Has Pre-shot Plan ever been discussed in this forum? LOL!

[Rob!]

Of course, I know it has, but the choke thread was fun so lets do it again. Now note, in this thread, I'm asking about Preshot plan - NOT preshot routine. This occurs before you step into the window. Maybe not as important in trap or skeet, but in Sporting Clays, it's required for every station. For simplicity, let's assume a true pair. Remember to cover the what - and the why. I'll give a simple point as an example;

Which target do I engage first?

• Which one will be on the ground - or behind trees first?
• Is one going away very fast?
• Is one about to get complex if left?
• Does one target get easier with patience?

Share some wisdom guys. What else should be in your plan?

 

[Falconflyer]

Another great topic Rob!
All of the points that you mention are in my consideration before stepping into the box. I will also consider whether I want to shoot gun up or down and whether I might dismount the gun in between shots. The position of the sun is another big consideration when shooting at this time of year especially and you may have to reevaluate your break point to work around it.

On a long incoming shot I consistently see people premount the gun and follow it for several seconds before shooting when the target gets closer and often they miss the target. A better way to do this is to start with a low gun and just soft focus on the target until it gets closer to the break point, then mount the gun and put a hard focus on the target and pull the trigger. What people don’t realize is that your brain won’t do hard focus for very long so you have to use soft focus then hard focus.
If I have a long wait in between targets then I will demount the gun then remount for the second bird. Sometimes I might even readjust my feet if required while remounted.

I almost never shoot gun up, I started shooting sporting before that was allowed and just never took to it after they changed the rules. The only time I might premount is if I feel that I have to shoot very quickly otherwise I see no advantage to it at all. When I started shooting, I would practice mounting the gun in the evening at home with an (obviously) unloaded gun. Several repetitions per night soon gets the mount perfected.

Another pre shot routine is one that I do very discreetly. If I have the advantage of not being the first to shoot a station then I’ll watch very carefully what others are doing to see if I will do the same or make changes. This habit has paid off many times…learn from the mistakes of others!

I’ve often been heard to say, if you step into the box with no plan in mind then you’ve already lost the station!

 

[stubblejumper]

It's totally different if I am shooting first or not, and if it is a shoot where we are allowed to throw targets to see, or if it is our league, where we don't see targets beforehand. If I am first, with no thrown targets to see, I try and figure out where the targets will come from, and what type of target is coming. If I get to see targets in advance, I look to see where I want to shoot each target, and which one of a true pair to shoot first. For skeet, I don't really look ahead, unless it is extremely windy, and the targets are greatly effected.

 

[Falconflyer]

Another pre shot routine of mine is to figure out foot position. If I plan to break the target to the right of the station then I'll have my feet planted so that is a natural position when I'm aimed at that target, then I'll crank my body back to where I'll acquire the target. All I have to do then is acquire the target and let my body uncoil and I'm perfectly positioned for the shot. On a pair where I will have to get quickly to the second target then 'll position my body to aim at it then shoot the first target and let my body uncoil to the second target.