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JoeBClays
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Good evening all. I have finally had my account approved. I have been shooting clays for around 3 years and I can’t get above 30. I’m after some tips on to just progress to the next stage of my shooting. Could it be because I only shoot every other week? Thanks

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1 hour ago, Centrepin said:

30, out of what? 30, 50, 100? Singles, on report, sim pairs? all relevant.

Like others have said, more details would help.

30 out of 50… 5 stands 10 shots a stand all stands are different and all stands are varied every other Sunday. My gun fits well, my eye sight is as good as can be. I think my main problem is I’m not shooting as regular as I should be.

13 hours ago, Bigbob said:

Hello and welcome , the more you do the better you should become 

I think this is my main issue. I’m not shooting regular enough. 

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Maybe try some skeet (if your ground has the option ) - The consistency of the targets will help you see if you’re improving over time.

 

I’ve seen guys taking 20 or more shots at the same target and missing every time but once it “clicks” where they should be shooting, how much lead, etc, they crack them much more consistently. If your targets are changing every time you visit, you won’t get familiar with them.

Edited by humperdingle
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Get some coaching from a reputable CPSA or BASC accredited coach. 2 or 3 sessions with a good coach could save you a years worth of just turning up and trying to improve on your own. Getting a good coach is the hard part as there are plenty of accredited coaches out there who will happily take your £75 an hour for as long as they can all while teaching you nothing. A good gauge of a coach is their achievements in the sport. I wouldn't see anyone who isn't or hasn't previously been a AA or AAA sporting shot for example or won British/ World stage competitions. 

You can shoot 30/50 so you can clearly shoot but its consistency that counts and being taught the pick up point, hold point and shoot point method and how read a target will go a long way towards ensuring that you're getting 9-10/10 on each stand rather than 6-7/10.

Also helps massively to spread your shooting around different grounds. Being able to shoot a 45/50 on a ground you shoot week in week out where the targets don't change greatly isn't that much of an achievement but being able to turn up at any registered sporting event and put an 80+/100 score in consistently will put you in upper half of the score sheet on any ground you go to.  

As mentioned above, trying different disciplines will also help a lot. Skeet, trap etc are all quite specialised parts of what you may see on a sporting layout and will help with fast, close crossers or quartering going away targets. 

Similarly to yourself, I've been shooting just over two years. Back last year my scores more than doubled in a three month period because I spent some time with a quality coach and started to travel around and see more than your average Sunday morning ground where having a looper and crossing target on the same day is a talking point. I found another shooter from the Sunday morning shoot I was going to who also wanted to progress, threw ourselves in at the deep end and starting attending registered shoots. We may have started at the very bottom of the score sheet with less than 50% averages but after a season are both comfortably above 70% averages and have won class prizes etc. 

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17 hours ago, Centrepin said:

60% for someone who doesn't shoot regularly is fairly good given we don't know how hard the clays are.

 

Some weeks they’re really tough some weeks they seem a bit easier how ever I do find some trap positions a lot tougher than others… incomers I find very easy. Come from behind over head I tend to struggle with. But this is my problem whether I’m thinking the traps are set difficult or easy I’m always coming away with 28-30 it is never less or never any higher.

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14 hours ago, Poor Shot said:

Get some coaching from a reputable CPSA or BASC accredited coach. 2 or 3 sessions with a good coach could save you a years worth of just turning up and trying to improve on your own. Getting a good coach is the hard part as there are plenty of accredited coaches out there who will happily take your £75 an hour for as long as they can all while teaching you nothing. A good gauge of a coach is their achievements in the sport. I wouldn't see anyone who isn't or hasn't previously been a AA or AAA sporting shot for example or won British/ World stage competitions. 

You can shoot 30/50 so you can clearly shoot but its consistency that counts and being taught the pick up point, hold point and shoot point method and how read a target will go a long way towards ensuring that you're getting 9-10/10 on each stand rather than 6-7/10.

Also helps massively to spread your shooting around different grounds. Being able to shoot a 45/50 on a ground you shoot week in week out where the targets don't change greatly isn't that much of an achievement but being able to turn up at any registered sporting event and put an 80+/100 score in consistently will put you in upper half of the score sheet on any ground you go to.  

As mentioned above, trying different disciplines will also help a lot. Skeet, trap etc are all quite specialised parts of what you may see on a sporting layout and will help with fast, close crossers or quartering going away targets. 

Similarly to yourself, I've been shooting just over two years. Back last year my scores more than doubled in a three month period because I spent some time with a quality coach and started to travel around and see more than your average Sunday morning ground where having a looper and crossing target on the same day is a talking point. I found another shooter from the Sunday morning shoot I was going to who also wanted to progress, threw ourselves in at the deep end and starting attending registered shoots. We may have started at the very bottom of the score sheet with less than 50% averages but after a season are both comfortably above 70% averages and have won class prizes etc. 

Good morning, thanks for your reply. I think you’ve hit the the nail on the head with every point you’ve made. I think shooting at the same club every fortnight where the traps are very similar week in week out won’t help. I believe a coach would help me with teaching me all the basics that goes a long with been a good shot. I’m currently reading a book when ever I get chance called Move, Mount, Shoot and picking up little tips and tricks which I never knew. 

14 hours ago, humperdingle said:

Maybe try some skeet (if your ground has the option ) - The consistency of the targets will help you see if you’re improving over time.

 

I’ve seen guys taking 20 or more shots at the same target and missing every time but once it “clicks” where they should be shooting, how much lead, etc, they crack them much more consistently. If your targets are changing every time you visit, you won’t get familiar with them.

Where I shoot the traps do vary very slightly. I think I need to buy a slab and go to a ground where I can practice all different stands and positions find the ones I’m good at and the practice the ones I’m not so good at. 

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2 hours ago, JoeBClays said:

Good morning, thanks for your reply. I think you’ve hit the the nail on the head with every point you’ve made. I think shooting at the same club every fortnight where the traps are very similar week in week out won’t help. I believe a coach would help me with teaching me all the basics that goes a long with been a good shot. I’m currently reading a book when ever I get chance called Move, Mount, Shoot and picking up little tips and tricks which I never knew. 

Where I shoot the traps do vary very slightly. I think I need to buy a slab and go to a ground where I can practice all different stands and positions find the ones I’m good at and the practice the ones I’m not so good at. 

When choosing a coach you must consider what you want to get out of it. Do you want to enter competitions and be competitive, shoot for regional/ national teams? Would you just like to be able to turn up on a Sunday, shoot a 45/50 and rub the score card in your mates faces? Would you like to improve your overall shooting ability and be able to nail those tricky driven birds on a driven day or those out there pigeons when decoying? 

If your ambition is to be a competitive shot, shoot for regional and national teams then a coach who hasn't done those things themself will struggle to get you there and likely be a waste of time. Anything else can be done by any good shooting coach. 

Decide what you want from the whole process, find a good coach and get shooting. 

Have fun! 

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