retromlc Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 hi all,i've been shooting clays for nearly 5 years and shoot about 6 times a month,when I have a lesson i normally shoot well,they advise if you're behind etc .but I can't seem to find any form,consistant that is.I also need to close one eye,I tery to shoot with both open and focus on the clay but it doesn't marry up and I miss a lot.I've used glasses with one side smeered and gave up after a while with that.i have had my gun fitted,and although I haven't had it long and it takes time to get used to new weight and balance. I can walk on one stand and hit 9/10 out of 10 and walk on the next and get 4! and I can practice constantly on one target till i smash them,then the next week get 3 again,I can't seem to find a sight picture for future reference.I've never excelled at sports where repeatition needs to be there e.g golf,snooker due to lack of consistancy.shall i just give up as I am fed-right-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireboy Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 no dont give up its not about getting big scores its about injoying your sport not everbody is a top shot i for one am not on clays but give me a duck or pigoen flying past and its dead in the air 7/10 times but i love my shooting even on the bad days when i cant hit a barn door. atb anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sporting? Left eye dominant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootgun Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 no dont give up its not about getting big scores its about injoying your sport not everbody is a top shot i for one am not on clays but give me a duck or pigoen flying past and its dead in the air 7/10 times but i love my shooting even on the bad days when i cant hit a barn door. atb anthony +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambchop Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) I'm a relative newbie just finding some consistent form so may be under qualified but sounds to me what I suffered from, inconsistent gun mount meaning you are looking and pointing gun in different places, hence inconsistency. Try mounting gun at home with eyes closed in front of a mirror and look at you reflection to see if looking down or above or even along side the barrel? Keep trying until consistently mounting same place and same line of sight. Worked for me! This also made me realise I needed to alter length of pull and prefer guns with a cast off and little drop at comb. Phil Edited January 8, 2014 by lambchop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retromlc Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sporting and apparently not. I dry mount 2/3 times a week and do all the eyes closed practice,a true picture every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFreddysCat Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Open chokes and No.9 shot. You only have to break clays. Not like you're needing a clean kill or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sporting and apparently not. I dry mount 2/3 times a week and do all the eyes closed practice,a true picture every time. Shooting left handed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shropshire_Lad Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I am exactly the same, on a round of sporting I often have a few 8'9 or 10's but there always is a 2, 3 or 4 or two on there as well!!! We would all like to shoot at a high level but for a lot of us it will never happen, its just the way things are. I have never been great at any sports/hobby but at snooker I was at the higher end of Amateur snooker 30 years ago, many of the guys I practised with had been playing all their adult lives and never made a 50 break let alone a century. I guess the point I'm trying to make is you don't have to be good to enjoy it, take it for what it is, a good fun hobby. If it is starting to get you down then maybe its not the one for you? When I started work my snooker form fell away due to lack of practise and I new in my heart it was never going to get any better so I decided to stop all together and have never played the game since . You have to make the decision if you can carry on shooting for fun and enjoy it even if things don't improve......there are a lot of us out there ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Poon Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sounds weird but are you shooting too much and trying too hard. Have a break less is sometimes better than more. I know of a guy who shoots slabs and slabs of shells in one day but didn't get that much better. I'm no ace but I have a lot of fun with the people I shoot with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shropshire_Lad Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sounds weird but are you shooting too much and trying too hard. Have a break less is sometimes better than more. I know of a guy who shoots slabs and slabs of shells in one day but didn't get that much better. I'm no ace but I have a lot of fun with the people I shoot with Good points made here, sometimes a break is all that is needed. Secondly the people you shoot with are everything, it must always be something to look forward to or what is the point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abacist Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 You say that your coach tells you if you are behind but does he tell you why? Quite often you miss because of faults in technique and a good coach should be spotting this and telling you how to correct your faults. Saying you're behind is not enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remmyman Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi retromic, Here's my take on it. Firstly don't give up on something you obviously enjoy. Though your op contains some confusion from what I gather whilst with a coach your shooting would appear to be satisfactory yet away from this environment you struggle. This would suggest to me that you are lacking in a basic technique that you adhere to week in week out. Most competent shots(sporting) will use ALL methods during a 100 birder, but will favour one particular method as their 'default setting'. I would advise anyone in your position to become competent with the pull away method for starters. It's strengths are that it gives the shooter a 'gun target relationship' and helps him/her establish line and speed. Skeet is also an excellent way of learning all the angles and easy targets (low 1, low/high7) for example. A skeet range is also a great place to try other methods such as maintained lead to see if other methods may suit you better. Lastly how about trying another coach? a 'change is as good as a rest' Regards remmyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retromlc Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I've used a couple of coaches to mix it up and the example of shooting behind was just an example as I meant that they inform me of my immediate mistake so I know what I did wrong in that instance.,and I do enjoy it,I like going with my mates and dont mind if they score better,i get annoyed with myself if i do badly. I guess I like to be good at everything I do,maybe I should just do it and not look at the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
