Trouble With Station 1 and 2

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Roadblock007

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I understand it is tough to give advice without being there and seeing what I am doing but I seem to be able to hit 4 and 5 clays at stations 3, 4, and 5 consistently, but hit 0 to 2 at stations 1 and 2. Are there any consistent issues I need to look at? Is this a common issue?

Thanks,
Kevin.
 
I saw that one. Love his 2 shirts tucked into his track pants. As far as positioning my body and pointing to the correct positions above the house I am following the right guidelines. I just figured since I only have trouble with 1 and 2 that someone may have an obvious answer that I am missing. I shoot right handed by the way. Forgot to mention that.

Kevin
 
Without seeing you shoot, my first guess is that you are taking your head off the stock to see the bird better as they head to your left. You are slightly pulling your face off of the stock as your head is leading and the stock is following.

When birds are headed to the right, you naturally are pressing your face INTO the stock as you track the bird to the right with your gun, maintaining a proper gun mount.

The best way to remedy this (if this is the problem) is to place a $50 bill between your cheek and gun when you shoot. Just tell your squad mates that if the 50 escapes when you are shooting hard lefts, they can have it. Good motivation to keep your gun mount (cheek weld) nice and firm.

As with all internet advice, you get what you pay for..LOL

Cheers and good luck,

James
 
Stations one and two are perhaps the most simple [at least for me anyway], so if you've mastered the rest, you are golden. I shoot Station one dead on, slightly under. Two almost the same with maybe a one or two foot lead (at the most). If you are able, practice just those two stations only.
 
turn your entire body a little bit more to the left, your likely lining up to straight on the trap house and stopping shot on the lead and shooting behind them as your body is at full twist before you even line up on the bird. stand behind a guy shooting in 1 or 2 and watch the horizon to see where they are going, when it's your turn line up so your body is in line with that spot, then twist into the trap house when you yell pull, your natural unwind will keep you in proper lead on the bird and feel totally natural, you need to dance with your shotgun, not enter a boxing ring and fight with it
 
Thanks guys. That's all great advice. I will try a position facing more left and I never did pay attention to my cheek on the stock. I will pay attention now though.

Kevin
 
Where do you live? Someone on here will likely live close or can suggest someone that can spend a few hours with you. I live in Woodstock and would be willing to help you out.
 
Can't speak for any others but as I step onto Stn1 and get set in place I stand imagining holding my gun at rest across my chest as if walking up on a pheasant or some game bird. I align my gun parallel to the flight of the hard left target by adjusting my feet until I am standing in that aligned position. As a right handed shooter when you swing your swing is more natural going left or pulling the gun into yourself so I cant imagine you are coming off your stock on left hand targets. Now this is where it gets interesting. My hold point personally is the method Brad Dysinger used to teach. Hold over the house for the straight away target on Stn 1 and all your targets aside from the straight away will be left hand birds. Hold height above house is where the target transitions from a blurr to a solid object. On Stn 2 I address the house same way, gun aligned hard left in relax position. I hold on the straight away target again. I will only have one very slight right hander from that hold if the bird goes right or I get a straight away or 3 left angles. It took me some getting used to but after practicing for a season it worked out well and my scores went way up with more consistency.
 
How well do you visually pick the left bird on post one? I struggle with that post on occasion if I start to hold too high and too close to the left corner. I don't get a clear view of the bird and panic. I start a swing to the left knowing the bird is there somewhere and my next tendency is to bring the muzzle up too high, too fast and it then covers the bird. When I lose sight of the bird I'll shoot, even if I know I'm above and behind.

I find a lower hold on one and two, holding at least 1/3 of the way in from the left corner, and almost the center on two, allows me a clear view of the bird as it leaves the house. If I have the bird clearly in my vision I'll smoke it.

If you can get a box of shell, have the club lock the trap on a hard left and shoot all 25 from post one. Pay especial note to your gun hold, eye position and focus on seeing the bird clearly. Vary things slightly and find out what works for you.

