Skeet Shooting: Tips For A Good Start

Skeet Shooting: Tips for a Good Start
Third article in series by Russ Naples, JCTS Skeet Chairman

These tips are the next steps in improving your skeet game, following the shot routine recommendations that were shared in my April and May articles.

How many times on an early miss (station 1 or 2) have we heard or said ourselves “I called for it, but I was not ready” – "Why did I do that?" Or worse…  This happens to all of us at some point, although we prefer that it happen in practice than at an event. 

There are two very common reasons for early misses: one is that our eyes are not accustomed to tracking the speed of the targets and we miss the pick up of the target within our look point, see the streak, and then chase the target across the field and either miss behind or our barrel blows past the target, misses ahead, in our effort to chase, both resulting in a lost target.  The second most common reason is that we forget to execute one or more of the steps in our shot routine. Reminder: Whether we achieve a hit or a miss, our score is an outcome.  We cannot control outcomes, we can control process.  Our process is our shot routine.  

As discussed in previous articles our shot routines include a number of items such as foot position, gun mount, hold point, look point, and these are all before we even call for the target.  In addition, we look to settle our eyes, focus, match gun speed with target speed, obtain the lead, trigger and follow through.  There certainly are quite a few items for us to consider and in order to help us keep organized it was suggested that we have a “shot routine”, i.e. have a plan for each shot.  The good news is that while there may be several items to keep track of – they are in the same order for each station and for each like station, like shot (i.e. Station 2, High 2) the details such as foot position, hold point, and look point lead are the same.

Tips for a good start:

1. As you approach the field with your equipment, take time to see other shooters targets.  Use a look point outside the window, up on the flight path, and have your eye acquire and track some targets across the field. This helps your eyes adjust to the speed of the targets that you will shoot on this field.    
2. Analyze the weather (sun, wind, rain) their effects on the targets and decide any modifications to hold points and look points that you will make during your round.  Prepare and put on your shooting glasses at least 15 minutes ahead of your start so that your eyes adjust to the lens.  Lens Selection Tip: My preference is to shoot with the lightest lens possible without squinting. (Squinting causes your eyes to tire and can contribute to missed targets.)  For up close green backgrounds I have had success with a purple tint.  For sky backgrounds (blues) I use the red chromatic or orange tint lens. Not everyone has the same type of vision so review the recommendation and select what can work best for you.
3. As you prepare to start the round, take extra time to walk through your pre-shot routine. Consider executing your pre-shot routine twice on the first station.  Unless you are shooting first you will have a bit more time before your turn, and you will be able to see a few extra targets in order to get your eyes engaged tracking the targets.  If you are shooting first and you are in practice, take some extra time on station one and consider it a challenge to have a clean station. If you are at an event, you will be allowed some targets for tracking, typically a high, low and a pair.  As you call for the targets; acquire and track them all the way across the field watching them land at or near the distance markers.
4. Before your round starts and while the field is unoccupied, check your hold points at stations 2,3,4,5, and 6.  Everyone may have different methods, but all shooters can benefit from having a look at each of the stations to become familiar with where they plan to setup their hold points.
5. Have a shot strategy for the first station (s) to ensure your success. Station 1: High 1 – get the hold point right - angle of the gun ~45deg, but such that the target does not blow past your barrel to where you have to chase it.  I usually choose a slightly lower gun angle to protect against a target that comes out flat and or falls fast at least for the first round.  Get the look point right.  The look point for high 1 is NOT down the barrel lining up the beads, rather it is above the barrel ~3” – when you call for the target as it enters your look point you pull the trigger.  Depending on the weather sun/wind you need to focus and sometimes be patient for a target that floats. Low 1 – Do not “rest” on this easy in comer – rather use it as a target where you practice your tracking to follow this long in comer across the field, into your break zone and finishing with a nice follow through with your head on the gun.  Now that you saw a high 1, setup and execute your double with a more accurate hold point and look point on high 1, and then follow through, head on the gun to complete the 2^nd target of the pair - low 1.
6. Station 2: High 2 – we all know that due to our position on the field this target appears to move very quickly.  For the first round, my recommendation is to NOT challenge this target and move the hold point out from the window some small amount ~1 barrel width or 1” from your normal hold point.

1. Early misses tend to effect shooters more since there is “more” of the round remaining. You may use an early miss as motivation and consider it a constructive challenge to remain clean through the rest of the round. Shooters that pile up “24’s” will progress faster in their game than shooters who allow one miss to contribute to a second miss.  (Do not turn one miss into two misses.)
2. With your first miss you will need to take your option shot on that same target.  Consider to reload your gun so as to give yourself some extra time to evaluate the adjustment(s) you need to make in order to have a successful option shot.
3. Stick with your shot routine, complete your option and station, come off the station and visualize the successful process used for your option shot and any of the targets on that station.
4. Focus forward on what you need to do on the next station, next target. Focus on the process, your shot routine, for the next station. Any lingering thoughts about the previous miss will only take away mental energy from the task at hand and further put you at risk of losing another target. (There is no value to your skeet game in continuing to think about the lost target.)
5. Approach the remaining rounds with confidence since you have made adjustments from the previous miss and have a shot routine that has you focus on process that gives you the best chance of a successful outcome.