Skeet
Skeet shooters Richard King, Nick Marsden,
of 25 targets. So where does the mystery lie, why do so many fight shy of giving it a try. Well I guess in part not understanding the rules or the sequence in which the targets should be shot is the main issue for most. Let’s deal with that now.
I guess the first thing to say is that yes, Skeet does have a set of rules that dictate a very specific sequence for shooting the targets but don’t let that put you off if you don’t know the sequence. To begin with it won’t matter much, if you start to enjoy it (and most do) and want to take things a little more seriously then you will soon get to learn how it works but for now just enjoy the variety of targets. If the club you shoot your Skeet with sends out a referee or someone to push the buttons for you they should be happy to tell you what comes next (if they’re not that friendly I’d be tempted to go somewhere that is). If you and a few friends are just left to your own devices with a Skeet field to use I’ll give you a quick and simple guide toward the end of this article that you can either commit to memory or take with you. If you reach the stage where you want to shoot registered competitions you will certainly get a referee to button and score for you so they will keep you on the straight and narrow. Just ask if you’re uncertain, if you don’t know and you shoot the wrong target first in competition they will score you a loss. It’s best to ask if you’re not that familiar. To shoot any clay target discipline well
we need to develop a set of technical and mental skills to prepare for and execute all of our shots with a degree of consistency.
26 | PULL! September 2010
Skeet is a discipline that will let most reasonably competent shots accumulate quite a respectable score with the targets being presented on a known fixed flight line at constant speeds. It will also find any chinks you might have in technique or preparation routines when you see a target that you would normally expect to see smoked, fly on unharmed. As a game of constants you are rewarded with a high score if you can string together all of the components of a good shot with such regularity and around the variety of target presentations that will be put before you on the Skeet field. Many good shots will put together a 25 straight, fewer will string together back to back 25s and fewer still go on to make it 75 and then the 100. The reason in most instances for the lost target is often a breakdown somewhere in the fundamentals that go together to make up the good shot.
There are few better places to learn how to establish a good foot position and subsequently a well balanced shooting position to tackle the wide variety of
targets on offer. Establishing and making consistent use of good gun hold position prior to calling for the target will also add to your effectiveness, just what that gun hold should be will depend on the technique you use, whether it be maintained lead, pull away or swing through, doing the same thing consistently will help you build the big scores. One of the most critical and often overlooked components that make up the good shot is the visual pick up point or eye position prior to calling for the target; just try looking in different places for the same target and see what a difference it can make to your ability to execute that shot well. The Skeet layout will test your ability
to apply a sound technique with a degree of consistency and will give you feed back on how well you are doing through your scores. Sporting layouts vary enormously and while we can get a rough idea of how we are developing from week to week your scores can’t act as a real measure due to the ever changing nature of the targets you will be presented with. Skeet will give you a wide variety of targets but they don’t change from week to week and if you’re shooting the regular sequence you can readily gauge your progress through the results your achieving. One way of short circuiting what can be a long and costly learning process is to take a few lessons with a good coach. Ask around to see who does a good job and invest
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