GregR Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Is there such a thing as a 'right' time to enter a competition in terms of your average score/length of time in the sport? I've been shooting for almost a year now and am set myself a target of entering a few competitions this year. My thinking is that there's no point in waiting until you're hitting 90/100, as you might well be waiting a long time indeed! I was also thinking that if you turn up as a newbie then people will 'go easy' on you if your scores end up tripe, and you'll also expect far less of yourself and may even get your eye in better as a result. What's the view here amongst the seasoned competition-goers, wait until you are consistently shooting well, or wade in and benefit from the experience and seeing the 'good guys' at work? Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Whenever YOU feel comfortable enough to go to a competition There's a wide range of abilities at each and every comp that i've been too and i'm sure that when you're ready to go to a comp, there'll be several members on here more than willing to offer advice and might even be there themselves depending on the location. Don't get hung up about your score as shooting in the unfamiliar surroundings of a competition is a very different experience from shooting at your local ground The first CPSA shoot i went to i shot a lowly 44 but still thoroughly enjoued the day, so give it a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) I entered my first comp 25 years ago in Market Drayton, can't remember what it was now but it was something quite prestigeous at the time (a national event) and there were plenty of big (GB Team) guns there. Was 100 bird sporting and think I posted a **** score but who cares!! I had an amazing weekend and remember getting 10 on the springing teal which completely made my day. Just get out there and have fun... yes we all like to think that we stand a chance of winning but at the end of the day just soak up the atmosphere Edited January 7, 2011 by Vipa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnykiller Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Is there such a thing as a 'right' time to enter a competition in terms of your average score/length of time in the sport? I've been shooting for almost a year now and am set myself a target of entering a few competitions this year. My thinking is that there's no point in waiting until you're hitting 90/100, as you might well be waiting a long time indeed! I was also thinking that if you turn up as a newbie then people will 'go easy' on you if your scores end up tripe, and you'll also expect far less of yourself and may even get your eye in better as a result. What's the view here amongst the seasoned competition-goers, wait until you are consistently shooting well, or wade in and benefit from the experience and seeing the 'good guys' at work? Thanks, Greg Hi there I rekon the best time to enter is before it starts mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
100milesaway Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Best advise is, just book in and enjoy the experiance, try not to be nervous but don't beat yourself up if you don't do as well as you would normally do. The sooner you start to visit more grounds the better you will become (eventually), backdrops make an incredible differance,trees or lack of them, walls in the background, too much sky,these things will all make a differance to your scores and also remember if it is a registered shoot you will not be able to be (helped) or advised.Like I said just visit as many grounds as you can, after all if you do get a confidence problem you could invest in a couple of coaching sessions if you havn't considered that already. Good luck and most of all. ENJOY.from Auntie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poontang Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 As long as you're not a complete beginner and have an idea of what you're doing there's no set rules for when you should shoot competitions. Just shoot it as you normally would and learn from those around you. Don't worry about your scores to start with, they'll give you an idea of where you are and what you need to do to improve, but the main thing to do is enjoy yourself. You'll probably encounter different target presentations from what you're used to, some will be easier than others, so just concentrate on the ones you know you can hit and remember those you can't. You can always practice them at a later date. Eventually you'll start to build up a memory bank of targets and how to shoot them, and that's when your scores will start to rise. Don't expect too much too soon, and watch the better shots shooting if you can. You'll learn a lot from them, and how they approach different targets. Good luck, relax, and enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Enter competitions as soon as you feel like doing. You will be placed in a class with others of similar ability. You might start at the top or you may work your way up over the years. I sincerely believe that competition improves your shooting. There is something at stake and every shot counts. My own shooting improved after my first competition win, after I had been shooting clays for 2 years. A third place plastic trophy at Middle Farm Clay Shoot, Bredbury, Stockport. It wasn't much, but it gave me the confidence to start believing in my ability. I cleared out my loft a couple of years ago, which was stuffed with similar, rather tacky trophies from "C" Class, through to "AA" and Open classes - in Skeet and Sporting. I also won a degree of money and many bottles of whisky - which were all given away - I prefer rum. I only shoot practice now, as my shooting friends won't enter competitions. I miss the buzz and my shooting has suffered. