Short answer: eye drills help you shoot more accurately by training the visual skills under your aim: shifting focus between the sights and the target, keeping both eyes working together, and moving your eyes ahead of the gun during transitions. The 7 drills below come from Mike “Ox” Ochsner’s Tactical Vision Drills card. Each takes a minute or less.
These drills are built to help you pick up your sights quicker, shoot better with both eyes open (even if you see a “ghost” image), tighten groups that string side to side, transition between targets faster, and shoot better from awkward positions and on the move.
Before you start: only do 1 to 5 reps of each drill until your eyes and brain are used to them. If any drill causes discomfort, sit down, slow down and reduce your range of motion. If that doesn’t help, see an eyecare professional. This is performance training, not medical treatment.
The drills use Mike’s Tactical Vision Drills card. Follow along with the printable PDF with pictures of the card. Want more? Here are 9 more vision training drills, free to download.
1. Near/far focus shifts for quicker sight pickup
Hold the card at arm’s length with the writing facing you and focus on the “front sight” dots at the top of the card. Then shift your focus back and forth between those dots and a target 10 to 50 feet away. Start slow and speed up as you’re able. This trains the focus shift you make every time you go from the target to your sights.
2. Flat Brock string for shooting with both eyes open
Hold the card flat, back side up, 6 to 12 inches from your nose with the red line pointing at the tip of your nose. Look at the closest tip of the blue diamond until you see one diamond, with the red lines making an X through it. Seeing the X means both eyes are aiming at the same point.
3. Diamond pushups
Hold the card with the red line running straight up and down. Focus on the top tip of the blue diamond as you move the card in toward your nose and back out to arm’s length. If the red line splits into two, slow down. A clear line is great, but seeing only one line matters more.
4. Three fingers, two dots
Hold the card in your left hand near arm’s length so you can see one of the dots at the top. Hold your right index finger just closer than halfway between your nose and the card, so you can shut each eye in turn and still see the dot without moving the dot or your finger. Shift your focus between your finger (you should see one finger and two dots) and the dot (one dot and two fingers).
5. Stereo dots for both-eyes-open shooting and quicker eye shifts
This works like a hidden-image picture. Hold two cards 6 to 18 inches in front of your face, with the yellow dot on one about half an inch to an inch beside the green dot on the other, just below your line of sight. Cover the bottom dots with your thumbs. Look past the cards at something about 10 feet away until you see three dots instead of two, then relax your eyes and try to get all three as clear as you can. Move the cards closer or further until the middle dots combine. You can also lay the cards on a table and relax your eyes until you see three dots.
6. Compass rose, head still (leading with your eyes)
Set the card on a shelf at eye level, or hold it at arm’s length, looking at the side with the red lines. Keep your head still and your focus on the middle of the card while you move the card back and forth along each of the 8 red lines. This simulates leading with your eyes during target transitions.
7. Compass rose, card still (head catching up)
Hold the card still at eye level, looking at the side with the red lines. Keep your focus on the middle of the card while you move your head back and forth along each of the 8 red lines. This simulates your head catching up with your eyes during target transitions.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I do eye drills for shooting?
Start with 1 to 5 reps of each drill until your eyes and brain are used to them. A few minutes a day is enough to begin with. If a drill feels uncomfortable, slow down and shrink the movement.
Which drills help me shoot with both eyes open?
The flat Brock string (drill 2) and stereo dots (drill 5) train both eyes to aim at the same point, which is what makes both-eyes-open shooting work, even if you currently see a “ghost” image of your sights.
Which drills help with moving targets and transitions?
The two compass rose drills (6 and 7). One trains your eyes to lead, the other trains your head to follow, which is the order your body moves in when you swing to a new target.
Want the full training?
These 7 drills are a taste of the full program. See Quicker, Shoot Quicker is the complete vision training course for shooters, and the Ox String is the tool behind the both-eyes-open and eye dominance drills. Training for a specific discipline? See vision training for pistol, shotgun, hunting, long range and archery.