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#Post#: 3222--------------------------------------------------
Ten Tips to Improve Your Clay Shooting ~ How to Hit More Clays!
By: semiauto Date: January 9, 2013, 8:01 am
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Rule 1: KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BIRD - In the context of
shotgunning vision is a skill. We have to train our eyes to
sustain fine focus on a moving object: it is not as natural an
ability as you may think. It requires discipline and practice.
As an aid to consistent visual contact look for the ridges on
the target, or any reflected light that may be visible on its
surface.
Rule 2: as Lord Walsingham famously noted: DON’T CHECK - In
other words do not stop your swing. Many clay busters do not
finish the shot well. They take the head off the stock too early
and the result as the gun rises and stops is almost always a
miss over the top and behind. This leads us directly to
Rule 3: KEEP YOUR WEIGHT WELL FORWARD AND YOUR HEAD ON THE STOCK
- This will encourage a fluent, unchecked, swing. Don't bend
forward or stick your bottom out. Keep the back straight and
bring the weight on to the ball of the front foot.
Rule 4: BE POSITIVE - A confident mental attitude encourages a
good stance, good vision and a good follow through as well as an
expectation of success. Hesitation or anxiety, on the other
hand, brings the weight and focus back and causes the gun to
stop. You have far more to gain by maintaining a positive
attitude when clay shooting than by worrying neurotically about
choke/gun/cartridges.
Rule 5: therefore is CUT THE CLUTTER - Focus only on those
simple things that will help you and forget all the
distractions.
Rule 6: KEEP YOUR SHOULDER LEVEL AS YOU SWING - Many drop a
shoulder because the are standing poorly in relation to the
target. The upper body should move like a tank turret. This
takes us to
Rule 7: USE YOUR FRONT ARM WELL AND MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO
CONTROL THE TIP OF THE GUN - Good shots always seem to shoot
with a graceful economy of movement. They use the gun like a
wand.
Rule 8: DEVELOP A ROUTINE AND STICK TO IT - Stand towards the
spot where you want to kill the bird (so that one unwinds into
the bird), bring the gun back to the place where you first see
the target clearly (where you first achieve fine focus) and
direct your eyes into the zone where you see it as a blur.
Before calling for the bird, visualise a kill in your mind's
eye.
Rule 9: CALL FOR THE BIRD AS YOU MEAN TO SHOOT IT - If you call
for the bird in a hesitant manner you are likely to shoot it in
the same way. Similarly, if you squawk 'PULL!!!!' you are
unlikely to perform with finesse. The call should be smooth and
confident.
Rule 10: (skeet and sporting): SHOOT EVERY BIRD WITH GOOD TIMING
- For gun down shooting, one should always shoot to three beats
- one:two: threeee - changing the tempo according to the target.
Far too many sporting shots shoot to two beats, bringing the gun
to the shoulder too fast and then slashing wildly at the target.
DON'T RUSH!
Let us now briefly consider the different disciplines. Sporting:
the variation in lead required from stand to stand can cause
major problems. Most targets (including very slow birds) are
usually missed behind, but quartering birds and rabbits may
often be missed in front. If you are unsure about lead, consider
the distance to the bird. If it is crossing 40 yards away you
probably need to be something in the region of 8 feet in front,
more if it is very fast (as midis and battues tend to be). I do
not usally advise looking for lead deliberately inside 30-35
yards. It is better to rely on natural hand to eye
co-ordination. Timing is always important, everything should be
shot to three beats with your eyes riveted to the bird. Use the
cage to maximum advantage and stand to favour the harder bird if
there is not time to move the feet. Never start with the gun
muzzles above the line of the bird.
Skeet shooters can develop a very specific routine because they
know that the birds will be presented within the rules. Do not
hold the muzzles of the gun too low on High 1. Do not wind too
far back on High 2 (the shot is best taken ‘on the front edge’
over the centre peg). The pair on 4 should always be taken
smoothly. Brush the first bird out of the air then the other. On
the pairs stand to favour the second bird. On Low 6, as with
High 2, be careful not to take the gun too far back. Don’t be
hurried on any station. Set your own pace.
Trap shooters should pay particular attention to their gun fit.
They should always relate their stance to the central marker (my
simple system is to point the leading foot to the marker from
every position on DTL) and they should experiment with different
hold positions. If targets are coming out low, a low hold will
make them much easier. Similarly, a high hold may make high
rising birds easier. Again, do not rush. Always let your eyes -
which should look about 6 feet in front of the trap house in
anticipation of the target - dictate the speed of shooting.
Focus, then move. I do not advise looking for lead deliberately
on any trap bird, trust your eyes.
NEVER POINT A GUN AT SOMETHING YOU ARE UNWILLING TO DESTROY
ALWAYS CHECK THAT A GUN IS UNLOADED AND UNOBSTRUCTED, WHEN YOU
PICK IT UP, WHEN IT IS PASSED TO YOU AND WHEN YOU LEAVE THE
STAND.
#Post#: 3224--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ten Tips to Improve Your Clay Shooting ~ How to Hit More Cla
ys!
By: brendy73 Date: January 9, 2013, 8:40 am
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sound advice tere semi il just hada get out now and try to
remember all of that, at least your not standing trying to take
a shot with 1 leg stuck in the mud or half way over a tree stump
which is my normal practice lol. ;D. bound to make it easier you
would think standing on flat ground and calling for ur bird and
even knowing which general direction its going. but it dont for
me im useless at clays lol ???
#Post#: 3225--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ten Tips to Improve Your Clay Shooting ~ How to Hit More Cla
ys!
By: semiauto Date: January 9, 2013, 10:15 am
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Brendy we'll be at Banbridge shootin clays this Saturday -
you're more than welcome to join us for the craic about 11
oclock
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