Hints & Tips | Shoot SP
The SP will only be effective if it can be seen solely by the eye you use on the gun – i.e. the eye on the same side that you shoulder the gun.
- It is important that you focus hard on the clay don’t check the “picture” or the SP, always focus on the clay
- Practise makes perfect (but always ensure that the gun is empty). The SP controls eye dominance, and dry mounting in front of a mirror will help you to become familiar with seeing it in your peripheral vision. You must be comfortable with the SP in your peripheral vision when you’re shooting.
- Shooting for the first time. With both eyes open, the gun barrels will appear double when looking at a distant object. This is the parallax effect and is perfectly normal. However, only one of the barrels will have a visible SP.
- Initial use of the SP. This is best on high crows, slow incomers, driven and teal targets as these will show how to control the eye with the SP, allowing better hits.
- It’s important to be able to see the SP throughout the ready position and mount but not once you’re mounted – if you shoulder the gun quickly, it might be worth pausing to ensure that you can see the SP in your peripheral vision.
- Stimulating your shooting eye. The power of the SP can be temporary, depending on your eyes: so continue to use it to stimulate your shooting eye. If you mount and hold the mount, the ‘off’ gun eye could take over again, especially if it is normally dominant. (During a shot, the ‘off’ eye can take over, typically after five seconds or more). However, the more you work with the SP, the better it will work. You could also position the SP so that it can be seen in the mounted position, but only do this if gun up shooting is needed. If both eyes can see it in the ready position, it won’t work for gun down shooting A special commission could be the answer. Click here for more information.
- Low light or dark backgrounds. In these conditions, a glance at the SP will help to engage the eye – but always look down the range before continuing the shot. Both coloured and low-light versions of the SP are available on request.
- Don’t put yourself under pressure! This will be a new technique for you, so you need time to get used to the new approach and the new information, so that you can then become a better shot.