Different Strokes

 

I am a fairly new sporting clays shooter. I hear people talk about different techniques for breaking targets. Why do I need to use different techniques?

 

Sporting clays and other clay target sports evolved from bird hunting. Most live birds are engaged in mid-flight. In the early years of sporting clays, the trajectories and behavior of airborne clay targets were designed to mimic that of birds in flight. Arguably, a bird hunter needs only one or two “moves” or techniques to down most birds in flight. As our sport has evolved, so has throwing machine technology and the sophistication of target setters. Targets that curl, curve and transition have become common.

A target thrown from a machine is decreasing in velocity from the moment it leaves the trap, while live birds are either maintaining or increasing in speed as they are engaged. These factors create the need for techniques that differ from swing-though, pull-away and maintained lead. That is not to say that these three techniques are obsolete. On the contrary, these remain our most effective strokes for engaging many types of targets, whether clay or bird.

But consider a crossing target that is thrown from a trap with very light spring, located to the right side of your shooting stand at a distance of about 35 yards. This target starts to transition from the moment it separates from the trap arm and, at the break point, is falling off its line and decreasing in speed. On this type of target, I like to use a hold point closer to the break point with a lower muzzle angle, allowing the target to close the gap between the muzzle and the target. I call this a “cut-off and collapse.” Some also refer to this technique as an “intercept.”

Yep, this subject is further confused by different shooters and instructors using different terms for the same technique. For target presentations that prove challenging for you, be open to discovering and perfecting different techniques. Remember, the best technique for you is the one that breaks the target.

 

Head Turner

 

I hear different things from different people. When I call for the target, should I be looking at the trap or should I be looking somewhere out in front of the trap?

 

You should never place your eyes on the trap. Putting your eyes on the trap arm as you call for the target runs contrary to the available research on sports vision, yet opinions to the contrary abound.

We use two general types of vision: peripheral vision (or ambient vision) and central vision (aka, foveal focus or central focus). We must engage both to perform at a high level. Our peripheral vision is powerful in its ability to initially acquire a moving target. Acquiring a target with our peripheral vision allows us to smoothly transition to our central vision. If, instead, a shooter places his eyes on the trap, the target will beat the eyes, thus producing a panic impulse, causing an abrupt and inefficient movement of the shotgun.

Once the target is acquired by the peripheral vision, the shooter must feed the brain high-definition target information by contracting the eye muscles and applying acute focus. Research also shows that athletes whose “length of gaze” on the target with their central vision just prior to and through interception outperform athletes with a shorter length of gaze. This final gaze (focus) immediately prior to and through target interception is referred to as QE or Quiet Eye.

So, instead of putting your eyes on the trap, establish a visual pick-up point some distance away from the spot where the target will first appear. This visual pick-up point is also called the “foveal anchor.” Focus very widely out to a distance beyond that of the target line. As the target appears and you acquire the target with your peripheral vision, tighten the eye muscles to focus on a spot on the target, the “focal point,” and watch the target break. By leveraging the power of both the peripheral and central vision, you will acquire the target earlier, have more efficient gun movement and experience a stronger visual connection with the target.

Gun Fittings

 

I have a sporting clays gun that I have been shooting for about two years, and I’m not sure that it fits me. I’m thinking about ordering a custom stock or custom gun. What do you suggest?

 

If you have a gun that you love, except for the fact that it might not fit, visiting a gun fitter for a fit check would be the way to go. A good gun fitter can tell you whether or not your shotgun fits and, if it doesn’t, what modifications can be made to make your shotgun fit properly. Installing an adjustable comb, adding an adjustable butt pad, lengthening the reach or adjusting length-of-pull and/or pitch angle are all modifications that can be made to a shotgun to make it fit.