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolhead Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 If you know that the pointy end of the thunder stick is the dangerous end then you're ready Entering competitions really speeds up the rate of personal improvement. It doesn't matter where you place if you enjoy it. It's a good marker of improving skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayman Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 As reflected by others, the right time to enter is as soon as you have the knowledge to shoot safely. The whole point of the AAA down to C system is that there is a class for every-one, Why lots of people think "I'm not good enough" is a mystery as every-one is already good enough if they can use a gun safely. There is nothing like competition for improvement, and the sooner you get involved the sooner you can improve. Treat competitive as a personal one, in other words can I beat my personal best? Can I improve my personal average? - its not about winning high gun, or the class, that's the bonus - its about maintaining and improving your averages, and the satisfaction of seeing the scores steadily improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSPUK Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Listen to Auntie - a lot of sense there - other thing is start doing your registered shoots now while you are learning - it gives you the chance to come up the class's and hopefully win a bit of money - last thing you want is to just go straight into A class and flounder for a year or two. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Round here there is a "club" league, it shoots 8-9 times over the winter months top 4 guns from each team post a score (-4 for international and ex internationals) 40 bird sporting layouts its cheap and not overly competitive but due to work/family only made one so far and only 2 left but definately want to shoot it next year properly. It's design for people like me who tend to shoot at just one ground to experience competition and meet others locally. I dont know of a web link or anything for it but ask at local clubs/grounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulos Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Round here there is a "club" league, it shoots 8-9 times over the winter months top 4 guns from each team post a score (-4 for international and ex internationals) 40 bird sporting layouts its cheap and not overly competitive but due to work/family only made one so far and only 2 left but definately want to shoot it next year properly. It's design for people like me who tend to shoot at just one ground to experience competition and meet others locally. I dont know of a web link or anything for it but ask at local clubs/grounds We have something like that up here Weekly 25 bird shoots against 8 other teams over the summer on Wednesday evenings. Great fun NY&C Sporting League Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonD Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 If you feel you are ready or want to I would start straight away. I was in the same place as you about a year ago and hadn't planned to shoot competitions but was convinced to and started. I have enjoyed it, the first few i was nervous especially shooting with A and AA class shooters, just let the ref and the other people on the squad that it's your first and they will help you adjust So long as you are safe and can load+call in the alotted time you will be fine. If it's a CPSA reg'd download the rules and have a good read but still nothing to fear You will learn a lot and improve I started out last Dec shooting 75ish at skeet, now shooting 91\92\93, still not great but a lot better than last year and more work to do Just get out there and enjoy it personally i shoot better in comp with a bit of pressure, you can also learn a lot from watching better shooters. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmsy Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 well my personal view is that for sporting - comp shooting will only start to be of benefit if you can already recify your mistakes on the club style shoots. if you can get a good average on those then that is the time to move onto the comp targets. your average will most likely go down as the targets presented are usually harder but if you experiment when missing then you should start to learn how to shoot these, and then obviously improve. to me its just a case of working up the scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayman Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Yes, score dropping is a likelihood - a straw bale shooter who has got to 35 ex 50 at the local shoot may well find their first registered they get only 50 ex 100 because there will be target presentations they have not experienced before. But perhaps the longer one holds onto just the easier targets at club level, the more frustrating the initial drop will be - maybe the earlier the shooter engages the full range of target difficulty the better, as consistent shooting of nothing but strawbale levels may ingrain habits that need to be broken for the more rangy and complex ones. I'd say the sooner the whole spectrum is shot at via a reg 100 the better the end result is going to be as the whole skill base will be learnt together. We coaches get a vast number of competent strawbale shooters who struggle with the harder reg targets because they need a better understanding of lead and sight pictures for the 30 yd plus targets, and they have to un-learn the techniques that have become ingrained in their style for the normal 20-30yd floppy targets their local club lays on. The score dip and relearning process is longer and more frustrating for the shooter if the style they have has become subliminal but cannot cope with the longer, faster and more deceptive reg targets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0145wirbelwind Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 If you feel happy about your shooting, just go and have fun, thats what clay shooting is all about, having fun and meeting people . If you take the pot then good for you, if not well you still had a good day. Too many people get hung up on money and scores and that take the fun out of it. JUST GO SHOOT AND HAVE FUN !