Understanding the Visual Confusion of Shooting

Everything we do with a shotgun occurs in the periphery and how much awareness of the barrel is an evolution. We've all been through it. When I’m shooting well, the lead looks the same on almost every target. It's just space, but it's stable.

If I see a target that is fast crossing at distance, I tell myself it's okay to be a little uncomfortable in front. That gives me frequent success. I’ve even focused between two objects at distance until I have some awareness of the distance between them.

I’m telling my brain, “Okay, this is where the beginning point needs to be. As I match the speed, you take over and adjust it.”  I would do that if I kept coming up too close on a really fast target. I would come up in my normal distance in front because the target was three times faster than a normal target.

I kept getting jammed, so I would look out on the horizon and find something that was bigger so that my brain would get the gun on line in front earlier and further out so I had time for the target to come to me and match the speed.

What it looks like when you pull the trigger on a moving target to have the target in focus and the gun in the periphery ahead of the target is still a mystery to the majority of shooters out there who have not taken one of our classes in person or have not done our online courses.

The eyes don’t see - the brain does. It doesn’t matter if you’re spreading butter on toast or putting on lipstick, the brain can’t do anything unless it first has a picture. This is why it’s so important for you to understand what it really looks like when the bird and gun come together.