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!

Shifty Feet

 

On some pairs, the break points are so far apart that I feel like I need to change my foot position between the two targets. Is that bad?

 

First, let’s agree on the correct foot position and stance. For a right-handed shooter, your feet should be oriented on the left-most break point of a pair. The left foot (lead foot) should be pointed at 1 o’clock, or slightly to the right, of the left-most break point. The trail foot, the right foot, should be oriented somewhere between 2 o’clock and 3 o’clock with the heels no more that 12 inches apart. For left-handed shooters, the right foot (lead foot) should be at 11 o’clock, or slightly to the left, of the right-most break point with the trail foot (left foot) oriented between 9 o’clock and 10 o’clock with the heels no more than 12 inches apart. This foot position will significantly reduce your need to alter foot position mid-pair, allow you to turn from the ankles and keep your shoulders level throughout almost any target pair. Without a good foot position, you may feel more compelled to move your feet between targets of a pair when the break points are a bit farther apart.

In FITASC and American Field Sporting, when the target setter is not constrained by the left and right limits of a shooting stand, shifting foot position mid-pair might, in rare circumstances, become necessary. In this instance, it is best to pivot off your lead foot and move only the back foot.

Here’s why. A shooter in a good shooting stance will naturally have more weight on the lead foot. If you move your lead foot and pivot off of your back foot, you will need to first shift your weight to the back foot, then move your front foot, then shift your weight back to the lead foot. If, on the other hand, you pivot your lead foot, leaving your weight forward, while repositioning your back foot, you will avoid the need to shift your weight to the back foot.Pivoting off your front foot is much quicker and more efficient and results in less head and body movement while engaging a target pair.