Skeet Advice

A Champ's Advice on Shooting Skeet Doubles

Ready to shoot a doubles event in skeet or want to improve your chances in a shoot-off?  Paul Giambrone III, a many-time World Champion who knows his way around a skeet shoot-off, offers this advice:

 First, he says, "You have to have a sound singles game, from proper body mechanics to gun fit to setups of hold points, look points, and break points -- everything!  The ideal break point for first birds in doubles is no later than 2/3 of the way to the center stake, or about 21 feet before the center stake.  When the first target breaks, my eyes immediately shift over to the other side of the barrel in the direction of the center stake where I will pick up the second target.  You must look where the second target is coming from, not where you think it is going.  After the first target breaks, I follow through toward the center stake, where I meet the second target.  Example:  On station 3, after the high house target is crushed, my eyes and my gun are going toward the center stake to find the second bird -- but I'm not going to let my gun pass the center stake, because that will put me behind the second target.  Once I acquire the flash of the second target, my gun will immediately stop, match gun speed with target speed on the second bird, then acquire my hard focus on the bird and pull the trigger." 

How Bad Is It ...

to Close Your Gun's Action Between Stations?

How bad is it to close a gun's action between stations?  In a word -- it's BAD.  Don't do it!  Keeping your gun's action open is a matter of safety, as well as courtesy to your fellow shooters. It's one of the most basic safety rules to follow on the range:  Keep your shotgun unloaded except when you're on the stand, and keep your action open.  If the action is open, you're much less likely to accidentally leave a shotshell in it, you won't accidentally fire it, and others will know your shotgun is in a safe condition.  One exception to the rule:  If you are using a break-open gun, the action can be closed when it is in a gun rack.  As soon as you pick it up again, open the action.  Strict adherence to safety rules such as this one is why skeet and sporting clays have excellent records as safe activities. 

Clayton Rue: Using Karate on Targets

In karate, one of the tests for advancing through the ranks is defeating multiple opponents. A standard tactic in this situation is to identify the opponent that represents the most significant risk and defeat him first. The same tactic can be employed against a pair of sporting clays targets. When presented with a pair of targets thrown on report or as a following pair, the target setter has decided for us which to shoot first. But when targets are launched simultaneously, we must choose which to shoot first. A few guidelines:

  • Specialty targets like rabbits and battues, and specialty presentations like chandelles, are typically more challenging than standard targets. Dispatch them first.
  • When you can see one target much better than the other, shoot the hard-to-see target first.
  • When one target is on edge and the other shows some face, shoot the edge-on target first.
  • When you have an outgoing target in a pair, shoot it first, especially if it is dead straight-away.
  • When you have an incoming target in the pair, shoot the other target first.
  • When one target is above the other, shoot the lower target first. 

Marty Fischer: Shoot Your Way Out of a Slump

The one thing that is consistent about shooting slumps is that they are found in all of the shooting sports and they can show up unexpectedly.  When the wheels come off for a shooter, they usually seek help from their shooting partners, who sometimes make good recommendations and sometimes dole out terrible advice.  It is often the lack of consistency that leads shooters into those deep ruts, and it takes a defined path to climb out.  The best approach is usually to go back to the basics that got you to your achieved level prior to the slump.  Work on things like visual focal point, gun hold point (horizontally and vertically), break point, an understanding of what the target is doing in its flight at the break point, and knowing where to look for the second bird if shooting a pair.  If you can't work your way out of the slump on your own, consider hiring a qualified coach to help end the frustration. 

Todd Bender: Record Your Performance

Keeping a record of your performance in an important tool.  A performance journal allows you to praise yourself for what you are doing well and analyze what you need to correct.  You are either successful or you learn.  Writing down positives makes strong imprints on the self-image and builds confidence, while developing a correction to a problem. Keeping a performance journal has also given purpose to my training sessions.  I review the notes from my previous session before starting a new session, so I am reminded of what I learned previously, even from previous years, and what I need to work on.  That lets me hit the ground running without wasting time thinking, "Now, what did I do last time?"  I can also bookmark days when I have breakthroughs.  I record thoughts, feelings, anything that was done well, so I can use those triggers in the future. When you're keeping your performance journal, be sure to address three questions: what did I do well, what did I learn, and what am I going to do about it? 

Tom Roster: Reducing Felt Recoil

Felt recoil is simply the amount of recoil force felt or perceived by the shooter.  It is not measurable like actual recoil originating in the shotshell, since everyone has individual sensitivity levels to recoil and some of the factors making up felt recoil are impossible to measure.  But there are some steps you can take to keep felt recoil to a minimum:

  • Increase the gun weight.
  • Add a thick recoil pad to the butt of the shotgun to cushion the blow.
  • Make sure the gun fits properly, especially in the length of pull.
  • Wear good hearing protection to eliminate flinching from muzzle blast (as well as, of course, protecting your hearing).
  • Add shoulder padding.
  • If you're especially recoil-sensitive, add a "hydracoil" device that places a mechanical spring between the buttstock and shoulder. 

Marty Fischer: Tips to Stay Out of a Slump

  • Many shooters have found themselves in a slump at some point, when it just seems the wheels have come off their game. It's easier to avoid getting into a slump than to correct it. Here are some tips to keep you out of a slump:
  • Regardless of your shooting game, it’s all about the basics.
  • Never give yourself a reason to miss a target. When you say “pull,” make sure you actually mean it.
  • Remember that clay target shooting is an eye/hand game. The eyes see the target first so the hands can move the gun in place based on what the eyes see. In other words, don’t move your hands until you see the target.
  • Always have a game plan when shooting pairs. Know exactly where to look for the second bird of a pair once you break the first one.
  • Try to shoot every target as consistently and aggressively as you can without elevating your stress level. Understand that there is a fine line between too fast and just right.
  • Develop a consistent pre-shot routine that includes your setup and a mental rehearsal of the targets breaking before you call for the bird(s).
  • Stay hydrated through the round of clays.
  • Wear a lens color on your shooting glasses to keep the eyes comfortable and provide a contrast between the target and the shooting background.
  • Never forget that the most important target is the next one. What you have done or will do later is of no consequence. The game is played one target at a time. 

How Bad Is It to Take Spectators to the Range?

Not only is it not bad to take a guest to the range with you, but we can’t think of a better way to introduce someone to the shooting sports than by taking them along to see how much fun it is.  If someone isn’t ready to take the plunge into shooting, tagging alone with a shooter is a perfect way for them to learn the game and develop comfort on the course before they’re handling a firearm.  A few guidelines:  Make sure the club or event doesn’t prohibit guests on the course with you and that your guest understands safety practices and course etiquette, such as staying out of the shooter’s peripheral vision, not talking loudly, and not disturbing the shooter’s concentration.  Show them where it’s OK for them to stand and watch, and make sure they are wearing eye and ear protection. 

How Bad Is It to Use a Cheap Shotgun?

We asked that question of an expert on the subjects of winning championships and expensive shotguns, Robert Paxton of Paxton Arms.  Here's what he said:  "These guns I sell are very expensive.  They're the highest quality over-and-under shotguns made today, but you don't need these guns to shoot skeet or sporting clays.  I started shooting with a Remington 870 and won two HOA World Championships with 1100s.  Don't feel intimidated by these guys at your club when they pull out their high-dollar guns.  You can break just as many targets with lesser guns than these.  So bring out your field gun, your 870, your pump, your autoloader, whatever you have.  Come out and shoot and have fun."