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Thread: How to NOT Blink

  1. #1

    How to NOT Blink

    Any tips on how to overcome blinking? Keeping your eyes open seems paramount to calling your shot.

  2. #2
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Blink as in prior to the shot going off?

    Hmm. I am pretty new to shooting, so take this with a grain of salt.

    When I started shooting regularly for the first time in 2014, I found it easier to manage the concept of a loud explosion going off in front of my face by getting higher NRR ear pro. And then adding ear plugs. So I'd say that would be a start; make sure you have effective, well sealing ear protection. That should help from both the audible effect of the round detonating and physical pressure wave of the muzzle blast.

    Also I would add that a combination of fairly regular Dry Practice, mostly a drill called the "Wall Drill" (clear gun, find a safe direction against a wall or light colored surface, press trigger focusing on eliminating front sight movement) as well as Live Fire. My favorite these days is "The Test", 10 rounds in 10 seconds at 10 yards on an NRA B-8 repair center, scored. If you can put 10 in the black you are doing well (I'm not quite there, my average in 2018 was an 84.)

    Hope this helps.

  3. #3
    Go Enos

    Ask yourself not where is my sight at the moment the shot goes off. Rather, ask yourself what do I see?

    You may notice the orange flash of the discharge. Or the case ejecting. In time, you will notice the path your front sight tracks.... lately, mine is tracking to 1:00 and back, and sometimes even a reverse C and down!

    I'm not trying to sound mystical or opaque. But there really is something zen to shooting. Just tap into that. Focus your intent not on what the end goal is but on the process to achieve it.
    Last edited by gomerpyle; 03-16-2019 at 07:08 AM.

  4. #4
    Try shooting a 45acp, why? Because that cartridge is slower.
    I know i am again conditioned to shooting once I "see" the 45acp bullet travelling down to the target.
    Point is, this might help you not to blink IF you are Looking for the bullet travelling.

    Sent from my SM-J701F using Tapatalk

  5. #5

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Packy View Post
    Try shooting a 45acp, why? Because that cartridge is slower.
    I know i am again conditioned to shooting once I "see" the 45acp bullet travelling down to the target.
    Point is, this might help you not to blink IF you are Looking for the bullet travelling.

    Sent from my SM-J701F using Tapatalk
    If yoiu never seen a 45 flying down range, then you are in for a treat. So cool!

    In fact, looking for the 45 may help your eyes register that your sights are rising to 12:00 or 1:00

  7. #7
    Site Supporter Clobbersaurus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Waaaay out west.
    Please don’t over think this.

    You need to get rounds down range will help to eliminate flinch mechanism. If you are only an occasional shooter, you may find it difficult to eliminate quickly. Innoculation to the noise and recoil, IMO, can only come through putting rounds out.

    Double plugging ear pro (plugs and muffs) may help, as will good eye pro.
    Berm drills, double drills, and willing yourself to see your sights in recoil may help.

    But really, getting rounds through the gun will be the best way to eliminate this problem.
    "Next time somebody says USPSA or IPSC is all hosing, junk punch them." - Les Pepperoni
    --

  8. #8
    Site Supporter MGW's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Kansas
    Bill drills into the berm. Don’t aim at anything just track the front sight. Repeat as necessary.

  9. #9
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Wokelandia
    Great advice so far! It is very important to learn not to blink when the gun fires. Simply put, you can’t advance until you can keep your eyes open. So, good job on realizing this.

    Firing a gun is not an event; it is a process. You need to observe the process: locate the target, align the sights, press the trigger, and see the front sight lift. Bonus for seeing fire and the blur of the ejected case. It takes practice, but you will get there.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Dallas
    At a certain base genetic level, you can't stop yourself from blinking. Blinking, or rather not blinking or having certain reactions to danger is one of those things that separate the elites in sports from us mere mortals.

    You probably can't learn to not blink. You get comfortable with what you're doing an not have an exaggerated response to the explosion that's happening in front of your face, but I don't think there's anything you can reasonably do to override that self protection mechanism. Closing your eyes in anticipation before the shot is fired will affect shot calling, blinking in response to the noise/pressure from pulling the trigger won't.

    It's not that big of a deal. Until the time it takes you to blink and your splits get very close, and/or your environment is changing rapidly enough that you're brain can't accurately fill in the blanks, the blinking won't cause problems. There's not a lot of random movements in shooting sports, it'd just be a matter of how fast are your splits and how fast do you blink. If you're getting punched in the face and you're opponent is moving around, not being able to keep your eyes open for that fraction of a second to track your opponent is a really big deal.

    Get someone with a high speed camera to film you while you shoot and see what's going on.
    Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right.

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