I notice exactly the same thing watching his videos. in my 'shot string breaks birds' thread it was stated several times by several folks that the best shooters don't necessarily understand what they are doing. In this example I think that is the case for sure. Digweed absolutely swings through then slows a bit to match speed/feel the lead before firing.

I think, from listening intently to what he says, the benefit is you find the line much better by going through the bird.

 

I think, from listening intently to what he says, the benefit is you find the line much better by going through the bird.

Yes, I believe this is what he is advocating. I'm trying this method because it makes good sense to me. It's not easy when you've been shooting sustained lead for years. LOL.

 

I am far from an accomplished sporting clays shooter. I do find it a little hard to believe, and effectively employ, a three speed move on a target. Especially quick crossers that come from behind trees and disappear quickly into more trees. I have that exact target where I shoot most often. There is barely time to see the target and make a quick move to get in front of it - let alone catch up and pass, slow down, and then swing through. 🤔

 

I am far from an accomplished sporting clays shooter. I do find it a little hard to believe, and effectively employ, a three speed move in a target. Especially quick crossers that come from behind trees and disappear quickly into more trees. I have that exact target where I shoot most often. There is barely time to see the target and make a quick move to get in front of it - let alone catch up and pass, slow down, and then swing through. 🤔

This isn't a prescription, just what I do in roughly similar circumstances with bolting rabbit targets. Often the clay's initial line is obscured by straw bales; it then runs in the clear for a few yards, and then dives behind more bales. I just spot shoot it ........ mount the gun a couple of yards from the point where the rabbit first appears, and the instant you see the flash of the target, fire. I used to do the same when shooting the high numbers on the old Starshot set up. Worked a treat for me, however the view in ..... etc.

 

Amboy as I am seeing it he passes through THEN slows down

 

I believe George says that he doesn't shoot swing through on 100% of targets. It's something like 98% of targets. Maybe the shots in question here represents the 2% not shot using his traditional swing through method.

 

This was in a section that he is narrating and explaining it as a swing through move. It’s more of a swing to a point in front than maintained. Obviously effective but I feel would take a lot of practice to perfect. On crossers Anthony’s maintained pull away style looks much smoother and more repeatable for mere mortals.

 

Perception isn't reality. George could very well believe he shoots swing through on almost everything, but decades of shooting at the top level builds an intuition and repertoire where all the machinery under the surface knows when to hit the brakes, speed up, etc.

 

I always shoot swing through on rabbits. Easier to deal with a bad hop. Powell also shoots a lot of swing through. But these guys are in a different place in the game than the average shooter.

 

I'm currently in the process of watching them as well and have mentioned this very thing to some friends. I plan on watching some videos of him shooting in real time to get a sense of how it looks not slowed down. I will try to incorporate more swing through on flatter targets or on targets with a definite line but I find it most useful to maintain a constant gun speed ( bird 20, gun 21). It certainly is unique in slow-motion but then again, maybe that's why he's the GOAT

 

I think success in shooting is less about the particular method and more about the building of an inventory of what works for what, recognizing the opportunity, and employing the method correctly. On top of that, you’ve got the other difficult aspect of executing the shot well with consistency. This I believe is where the top shooters far and away surpass the rest of the folks. It’s one thing to know how to do all of the stuff, but the doing is pretty difficult.

Sporting clays is a lot like a puzzle. It keeps everything very interesting. You’ve got all of these pieces that need to come together at the same time. One common thing I’ve noticed about successful shooters is they don’t change too much. They shoot the same gun, same chokes, same ammunition, etc. Keeping all of that stuff the same is half of the battle when it comes to learning to shoot. Your foundation is just that, sturdy and consistent. I’ve noticed in my shooting journey that I would have gained ground more quickly if I had not wasted time fiddling with equipment. I made the rookie mistakes of changing this or that to try to shoot better. It never worked. That said, I learned a good bit about what not to do and I hope to save someone some pain one day with what I learned.

What makes George great is that he has all of the pieces of the puzzle, and knows how to put it together. He’s got the same equipment, the same ammunition, control of his mind, the inventory of plans and methods, etc. Oh, and a heap of talent sure helps too. As far as the way he swings the gun, I believe the only magic there is that it works for George to get the gun where he knows it should be pointed.

 

Yes, I see that too. Keep in mind he's not a conscious shooter like most. This is a technique he's used for decades. There's a lot of trust in his subconscious movements. The slowing and near stopping is most likely his subconscious putting his hands in the right place. It's like you calling for a target and confusing it with another. Then at the last seconds you swing and shoot and hit it without knowing how. Most would say I got lucky but it's has a lot to do with your subconscious. Also, those videos are slooooow motion. At a normal speed you wouldn't see his gun slow or stop to adjust. Only after the trigger is pulled. $0.02

 

Most instructional videos use the "Eye Cam" (whatever that looks like) to record their shots. I haven't viewed the Digweed videos but can anyone confirm which system was used? There was a reference to the use of a ShotKam. Us mere mortals only have access to the ShotKam, not the "Eye Cam". If you just download ShotKam videos to your photo gallery, it is difficult to discern whether you stopped or slowed your gun at the instant of trigger pull. You must use the ShotKam app or download to your computer using their recommended video player to view a frame by frame view of the sequence before your shot. anything happening after that is not useful. I've watched numerous eye cam videos from Bender, Giambrone, Don Currie, and numerous Sporting Clay Utube ShotKam footage and still come away a bit confused trying to relate what I've seen to what I do when I'm shooting.

 

Who is Anthony? Pull away technique

 

matarese. An American who’s one several major shoots. Shoots pull away mostly. Teaches that. Method.

 

Having watched George both as a ref and as a squad mate I have to step in and say that I wouldn't call it swing through. To me it's just a form of maintained lead, but unlike most, he starts on the line rather than below it. Ben usually does the same move too. But then I remember reffing a Fitasc layout when there was a true pair of a fast L-R standard followed by a really fast R-L rabbit. The hoop was on a platform about 10 ft above ground. I didn't think someone with George's stature would have a chance at the rabbit but he made it look easy - didn't shoot swing through though...

 

I thought there was some good information in the Digweed video, but I don't think people should rely on his swing through everything mantra. The video clearly shows him making last second adjustments that come from years of experience.

 

The danger of maintained is that you stop the gun aiming at the exact lead you think you need. The advantage of swing through is that when the shot is triggered the gun is moving. Same for pull away.