[XFG]

Hello,
I started target shooting about two years ago - trap (16 yards) for the first 6 months then about a year and a half ago I switched to skeet (single).

I reached about 90-93 % average score about 6 months ago. The usual misses occur on the central stations: 3, 4 and 5. About one month ago I started missing the high on station 2. I've read that many right-handed shooters consider that a difficult target, but for some reasons it never bothered me, until recently that is. The missing on high two both in the single and double have now become consistent. Today I decided to practice 50 rounds on high 2 and to my disbelief I hit it less than 10 times out of the 50. I checked my shooting records and I confirmed that not even when I was new to skeet I would miss it that much.

I have not changed gun, shells or anything significant to me but obviously something is not right. All the other targets are broken fine, actually I see a slight improvements on the central ones.

As any one with more experience gone through something like it and how did he overcome it?

Thank you.

 

[turbo38gn]

Yes ... I had something similar..... and fixed it!!! Now I only shoot trap... so much happier!

 

[Rufus80]

Todd Bender has some good vids on YouTube just for High 2 targets. I used to have a problem with the same target, had to change my hold point and stance. Haven't shot skeet, practice or registered, in 4 years been back to trap full time.

 

[Pull & Mark]

You have developed a bad habit. You need to have someone watch you shoot and see what your doing wrong. I suspect you are doing one of two things. You are moving the shotgun on your call, instead of waiting to see the target first? Or your pushing the gun away from your face with your arms. Get back to basic's and don't use your arms and wait until you see the target before you move the gun. Make sure you keep your barrel low enough so the target comes out over the top of your barrel, and get your guns hold points, and your eye's hold points consistent in the same place. Adjust both as you need to. Try to remember both points before you ran into your problem. Once you do this you will get back to breaking targets again and get your confidence back. If you have any doubt about hitting the target before you call pull, you have already missed it.

In the past when I have reached a point like you have reached, I would walk away and shoot trap and or sporting clays for a couple of weeks. Once you get your confidence back and start breaking targets again without any hiccups. You can go back to skeet and work out your problem with your confidence once restored. You'd be surprised how much easier it will be to work out your problem. This works for me, It should work for you? Good Luck to Ya. break em all jeff

 

[The Canuck]

Todd Bender has some good vids on YouTube just for High 2 targets. I used to have a problem with the same target, had to change my hold point and stance. Haven't shot skeet, practice or registered, in 4 years been back to trap full time.

This^^^ After watching bender's videos back in the early 90's, studying them over and over and putting into practice what he teaches I went from never having shot a straight round of skeet to running a 96-97 average across 12-20-28 gauges and 94 average in 410. His videos are gold to a skeet shooter. I no longer shoot registered skeet but still shoot the field at our club all summer for fun and use nothing but my 20ga SX3 that I hunt with...keeps me tuned up and in sympatico with my SX3 for waterfowl season.

 

[hwcn]

Hello,
I started target shooting about two years ago - trap (16 yards) for the first 6 months then about a year and a half ago I switched to skeet (single).

I reached about 90-93 % average score about 6 months ago. The usual misses occur on the central stations: 3, 4 and 5. About one month ago I started missing the high on station 2. I've read that many right-handed shooters consider that a difficult target, but for some reasons it never bothered me, until recently that is. The missing on high two both in the single and double have now become consistent. Today I decided to practice 50 rounds on high 2 and to my disbelief I hit it less than 10 times out of the 50. I checked my shooting records and I confirmed that not even when I was new to skeet I would miss it that much.

I have not changed gun, shells or anything significant to me but obviously something is not right. All the other targets are broken fine, actually I see a slight improvements on the central ones.

As any one with more experience gone through something like it and how did he overcome it?

Thank you.

This is advise from a sporting clay shooter, so take it with a grain of salt. However when I shoot skeet, my misses are generally on pad 8 because that is not a common sporting clays shot and I always shoot Modified chokes or tighter.

When I started shooting and shot more skeet, I had a terrible time with high 2. I eventually figured out I was over swinging. How I corrected it was to open my stance a lot. My belly button does not point to the front right corner of the bad, it is more dead center of the pad. In other words, I rotate my feet toward the high house. My hold point is straight out from the pad, parallel to the house or just a touch further out. The bird inevitably beats me ever so slightly, thus when I get to it I pull the trigger and it breaks. I think I struggled for 2 years until I changed my stance. Now I just see it, cover it and pull the trigger. Skeeters will tell me my stance is wrong, yet on the few occasions I shoot skeet, I rarely miss high 2.

 

[smokehanger]

My thought only! If you or one of your shooting buddies has a shot cam I have found it will help you determine where you are missing at and if you are getting a good gun movement to the bird. It certainly is not a sure fire fix, merely a tool that I feel can be quite helpful.

 

[BIGDON]

Amazing a skeet shooter coming to a trapshooting site for help. I would think you would go to a skeet shooting site. Or is this more of the skeeter invasion?

Doesn’t the name “Trapshooters.com” say it all?