100milesaway Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Use the waiting time before each stand to decide exactly where the pick up point is and where you want to be shooting it. Preparation is a big part of shooting. If you miss with the first call DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, Lots of people worry about the finer points of shooting which is fine if you are in a big comp but just enjoy your shooting , the rest will follow naturaly when your more relaxed.. from Auntie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootgun Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 This helped me alot, as i never got round to get some lessons yet... i think is a very good explanation of the swing-trough, pull-away and mantain lead .... have a look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlAS8SWLd6M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 The first to replies I think nailed this 1 the coach should you missed behind because you looked at the barrels and stopped the gun. Etc not just you missed behind. 2 you need to master different techniques to shoot sporting well pull ahead is a great starting point and will serve you well but maintain lead, swing through and later on spot shooting should follow be learnt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunnerbob Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 There's more of us about than you think retromlc, I struggle with consistency, straight eight on one stand then miss 90% of the next ! I will take great interest in the replies to this thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehb102 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 The fact you talk about not being able to find a sight picture suggests you should really get your eyes sorted first. I struggled until I went to Ed Lyons. Best investment I ever made in my shooting, and worth the long wait for an appointment. www.ed-lyons.com. Ed checks eye dominance, not just "you're right eye dominant at ten yards" but how your eyes change between distances, how your eye muscles support that and so on in more combinations than I can list. My consultation took three hours, I even had to take the gun with me, and since then my progress has been consistent. There's a very good sight picture demonstration at http://www.gunsnstuff.co.uk/eye-dominance-2/eye-dominance-explained/. Learning to shoot sporting competitively is worth getting a really good coach for. My coach taught me how to be consistent, to get 10 straight on the easy stands by doing the same thing over and over again, and also how to adjust systematically if you miss the first time. PM me if you want his details, but he's good, not cheap. A coach who doesn't say "You were behind it because..." isn't good enough IMHO. Miss behind because you didn't give it enough lead, or miss behind because you stopped the gun? Different problems. This advice is worth what you paid for it. Unless you follow it and it helps of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerhoad Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 hi all,i've been shooting clays for nearly 5 years and shoot about 6 times a month,when I have a lesson i normally shoot well,they advise if you're behind etc .but I can't seem to find any form,consistant that is.I also need to close one eye,I tery to shoot with both open and focus on the clay but it doesn't marry up and I miss a lot.I've used glasses with one side smeered and gave up after a while with that.i have had my gun fitted,and although I haven't had it long and it takes time to get used to new weight and balance. I can walk on one stand and hit 9/10 out of 10 and walk on the next and get 4! and I can practice constantly on one target till i smash them,then the next week get 3 again,I can't seem to find a sight picture for future reference.I've never excelled at sports where repeatition needs to be there e.g golf,snooker due to lack of consistancy.shall i just give up as I am fed-right-up. I can sympathise with your feelings, shooting can be very frustrating when you're struggling. Where and when do you normally shoot? I will be glad to meet up with you and try to see where your problem is. No promises but if I can point you in the right direction I will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerhoad Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 The fact you talk about not being able to find a sight picture suggests you should really get your eyes sorted first. I struggled until I went to Ed Lyons. Best investment I ever made in my shooting, and worth the long wait for an appointment. www.ed-lyons.com. Ed checks eye dominance, not just "you're right eye dominant at ten yards" but how your eyes change between distances, how your eye muscles support that and so on in more combinations than I can list. My consultation took three hours, I even had to take the gun with me, and since then my progress has been consistent. There's a very good sight picture demonstration at http://www.gunsnstuff.co.uk/eye-dominance-2/eye-dominance-explained/. Learning to shoot sporting competitively is worth getting a really good coach for. My coach taught me how to be consistent, to get 10 straight on the easy stands by doing the same thing over and over again, and also how to adjust systematically if you miss the first time. PM me if you want his details, but he's good, not cheap. A coach who doesn't say "You were behind it because..." isn't good enough IMHO. Miss behind because you didn't give it enough lead, or miss behind because you stopped the gun? Different problems. This advice is worth what you paid for it. Unless you follow it and it helps of course. My sentiments exactly having read the post. To take it a step further if he's missing behind because he stopped the gun, why did he stop it?? He's local to me so will try to meet up and get him on the right track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerhoad Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 There's more of us about than you think retromlc, I struggle with consistency, straight eight on one stand then miss 90% of the next ! I will take great interest in the replies to this thread... Consistency is what sets G.D. apart from the rest of us mere mortals. On a sporting layout it is normal to have good and bad stands due to the variety of targets and presentations. Unlike most of the domestic clay disciplines straights at sporting are extremely rare. However if you can't shoot a particular type of target consistently then you do have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunnerbob Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Consistency is what sets G.D. apart from the rest of us mere mortals. On a sporting layout it is normal to have good and bad stands due to the variety of targets and presentations. Unlike most of the domestic clay disciplines straights at sporting are extremely rare. However if you can't shoot a particular type of target consistently then you do have a problem. The only target I can't shoot is a clay target..... seriously though, the best shot, AAA in our club has said he will look at what I am doing and advise accordingly...great chap ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAV331 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 I was the same as you about a year ago until an experienced shot told me I had central eye dominance. It's already been said in this thread but this product sorted me right out, it just takes a bit of getting used to, but when you do it feels completely natural. http://www.gunsnstuff.co.uk/eye-dominance-2/eye-dominance-explained/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radar70 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 It sounds to me like you not enjoying shooting enough get in with a group and enjoy it take the **** laugh at each other be safe your scores will get better ,dont forget if it was easy we would all have gold medals enjoy yourself mate. Radar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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