Playing too close to the bird with the gun creates an occlusion to the visual input to the brain, which in turn causes a miss, typically over the target.
In order to understand this, it’s necessary to understand how the input from the eyes is converted to physical output by the brain. First, the retina of the eye begins to process the visual information of the moving target before it sends it to the brain. As the brain receives it, the interpretation of that data goes through several levels of refinement.
At this point, the subconscious brain knows the lead and line of the target. As long as the visual input is not interrupted, the hands will know where to put the gun to successfully break the target. Any distortion of, or interruption of the information flow to the brain from the eyes will result in a missed target.
As long as the eye has an unobstructed view of the target lead and the line, the gun can be inserted into the correct place to intercept the target. If, however, the target closes to within the necessary lead to break the target before the shot is taken, the gun is now in the way of the eyes’ ability to project ahead the necessary lead and line to hit the target.
The gun is now an occlusion, but a partial occlusion. Because the occlusion is only partial, everything looks right, but the target does not break and the miss is typically over.
Why is it over, you ask? The eye has been giving the brain the movement data of the target ever since it had it in focus. The lead was continually updated as the eye tracked the target across the sky. When the target jammed the gun or closed to inside of the necessary lead to break the target, the eye could continue reading the lead on the target but could not read the line because the gun was in the way of it being able to see it.
In the last instant, there was a push to get the gun out of the way and the shot was taken. The eye knew the lead but could not predict the line, because the gun created a partial occlusion to the eyes’ ability to read the correct line. Had there been a total occlusion of the target by the gun, it would have been very obvious to the shooter because they would have lost all perception of the target and the gun would have been the predominant object in their vision.
Due to the fact that this occlusion is partial, it’s much less obvious when it occurs, and more often than not it leads the shooter to the wrong conclusion about why the target was missed. This partial occlusion manifests itself as a timing problem in shotgunning. There is typically a jerk or push with the gun or a flinch when trying to pull the trigger when the occlusion is greater. When it is minimal, everything looks right, but the target is missed and the miss is always off line, and typically over.
This is why playing too close to the bird with the muzzle creates misses over the top. Over is behind!
An easy way to see this occlusion is to view a target (say, a left-to-right crosser) being aware of the line. Watch it from the trap to the ground. Notice how obvious the line is on the target. Watch several targets. Then call for a target and follow it with your index finger, keeping the target and your finger close together.
You will immediately see the occlusion and feel how you want to do anything you can to get your finger out of the way so you can see the line. You can instantly see how difficult it becomes too easily distinguish the line of the target when the target gets too close to the gun. Try this exercise on a transitional line target like a curling chandelle or even on a long crosser.
Think about it. How many long crossers have you missed over the top? They looked perfect, didn’t they?
When we understand this visual phenomenon, we began to realize just how many targets intermediate and advanced shooters miss because of it. This led us to realize that the overwhelming reason for misses in non-beginner shooters is this partial occlusion.
If the amount of the occlusion was the same each and every time, we suppose you could learn to compensate for it. Why bother?
Learn to play a little farther away from the bird or just under the line during the shot and let the bird come to the lead in the break point and eliminate the visual confusion. You will find, as we have, that the birds’ perceived speed will be much slower and you will have more time than you dreamed imaginable to insert the muzzles and take the shot. Perhaps the biggest thing is that when it looks right, it is!