Don

 

[ezz555]

Amazing a skeet shooter coming to a trapshooting site for help. I would think you would go to a skeet shooting site. Or is this more of the skeeter invasion?

Doesn’t the name “Trapshooters.com” say it all?

Don

Don,

There are other games besides trap. If you can imagine there are a quite a few shooters who shoot more than just trap and are good at all of the games and have meaningful insight on several disciplines. I know, it is hard to believe a trap shooter that shoots crossing targets as well.

 

[hwcn]

Amazing a skeet shooter coming to a trapshooting site for help. I would think you would go to a skeet shooting site. Or is this more of the skeeter invasion?

Doesn’t the name “Trapshooters.com” say it all?

Don

Not as amazing as that you have nothing better to do than to shame a fellow shooter!

 

[Drew Hause]

If your previous misses on the middle stations were from the high house, and the mount, swing and sight picture seemed perfect, you may be shifting dominance ie your left eye is taking over and you are shooting behind the targets.
A session with an experienced coach however is likely to be MUCH more helpful than all our good advice

 

[Randyflycaster]

I am going through a similar slump. I am just not seeing the targets well. In 2017Todd Bender published an article in Shotgun Sports magazine where he writes about streaking: the eyes moving ahead of the target, then having to slow down. The shooter then usually misses behind the target. When I first started shooting skeet no one told me about "streaking" so it became ingrained in my shooting. Now I have a bad habit that is hard to break. I am trying to force my eyes to stay on the flash or streak, and not to move on my call or on the sound of the trap house.
Randy

 

[Bassman13]

Hello,
I started target shooting about two years ago - trap (16 yards) for the first 6 months then about a year and a half ago I switched to skeet (single).

I reached about 90-93 % average score about 6 months ago. The usual misses occur on the central stations: 3, 4 and 5. About one month ago I started missing the high on station 2. I've read that many right-handed shooters consider that a difficult target, but for some reasons it never bothered me, until recently that is. The missing on high two both in the single and double have now become consistent. Today I decided to practice 50 rounds on high 2 and to my disbelief I hit it less than 10 times out of the 50. I checked my shooting records and I confirmed that not even when I was new to skeet I would miss it that much.

I have not changed gun, shells or anything significant to me but obviously something is not right. All the other targets are broken fine, actually I see a slight improvements on the central ones.

As any one with more experience gone through something like it and how did he overcome it?

Thank you.

Are you one eyed or 2 eyed? When you shot the 50 targets on High 2 did you try to change anything? or did you just shoot all 50 the same (wrong) way? The Todd Bender method on his videos is slightly further out from parallel to the house, look back about halfway, stay in front of the target and meet it at the stake. This is the method that I use and I smoke it just about every time and rarely miss it. This works great for a 2 eyed shooter, but if you're one eyed you may have to take a different approach. Also I'm a big preacher in body position with my students. General rule that is taught is belly button towards the low house(right handed shooter) which is good for beginners, but as a shooter gets more experienced this usually needs to be tweaked. What I teach is think about where you want to break the target and adjust your stance so that you are at the most comfortable body position when you make the shot. Call it the "Sweet Spot". You also have to take into account the swing motion that is comfortable that brings you into that Sweet Spot. For High 2 for example you may have your body turned more slightly to the left than it would be if you had the belly button pointing at the Low House window. This approach should be used for all stations and the body position will most likely be different for the High and Low house on each station. You'd be surprised how much your body position will make. And then of course Head on the Gun, Eye on the Target, and Follow Through!!

 

[target.orange]

Good time of a year for slump simply because it is a good time of year for the solution,.i.e. take a break of several months and come back fresh.

 

[Sportshot]

Help for Mrs. Skeeter ...
on Station 2 high house ....

"Sustained lead practice"

 

[mike103]

Amazing a skeet shooter coming to a trapshooting site for help. I would think you would go to a skeet shooting site. Or is this more of the skeeter invasion?

Doesn’t the name “Trapshooters.com” say it all?

What is truly sad is that your statement reinforces negative stereotypes about trapshooters being grumpy old men.

 

[Old_Diabetic_100]

As any one with more experience gone through something like it and how did he overcome it? Thank you.

It's futile trying to work out what your problem is without standing next to you seeing what you're doing. Your best bet is to go find someone who knows what they're talking about and get a lesson.

 

[benny r. lawrence]

It's futile trying to work out what your problem is without standing next to you seeing what you're doing. Your best bet is to go find someone who knows what they're talking about and get a lesson.

Now that’s sound advice.

 

[Ram Rod]

Listening to music may help.

 

[Steve12]

Amazing a skeet shooter coming to a trapshooting site for help. I would think you would go to a skeet shooting site. Or is this more of the skeeter invasion?

Doesn’t the name “Trapshooters.com” say it all?

What is truly sad is that your statement reinforces negative stereotypes about trapshooters being grumpy old men.

Not really. Lots of Clay shooters here along with 5 stand
Steve