus close to one's face is a feature of a myopic eye, not of a perfect one.

[shaky hands]

The categorical "+0.75" might not be optimal for your perfect young right eye.

The physics behind a shooting lens is very simple. In a relaxed state a perfect eye focuses at a rather large distance, which for all practical purposes can be considered infinite. To ensure that an object placed some distance L away (e.g. the front sight) is in sharp focus in a relaxed state, you must use a converging (+) lens with the focal distance L. The focal length is related to dioptric power D according to a simple formula:

D=1/L

where the distance L is measured in meters. For example, if your front sight is 1 m away from your eye, the lens D=+1.0 would place it in focus for a relaxed eye. The drawback is that you will not see very well around you, so that, as a compromise, a somewhat weaker lens is usually recommended.

[David Levene]

You have perfect vision !! I bet you could focus to just 2 inches in front of your nose !!

Actually, the enhanced ability to focus close to one's face is a feature of a myopic eye, not of a perfect one.

I don't know, but couldn't it also be a factor of (relative, compared to most of us old f@rts) youth?

[shaky hands]

I don't know, but couldn't it also be a factor of (relative, compared to most of us old f@rts) youth?

Indeed, a younger eye has a wider range of accommodations, and a 20-year old normal could eye could well beat a 50-year old myopic one in looking at close objects. But all other variables being equal (same ability to accommodate, transparency of the lens, absence or presence of astigmatism, etc.), a myopic eye provides better resolution at short distances. A myopic lens has the focal point in front of the retina, so it has a stronger dioptric power and works as a more powerful loupe. That's why you need to add a negative lens in front of it, to negate some of its power. Of course what ultimately decides the resolution power at short distances is the maximumdioptric power that the eye lens is able to achieve under maximum effort. And a poor eye might well not be able to contract its lens as well as a healthy normal eye. But this is something that no optometrist ever tests.

[seamaster]

Ability to accomodate is a very complex part of determining one's focal point.

simple focal pt. distance = 1/ diopter is simply a starting point, it is too pedantic.

If you add a pair of youthful eyes, with ability to accomodate, zoom in and zoom out AT EASE, whether you patch up with monovision or shoot with both eyes open, your focal point is much more complex than that above simple equation.

[shaky hands]

simple focal pt. distance = 1/ diopter is simply a starting point.

Yes, it is just the definition of diopter power of a lens. In much the same way as the Ohm's definition is the ratio of a Volt and Ampere. In itself, no definition of units explains anything.

[shaky hands]

simple focal pt. distance = 1/ diopter is simply a starting point, it is too pedantic.

No, definition cannot be too pedantic. It is just a convention people agreed upon.