Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Okay, so here's the conundrum: My weekend shooting primarily consists of doing 100 bird rounds of sporting either down at Worsley or venturing out into the wide world of CPSA registered shoots. I usually get a bit of time mid-week to fit a shoot in (usually Wednesday afternoons) and want to start making the most of my time by "training" rather than just wandering around the stands shooting the suggested amount to make up a normal round. When attempting to "train" I currently try a mixture of the following: - Shooting using different methods (swing through, pull ahead and maintained lead) - Experimenting with gun up/down shooting for different targets - Shooting singles and then shooting the biggest bit with my second shot - Shooting left handed (just for fun) Does anyone have any input or idea into what other training or training drills can be done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beretta Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 spend more time watching the clays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 IMO for what it is worth you are going about it all wrong. The key to shooting well is consistency. if you are swapping between methods or shooting off the wrong shoulder then you are learning nothing and may as well give the cartridges to me. I attempt to shoot maintained lead for all birds, as it is the only one that really makes sense to me. I watch all the clays before it is my turn and decide where I am going to hold the gun, pick up vision on the clay and where I am going to kill it. Once in the stand I will position my feet to the correct position (I always point my lead (left) foot at the killing zone and then place the right foot and about 2o'clock to the other foot. about shoulder width apart. So if I were you I would decide what method you are going to use and stick to it, then as Beretta says spend more time watching the clays and deciding pick up point, hold position and killing point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) spend more time watching the clays. I've only shot with Chard once or twice so haven't had that much opportunity yet Edited June 18, 2009 by Nicky T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 IMO for what it is worth you are going about it all wrong. The key to shooting well is consistency. if you are swapping between methods or shooting off the wrong shoulder then you are learning nothing and may as well give the cartridges to me. I attempt to shoot maintained lead for all birds, as it is the only one that really makes sense to me. I watch all the clays before it is my turn and decide where I am going to hold the gun, pick up vision on the clay and where I am going to kill it. Once in the stand I will position my feet to the correct position (I always point my lead (left) foot at the killing zone and then place the right foot and about 2o'clock to the other foot. about shoulder width apart. So if I were you I would decide what method you are going to use and stick to it, then as Beretta says spend more time watching the clays and deciding pick up point, hold position and killing point. I used to shoot maintained lead/gun down for every single clay, but recent experimentation on wonderous wednesdays have lead me to believe that there are more consistent ways of shooting certain target presentations such as swing through/gun up for fast, low going away birds. Kill and hold points are all decided upon pre-entering the stand and i generally have a good idea of what the target is doing (or going to do). I'm just wondering if anyone has comments as to what the most productive form of "training" is? I could shoot 100 of my "bogey" birds but would that be the best use of my time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Of course shooting 100 of your bogey birds is what you need to do, there is little point shooting clays that you know you can hit with your eyes shut. Although there is little point just blazing away at your bogey bird. You really need someone there who can watch you and tell you what you are doing wrong. I used to have a real problem with rabbit clays, I went and had a lesson and listened to what was said and now I certainly shoot more than I miss. If I had not had that lesson then shooting 100 rabbit clays wouldn't have helped me one bit as I would have shot them how I always shoot them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Focus on the window - where you will pick up the target and shoot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Nicky, Most good clay shots use the "maintained lead" method, and the vast majority shoot "gun up" on a good proportion of targets as a bad mount can mean a missed target, why not eliminate that risk..?? As MC says, don't ponce about trying shooting off the other shoulder etc, it'll mess with your style. I would suggest you shoot a bit of skeet, it's one of the best forms of practice for Sporting that you can get, don't take my word for it, ask Digweed. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Of course shooting 100 of your bogey birds is what you need to do, there is little point shooting clays that you know you can hit with your eyes shut. Although there is little point just blazing away at your bogey bird. You really need someone there who can watch you and tell you what you are doing wrong. I used to have a real problem with rabbit clays, I went and had a lesson and listened to what was said and now I certainly shoot more than I miss. If I had not had that lesson then shooting 100 rabbit clays wouldn't have helped me one bit as I would have shot them how I always shoot them. and therein lies the problem.....lessons IMO is a totally different concept to training, as i'd like to be able to train inexpensively on a regular basis to improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Nicky, Most good clay shots use the "maintained lead" method, and the vast majority shoot "gun up" on a good proportion of targets as a bad mount can mean a missed target, why not eliminate that risk..?? As MC says, don't ponce about trying shooting off the other shoulder etc, it'll mess with your style. I would suggest you shoot a bit of skeet, it's