Shot Plan

Have a ‘shot plan.’

 

It’s been proven that shooters with a shot plan actually achieve better scores than those that don’t have one.

A shot plan includes a few steps that work for you to get you focused on the task at hand—your next shot and only your next shot.

In skeet shooting, your shot plan starts before you get on the station. That’s where you should be looking at how the targets are flying; thinking about your hold point, look point, kill zone, and foot position; and keeping positive thoughts about your shooting.

When it’s your turn to get on the station, place your feet as they belong, load your shotgun, look at your kill zone, look at your hold point, mount your gun at your hold point, look at your look point, call for the target, and break it in your kill zone. Then do it all again for your next shot. This takes less than 10 seconds when you’re on the station.

I like to have one thought in my mind when calling for the target. My thought is, ‘One target at a time,’ that way I’m not thinking about anything except what I’m doing at that particular time. Come up with a meaningful ‘pre-shot thought’ that works for you.

You can’t think about two stations later or the shot you just missed and do well on the target you’re shooting. You have to be focused on the moment. Thinking about the shot you’re about to take is as far forward as you want to think.

When you focus only on the particular thing you’re doing at that time, you have a greater opportunity of doing it well, and this game is ‘one shot at a time.’

Barry Hartmann is an NSSA Master Level and NRA Certified shotgun instructor who can help you improve your skills at American Skeet and wingshooting. To contact Barry, email him at threeat8@aol.com or give him a call at (918)803-2393.