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jega Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 If you feel happy about your shooting, just go and have fun, thats what clay shooting is all about, having fun and meeting people . If you take the pot then good for you, if not well you still had a good day. Too many people get hung up on money and scores and that take the fun out of it. JUST GO SHOOT AND HAVE FUN !!!! Could'nt agree more mate ,me and my 17 year old lad shoot clays about every other week-end, its just a chance to get outside and forget about work, bloody mortgages , household bills, car problems and all the rest of it, and do some thing that we both love .If it ever gets to the stage where we stop having fun and start getting worried about scores etc i reckon its time to pack up .Just enjoy it !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted January 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Thanks guys, I have applied for my ticket so once that arrives I'll have a look at the fixture card and head out to a local comp. I guess I knew the answer to the question before I posed it, but it is always nice to have people in the know confirm that I won't be wasting anyone's time by turning up as a relative novice. We all have to start somewhere I guess, and I'd rather make a hash of things at a competition within 12 months of shooting than after 12 years! I'll just have to keep repeating that mantra when the day comes for me to put my money where my mouth is! Thanks again all. I'll no doubt be along shortly to ask whether I should splash out on 'competition' cartridges .. we can justify anything to ourselves, can't we? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Right, that's me registered with the governing body and I've identified a local skeet shoot this Saturday. Obviously I have no idea what to expect, and I guess I'd better get reading the Skeet rules to work out where I get singles and where I get pairs! What's the normal process with cartriges, can you head off mid shoot to buy more, or should you head out to the stations with your expected daily supply and take it from there? Eek! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Normally you take what you need + some spare (10-20) to the "round" for DTL/Skeet/ABT that means a couple of boxes for Sporting up to 125 which can be quite heavy, if your shooting multiple rounds or disciplines leave the rest in the car. Most grounds sell carts so if your running short you can usually pick a few more up. IF the carpark is along way fromt he stands you might want to carry a slab with you if your staying out for a few rounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Right, that's me registered with the governing body and I've identified a local skeet shoot this Saturday. Obviously I have no idea what to expect, and I guess I'd better get reading the Skeet rules to work out where I get singles and where I get pairs! What's the normal process with cartriges, can you head off mid shoot to buy more, or should you head out to the stations with your expected daily supply and take it from there? Eek! Stand 1, high tower single, low tower single, pair. (high tower first) Stand 2, high tower single, low tower single, pair. (high tower first) Stand 3, high tower single, low tower single. Stand 4, high tower single, low tower single, pair (nominate which one your going for) Stand 5, high tower single, low tower single. Stand 6, high tower single, low tower single, pair. (low tower first) Stand 7, low tower single, high tower single, pair. (low tower first) you repeat the first target you miss......if you havnt missed any by the time you finish on stand 7 you get to nominate an extra target. If you get lost ask the scorer, you wouldnt be the first and wont be the last. Most important HAVE FUN Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Cheers Shaun! I've printed off the ICTSC Rules and the first thing I see is that maximum shot size is 6. I'd always thought that the higher the number, the larger the shot - the things you learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Most people shoot 9's for skeet as it's a close target, i think it means you can use size 6 shot but no larger in size (i.e. cant use 4,5 etc but can use smaller 7,8,9 etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busdennis Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Is there such a thing as a 'right' time to enter a competition in terms of your average score/length of time in the sport? I've been shooting for almost a year now and am set myself a target of entering a few competitions this year. My thinking is that there's no point in waiting until you're hitting 90/100, as you might well be waiting a long time indeed! I was also thinking that if you turn up as a newbie then people will 'go easy' on you if your scores end up tripe, and you'll also expect far less of yourself and may even get your eye in better as a result. What's the view here amongst the seasoned competition-goers, wait until you are consistently shooting well, or wade in and benefit from the experience and seeing the 'good guys' at work? Thanks, Greg hi Greg i entered my first registered comp last sunday, sport trap at rufforth. Been shooting really well on my local ground with good scores. finnished on 23/100 but did nt feel out of place and no negative pressure from better squad members. got a score to beat next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted May 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Well, my update comes a good few months after the initial post thanks to a number of things conspiring against me! I entered my first competition on Sunday - the result? a pretty horrific 58/100 (NSK). What did I learn? the local competition goers are a really frinedly bunch, not completely focussed on 100% scores, and more on enjoying themselves for an afternoon. I have learnt that being 'good' amongst friends and work colleagues does not make you a good shot! I was in a line with people shooting 96+. That put me well in my place! All in all, a very positive experience that has made me see that I need to put some work in at a discipline rather than consider myself an all-rounder. Although the wind made things, "interesting" I can't blame that for anything at all. I now have a score to beat, and a recognition that this will take work and effort. For anyone thinking, should I do it .. do it. You will get nothing but positives from the experience! Cheers all. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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