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Setting up gun hold for a straight away on each post?

4K views 24 replies 22 participants last post by  jdsfarms 
#1 ·
Just wondering how common this gun hold is? Specifically on post 1 and 5. If you setup for a straight away on 1 and 5, all your moves would be either vertical, or to the left (post 1), and right (post 5). Sometimes if Im on the corner of the house and get a straight away on post 1 and 5 I sometimes blow by them horizontally with too much gun movement.
 
#4 ·
Yes. On 1 & 5 I set up hips and feet for the hard angle, take a hold point barely inside the corner and look for (not anticipate) the straightaway on 1 and 5. No blowing by what used to be my most -missed straightaways and a smooth, relaxed un-winding of the hips into the hard angles with no independent arm swinging.
 
#9 ·
That is how I learned to shoot on station 1 and station 5. When I held to the left on station 1 and to the right on station 5, I would be thinking about the left hand and right hand angle targets and them miss the straight away targets way more often that I missed the hard angel targets to the left and right.

I feel way more comfortable starting out behind the hard angle targets than having to swing my gun to the right or to the left to shoot a straight away target.
 
#10 ·
If I am holding on the straightaway I am to far into the house to give my eye a chance to see the hard angle. A move coming back to the nearly straightaway target slows me down so I don't shoot over or to the outside of the slight inwards angle of the near straightaway. While I shoot over the top of a straightaway way to many times. I miss as many nearly straightaways to the outside of the slight angle of that nearly straightaway.

The hold point I set is to give my eye the best look at all targets setting a hold point for one angle only is a recipe to anticipate only one angle or simply the recipe for a lost target.

Al
 
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#11 ·
I do approximately the same as Al. If I tried to set up for a straight away from 1 and 5 I feel like a hard left or right bird beats me out of the house. If I'm focusing on thinking straight away I have to go hunting for anything other. I think little and Dysinger promoted the straight away theory and they sure made it work but it's whatever works for YOU!
 
#13 ·
If I tried to hold out away from the house far enough to were the target wouldn't beat me I would miss WAY More straight away and slight angle targets than I would hard lefts and rights.

Having the target get in front of my gun on the hard lefts and rights just helps me swing through them and keep my gun moving when I pull the trigger. I shoot swing through method on all trap targets so I don't want my barrel in front of the targets when they come out of the house.

When I hold my gun in the middle of the house on stations 1 and 5 I am looking just outside the left and right corners of the house. You don't have to look where your barrel is pointed to see the target. If the target comes out straight away I raise the gun straight up to it. It the targets come out to the left or right I go after it and swing through it.
 
#14 ·
A lot of good suggestions here, and in the end, the shooter has to find their own recipe for what works.

One additional thing you can do while working on some of the other pointers, is slow down and take your time on the straight-aways from the outside posts. You have a lot of time, so keep your gun dead-still until you’ve clearly identified the exact flight path of that target.

When you see the flight path very clearly, raise your gun to it like you’re serving it a glass of champagne...
 
#16 ·
In all cases, think of which makes it easier to hit the target, intersecting two angles at the prefect time, or coming straight from behind, and one angle of target and barrel movement. IMO, it seems quicker, and smoother to the target from straight behind than it is from a different angle.
 
#17 ·
I have no fear of the angle because you can clearly see where it's going and have time to swing through it.
I fear the inside shot because it takes perfect timing .
My way is to hold out on the corner to favor the angle with the hold point while looking to the inside to clearly pick up the straight .
Post one look to the right of the hold point and post 5 look to the left of the hold point.
Henry
 
#20 ·
An Olympic gold medalist in ISSF trap shoots this way (that is, holding for a straightaway) when shooting trap.

Their words: it isn't for everybody. It does help you stop anticipating an angled target on #1 or #5.

My thoughts: what target are you consistently missing? work from there to see if this might help you.
 
#21 ·
While there are apparently people who do use that hold, I would not say that it is common. I have taken clinics/lessons from several All Americans and have watched videos from others and I have not heard that gun hold favoring the straightaway suggested. I like to center my visual field over the gun so I hold the gun where i look. I don't feel a need to look for the straightaway in particular because I find it relatively easy to visually acquire and lock on that particular target.

I would be cautious about moving to an uncommon gun hold point to cover up for a tendency to "blow by" straightaways. I think that if you work on visually locking onto the target you could solve that "blow by" problem without making the hard angles more difficult.

In the end you must choose a style and then master it.
 
#22 ·
What works for me:
Post 1 I hold to the left of the straight away about half way to the corner.
Post 2 I hold for the straight away
Post 3 I hold for the straight away
Post 4 I hold just inside of the right corner
Post 5 I hold just above the right corner on the line of the hard right.

Height depends on how the targets are flying. Normally, about half way up of the peak of the target. Lower at the corners.
A few times on the house when the targets were very flat due to a tail wind.

Jason
 
#23 ·
Trap is a game of mathematical probability. On station 5 for example find the point on the trap house where the straight target appears then identify the point where the hard right appears. Divide those two points in half and extend the mid point line to your desired starting hold point above the trap (if you are using two eyes) This becomes your hold point on Station 5. In theory half the targets will appear to the left of this point and half will appear to the right. A great majority statistically will appear in the area under your barrel and will require little movement to break them.

If you are on post 5 (or post 1) and draw the hard angled target no matter where you start your gun (within reason) you will still require to swing from behind the target to break it. Holding just for the straight away on posts 5 and 1 isn't technically correct in my opinion, however if you are too far out on the edge of the trap you will have to shoot across the line of the straight target therefore making this a "risky" shot.

Everyone has their own technique and there are many variables such as experience, reflexes, eye sight, gun set up etc etc. One thing is for sure, no technique is perfect for all.

Russell Mark
 
#24 ·
Trap is a game of mathematical probability.

Russell Mark
I always thought that too, I'm "probably" going to get 4 hard rights on 5 and 4 hard lefts on 1.

I always refer back to my ancient Ken Robertson VHS tape. He discusses foot position, gun hold and eye hold for each station. It is a great foundation and I do not vary much from his teaching.

wg
 
#25 ·
I use a pretty standard setup except on post 3 ,I hold to the left of center about a third of the way to the left edge,that little dink left angle is my kryptonite if I hold in the middle seems like I don't track it well and am always behind it..works for me. Jerry
 
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