one of the best forms of practice for Sporting that you can get, don't take my word for it, ask Digweed. Cat. Point taken about off shoulder shooting - it was a one shot gamble that dusted the clay so i left it there Shooting some skeet as practice/training sounds logical - thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beretta Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 as mc says you only need to know different methods of shooting when you come across targets you are not familiar with, eg, shooting clays that are 20yds beneath you in a ravine. if you have a bogey bird by all means go and practice on it but only do a dozen or you will get bored and start missing anyway. move on to another stand and come back again later. little and often on bogeys till your happy. it could be your style of shooting on a particular target that is letting you down. competitive clay shooting is a long way from other types of shooting to me, it needs a different mind set. its all about hitting them, nothing else, whoever hits most, wins. instead of shooting gun down just use a short mount unless you have to wait an age for the clay to get to you, use every advantage you can to make your shot easier for you. i could go on for hours so ill shut gob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaseone Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Shoot 25 skeet a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Do what I did - take a few lessons to give you the basics and then go out on your own and train. Think while you are shooting about what targets you miss, what you are struggling with etc and then go back to your coach and have another lesson - s/he will be able to help you where you are going wrong and also spot any bad habits that you have developed since you last had a lesson. Gun up Correct stance Watch where the target comes from Maintain lead (as others have said) Pick your hitting point Hit the clay works for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Just watch me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Just watch me Hurry up and get through your first round match then i can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beretta Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 no dont Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Just watch me And then do the exact opposite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 And then do the exact opposite You're getting some seriously bad advice here Nick. Take no notice of these heathens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.C. Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Training is all about practising the component parts of your game . Without a good coach to show you the right way of shooting the various presentations how do you know you are practising the correct way to shoot ? For example , do you have a pre -shot routine . Are you aware of the basic presentations ie. crossing , quartering , going up and coming down. Can you go to a stand with any one of these and hit ten in a row every time ? Training to shoot is like learning to play an instrument . You need someone to show you how , then you go away and practise . For example , could you go to a skeet layout where there are effectively 14 targets , two from each stand . Can you break each target before the halfway mark five times in a row , then break the same target after the halfway mark five times in a row . Once you can do that put a marker somewhere near the halfway mark , Can you break each clay exactly over your marker each time , five times . This would be a typical training routine for a student , with the help of a coach to point out variations in technique. Edited June 18, 2009 by T.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canthitathing Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 And then do the exact opposite I love the banter on this forum. Reading this beats work any day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 I love the banter on this forum. Reading this beats work any day It's just jealousy MC wants me to give him tuition really, but he can't bring himself to ask I get PM's all the time from somebody calling himself "Frustrated of Mersea" asking how he should tackle those straw bale shoot floppers and droopers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canthitathing Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 It's just jealousy MC wants me to give him tuition really, but he can't bring himself to ask I get PM's all the time from somebody calling himself "Frustrated of Mersea" asking how he should tackle those straw bale shoot floppers and droopers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky T Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 For example , could you go to a skeet layout where there are effectively 14 targts , two from each stand . Can you break each target before the halfway mark five times in a row , then break the same target after the halfway mark five times in a row . Once you can do that put a marker somewhere near the halfway mark , Can you break each clay exactly over your marker each time , five times . This would be a typical training routine for a student , with the help of a coach to point out variations in technique. Now that's exactly the type of suggestion i was hoping for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 When attempting to "train" I currently try a mixture of the following:- Shooting using different methods (swing through, pull ahead and maintained lead) - Experimenting with gun up/down shooting for different targets - Shooting singles and then shooting the biggest bit with my second shot I can't do that, there's nothing left but dust when I hit 'em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 It's just jealousy MC wants me to give him tuition really, but he can't bring himself to ask I get PM's all the time from somebody calling himself "Frustrated of Mersea" asking how he should tackle those straw bale shoot floppers and droopers ALERT ALERT Moderators help quickly, Catamong has got hold of Chards log in details, only Golden Tan from Hertfordshire could come up with such drivel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.