G
Guest
·Hi everyone I just started shooting skeet and sporting clays.
Everyone there says i'm good but need to work on my lead.
Everyone there says i'm good but need to work on my lead.
How to break more clays I
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If you're shooting with a "sustained lead", which means you're trying to establish a lead immediately and shooting when you've got it right, then one trick is to use the yellow square that marks Station Eight as a reference for distance.
So if the yellow station square is 3 feet and your coach tells you to lead by 2.5 feet, you can eyeball the square and make an estimation of the distance you need to lead (at the clay).
But ask people to also show you how to shoot "swing through" and "pull away".
These are just different methods of finding when to take the shot. Give them all a try before you settle. In fact, you may find yourself using different techniques on different stations for different birds.
I started with "sustained lead" because it seemed easiest to understand. But I gradually switched to "swing through" instead and my scores jumped up, especially in the middle stations.
good luck
So if the yellow station square is 3 feet and your coach tells you to lead by 2.5 feet, you can eyeball the square and make an estimation of the distance you need to lead (at the clay).
But ask people to also show you how to shoot "swing through" and "pull away".
These are just different methods of finding when to take the shot. Give them all a try before you settle. In fact, you may find yourself using different techniques on different stations for different birds.
I started with "sustained lead" because it seemed easiest to understand. But I gradually switched to "swing through" instead and my scores jumped up, especially in the middle stations.
good luck
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Shoot however your shooting now don't worry yet about sustained leads and swing thru's. You will need these to get really consistent scores, but if you're shooting for fun...
Your hand eye coordination seem pretty good, so then here are some general guidelines.
Station 2 & 6 - 1 to 1.5 foot lead
Station 3 & 5 - 2.5 foot lead
Station 4 - 3.5 foot lead
I went from shooting 14 -16 to shooting 19-21's when someone told me this. Now I'm sweating swing thru's and sustained leads and hope my new obsession is not becoming like golf.
Have fun don't sweat the details too hard.
Your hand eye coordination seem pretty good, so then here are some general guidelines.
Station 2 & 6 - 1 to 1.5 foot lead
Station 3 & 5 - 2.5 foot lead
Station 4 - 3.5 foot lead
I went from shooting 14 -16 to shooting 19-21's when someone told me this. Now I'm sweating swing thru's and sustained leads and hope my new obsession is not becoming like golf.
Have fun don't sweat the details too hard.
G
Guest
·Thank for the information.
Hey JPL,
About how long did you shoot before you started consciously trying out different styles (swing-through, pull-away, etc.)?
I'm just curious... I know everyone learns differently.
For me, I had been shooting about three weeks or so without sweating the specifics about what I was doing. That's about when I started doing swing-through for all middle stations.
I went from shooting 17-19 when I first started to 21-23 currently... Seems like a similar gain to what you saw...
I think you're right, though, don't let techniques and numbers get in the way of a fun day at the range...
About how long did you shoot before you started consciously trying out different styles (swing-through, pull-away, etc.)?
I'm just curious... I know everyone learns differently.
For me, I had been shooting about three weeks or so without sweating the specifics about what I was doing. That's about when I started doing swing-through for all middle stations.
I went from shooting 17-19 when I first started to 21-23 currently... Seems like a similar gain to what you saw...
I think you're right, though, don't let techniques and numbers get in the way of a fun day at the range...
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7,201 Posts
I've still only shot about 20 rounds of skeet. I generally shoot around 20 but just recently shot my first 25. I use the sustained lead as it is what I was taught by my father 25 years ago as a kid shooting chukar in Oregon. We didn't call it sustained lead, it was just how it was taught. I also don't mount the gun before I call for a bird, just doesn't feel natural.
I'm really addicted to 5 stand and shoot generally around 18 on that, but every once in a while I reach out and shoot a 10 or 12. You can't coach that, it's just natural ability. :wink:
The thing that really helped me the most in skeet was a trapper telling me the leads that i shared in the post above. I think the reason I miss birds now is concentration or lifting my head (bad habit). I don't really miss any one bird consistently, I just brain fart an easy one and a couple of hard ones and viola 20.
I'm really addicted to 5 stand and shoot generally around 18 on that, but every once in a while I reach out and shoot a 10 or 12. You can't coach that, it's just natural ability. :wink:
The thing that really helped me the most in skeet was a trapper telling me the leads that i shared in the post above. I think the reason I miss birds now is concentration or lifting my head (bad habit). I don't really miss any one bird consistently, I just brain fart an easy one and a couple of hard ones and viola 20.
Nothing feels worse than missing one of those "automatic hits" :x
For me the one high house and the seven low house are almost giveaways... I started out one round last weekend by missing the one high house, took my option, and missed again! Like you said, drop a couple tough ones in the middle and you're back to 20
Hey, congrats on your first 25!! I'm still looking for mine. On a good day, I'm only dropping 2 birds, so I just need a little luck. I've only shot about 20 rounds of skeet myself.
Did you do anything to celebrate? I feel like a should buy myself a present when I hit my first 25, something to commemorate the occasion!
Were you a nervous wreck when you got to station eight and you still hadn't missed yet? Sometimes I shoot with a bunch of other novice guys and when someone's having a good run, it's an unwritten law that you don't say anything about it because you might jinx them...
Boy, is skeet addicting...
For me the one high house and the seven low house are almost giveaways... I started out one round last weekend by missing the one high house, took my option, and missed again! Like you said, drop a couple tough ones in the middle and you're back to 20
Hey, congrats on your first 25!! I'm still looking for mine. On a good day, I'm only dropping 2 birds, so I just need a little luck. I've only shot about 20 rounds of skeet myself.
Did you do anything to celebrate? I feel like a should buy myself a present when I hit my first 25, something to commemorate the occasion!
Were you a nervous wreck when you got to station eight and you still hadn't missed yet? Sometimes I shoot with a bunch of other novice guys and when someone's having a good run, it's an unwritten law that you don't say anything about it because you might jinx them...
Boy, is skeet addicting...
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7,201 Posts
I'm celebrating by going dove hunting. As much fun as clays are I'm still just a bird hunter. It's what I live for. I will never be a person to take clays very seriously it's just an excuse to keep throwing lead down the barrel between turkey and dove season.
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2,016 Posts
At our club, you wear a cheap hat or cap until you break your first 25 at skeet. Our tradition is for the someone in the rest of the squad to throw your hat out in the field, while the low score for that round shoots it. Then you autograph the hat and date it, show it at the registration counter, and get a free "25 straight skeet" patch. Then you can sew the patch on your vest, and take the hat home to your reloading room, den, trophy room, whatever... I still have my hat from 40 years ago.
G
Guest
·I'd never have to where the hat 8) :wink:
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