The important question that the gun fitter needs to answer is, “Can my shotgun be made to fit with some modifications and without getting fitted for a custom stock?” In some cases, the answer will be, “No, you will need to invest in a custom stock or custom shotgun.” If your gun is significantly ill-fitting, it might not be possible to make the gun fit you. If the comb is far too high, if you need significantly more cast than an adjustable comb will provide, or if the reach is too large for your hand, a custom stock or custom shotgun will be the best option.

The next decision you will need to make is whether spending $3,000 to $4,500 on a custom stock is worth the investment given the market value of your gun.

Whether you are opting for a custom shotgun or a custom stock for your existing gun, your next step is the same. You need to seek the assistance of a gun fitter who will either fit you to a try-gun to determine the proper specifications for a factory custom gun or fit you to a pattern stock if you intend to have your existing shotgun re-stocked. If you are serious about your shooting, and particularly if you are a competitor, you will never regret making the investment in a well-fitting shotgun that shoots where you are looking.

Rising Teal

 

There is one target I always struggle with — the steep rising trap target that I have to shoot on the way up. If I wait for the target to get to the top, it is out of range and I’ve missed the second target. Help!

 

What makes this target challenging is that you are forced to occlude the target as you execute the shot. There are three engagement techniques that instructors will teach for this target.

The first is a hybrid sustained lead/intercept move in which you will hold the gun to the outside of the line. When the target emerges, you move your gun upward on a line that is slightly offset from the target line, mount to the lead, match speed with the target, then pull the trigger when you’ve achieved sharp visual focus. The second is a pull-away in which you move and mount to the back edge of the target, match speed, and then pull up and away from the target. The third, and the one I prefer, is a move coined by Steve Shultz called the “two-piece.” Think of this target as a quartering target turned one-quarter turn to 90 degrees. Your hold point will be one-third of the way down from the break point. Your visual pickup point will be one to two inches above the front muzzle bead and out to distance. At “pull,” you will start to move your gun straight back and into your shoulder. The moment you see the target rise above the muzzle, you will focus hard on the dome/top of the target and move the front of the gun up and through the target, executing the shot.

This move has two distinct elements: a move into the shoulder with the back hand and a move up and through the target with the front hand. It’s important that this move be executed smoothly and that the gun be fully in the shoulder when the ascending target reaches the end of your muzzle and before initiating the move through the target.

With sustained/intercept, you will sometimes overswing to the inside of the line. I favor the two-piece over the pull-away because I believe allowing the target to rise above the muzzle promotes better visual focus at the breakpoint.

Always Behind

 

I have trouble on some fast quartering targets. I always feel like I’m missing behind. What’s the best technique to break these targets?

 

There is more than one way to break just about any target, but when a shooter habitually misses behind on a fast, flat-trajectory, quartering target, it is often a function of insufficient gun speed, incorrect visual pick-up point, or improper hold point.

Without seeing you shoot, I would recommend that you use a “quartering move,” sometimes referred to as a “come to the gun” technique, instead of sustained lead. Establish your hold point about one-third of the way back from your planned break point toward the trap. Hold your eyes fairly close to the gun barrel, about four to six inches off the gun, along the target line and back toward the trap. This will allow you to leverage your peripheral vision to acquire the target.

Research into how athletes use their eyes supports leveraging the peripheral vision when initially acquiring a moving target. Holding your head and eyes on the trap will result in an abrupt, uncontrolled move to the target. Using your peripheral vison to initially acquire a fast-moving quartering target will make it easier to apply acute focus just prior to, and through, the break point.

As you call for the target and the target emerges from the trap, while slowly creeping the gun toward the break point, let the target come to the gun, then aggressively accelerate the gun to the leading edge of the target. For a right-to-left target, focus on, and move to, the left edge of the target. For a left-to-right target, focus on, and move to, the right edge.

A couple of cautionary notes. In identifying your hold point, hold far enough away from the break point to allow room to creep while leaving about one-third of the target’s flight path remaining to accelerate the gun to the break point and target. If you hold too close to the trap, the target may beat your eyes and your gun, producing the panicked move discussed earlier. Let me know how it works!