Good Luck!
 
the spank said:
Can't speak for any others but as I step onto Stn1 and get set in place I stand imagining holding my gun at rest across my chest as if walking up on a pheasant or some game bird. I align my gun parallel to the flight of the hard left target by adjusting my feet until I am standing in that aligned position. As a right handed shooter when you swing your swing is more natural going left or pulling the gun into yourself so I cant imagine you are coming off your stock on left hand targets. Now this is where it gets interesting. My hold point personally is the method Brad Dysinger used to teach. Hold over the house for the straight away target on Stn 1 and all your targets aside from the straight away will be left hand birds. Hold height above house is where the target transitions from a blurr to a solid object. On Stn 2 I address the house same way, gun aligned hard left in relax position. I hold on the straight away target again. I will only have one very slight right hander from that hold if the bird goes right or I get a straight away or 3 left angles. It took me some getting used to but after practicing for a season it worked out well and my scores went way up with more consistency.
Click to expand...

There is a chance that I look left before swinging and am moving my face first and coming off the stock. I will definitely have to look at this when I go shooting on the weekend.

Kevin
 
R&R Rancher said:
How well do you visually pick the left bird on post one? I struggle with that post on occasion if I start to hold too high and too close to the left corner. I don't get a clear view of the bird and panic. I start a swing to the left knowing the bird is there somewhere and my next tendency is to bring the muzzle up too high, too fast and it then covers the bird. When I lose sight of the bird I'll shoot, even if I know I'm above and behind.

I find a lower hold on one and two, holding at least 1/3 of the way in from the left corner, and almost the center on two, allows me a clear view of the bird as it leaves the house. If I have the bird clearly in my vision I'll smoke it.

If you can get a box of shell, have the club lock the trap on a hard left and shoot all 25 from post one. Pay especial note to your gun hold, eye position and focus on seeing the bird clearly. Vary things slightly and find out what works for you.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I use the standard positions of splitting the house. At 1 I look above the house and about 2' in from the edge. On 2 I look between that position and center. On 3 I look at center. On 4 I look the opposite of 2 from center. On 5 I look about 2' inboard of the right side.

2 things I will focus on next are lining up more left and pulling the stock to my cheek as I sweep left.

Kevin
 
As I stated earlier I use the hold on the straightaway at each station. On # 3 that puts you about 4" to the right of centre as the bird comes off a right hand throwing arm and is not dead centre to the house in flight. Shifting your eyes off your focus area or "anticipating" a target at a given angle while calling is a habit you need to break. Your hands automatically go to the direction your eyes just did and if you looked left and the target came out right you have some backtracking to do. You'll often hear shooters saying "I don't know what I did there but I circled the target in a loop with my muzzle?" That is usually the result of anticipating one way and having to come back and play catch up.
 
Roadblock007 said:
I use the standard positions of splitting the house. At 1 I look above the house and about 2' in from the edge. On 2 I look between that position and center. On 3 I look at center. On 4 I look the opposite of 2 from center. On 5 I look about 2' inboard of the right side.

2 things I will focus on next are lining up more left and pulling the stock to my cheek as I sweep left.

Kevin
Click to expand...

Two more things. Don't move until you see the bird, and all motion should be from the waist down!
 
If you can have somebody experienced stand behind you a few feet and watch you closely as you shoot. Learn to ignore the person and go about your normal shooting routine. If they are an experienced shooter they will pick up on your mistakes right away.
Don't turn your head to look either, look with your eyes. The gun will follow naturally. Wood on wood!!!
 
the spank said:
As I stated earlier I use the hold on the straightaway at each station. On # 3 that puts you about 4" to the right of centre as the bird comes off a right hand throwing arm and is not dead centre to the house in flight. Shifting your eyes off your focus area or "anticipating" a target at a given angle while calling is a habit you need to break. Your hands automatically go to the direction your eyes just did and if you looked left and the target came out right you have some backtracking to do. You'll often hear shooters saying "I don't know what I did there but I circled the target in a loop with my muzzle?" That is usually the result of anticipating one way and having to come back and play catch up.
Click to expand...
i agree with your analogizes Spank, but when i built my trap house, the instructions require the trap machine base to be built off center as to accommodate the right throwing arm. i'll check mine out, but i think it throws straightaways from the middle of the house.
 
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