sporting clays instruction/tips/method.

Hmm...none of them mentioned "seeing" the target, but I'll find out the next time I go.

I hope this is the right question to ask: are you saying that I should figure out the clay's flight path and then determine my lead?

I am still a newb :D, so please correct me if I misunderstood you.
 
yes, you need to read the target line - and take into account if its quartering or crossing - and the lead will be different.

You also need to look at whether the target is under power / or losing speed - because the rate of decent will slow as it loses speed and your lead will change again - depending on where you intend to break it.

My best recommendation - shoot some Skeet / get your leads down on a Skeet field - and shoot some singles Trap / and some continental Trap (where you have a faster bird / and bigger and higher and lower angles ) and get a feel for all 3 games - as you transition into Sporting Clays.

And on Rabbits / just get mean and aggressive ...

My buddy tells me all the time - look at the "leading edge" not the butt ...and focus so much, you can see the rings on the target .... / now I couldn't see the rings on a target anymore, unless I had a 7 power pair of magnifiers on .... but see the leading edge, kill the leading edge .... see the butt ( you might be behind it all the way ) - and "feel" the lead / don't measure it ....

Find the bird, insert the gun into and on the target line - match the target line and the speed of the target with sustained lead - and kill it (and never ever, look at your barrel ) watch the target break, keep your gun moving and follow thru - then don't move the gun, shift your eyes, to find the 2nd target - then repeat above ...... ( sounds easy ...but its not )... but as long as you're having fun, who cares...
 
Sporting Clays Instruction/Tips/Method

Every once in awhile, I'll get a notification that such-and-such sporting clay range is going to hold Level I, Level II, or Level III courses for sporting clay instructors and that they need novice shooters, intermediate shooters, or advanced shooters, respectively, to act as trainees (guinea pigs is really what they asked for) for people getting lessons to become instructors. I have shot as a novice for level I instructors-in-training, and I was secretly told "miss more," so that the instructor-trainee would have something to tell me. I have also shot as an intermediate shooter for Level II's and as an advanced shooter for Level III's. The cost for me was the same as shooting a round (two a couple of times) of sporting clays, and I picked up a few pointers in the process.
 
Keeping your focus on the leading edge of the clay

Good evening,

New to this sport. How do you keep your focus on the edge of the clay and pull away to the appropriate lead? One must have to divert attention away from the target to acquire the lead.

Thanks for your help.
 
Holy necro thread, Batman!......:D:D

Pull away is only one of several methods for shooting sporting clays.

Per Gil and Vicki Ash - two great instructors, you focus 95% on the front edge of the bird and maybe 5% on the barrel in your periphery; otherwise you start to focus only on the space between the target. The more you are aware of the lead and not the target, the more you focus on the lead and not the target and the more you miss.

You start by determining your hold point, insertion point and break point. You work from back to front - in other words, you start where you want the bird to break - that is the point where you see the target the clearest - and then work back about 1/3 of the way towards the machine. Keep your eyes on the target, coming off the machine if you can see it, while your muzzles are at your insertion point on the target flight line. As the target crosses that insertion point, you are moving the gun to the target. When you catch the target (keeping your focus ON the target), you pull away as you fire
 
You are being bombarded with alot of information, some of it inacurate. Do yourself a favor and take a lesson. Im an NSCA instructor, so I may be a little biased, but I think its worth the money and you'll get started off on the right foot. MAKE SURE they are an NSCA certified coach, and at least Level 2. Ive met a lot of really good shooters that were horrible teachers.

For a new shooter, I would start off by checking eye dominance and seeing if you are mounting the gun correctly and have a reasonable gun fit.

Then I would teach you how to see the bird and the difference between hard and soft focus. You cannot hit what you arent seeing.

Once you are seeing the bird we would learn the following mantra,

Break Point, Foot Position, Hold Point and Visual.

Learn what each of those are, and how to apply them every time you step in the box, you will have a good foundation for success.

Once you have a decent foundation you can build on it by learning how to shoot specific presentations, but you have to learn to walk before you can run.
 
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