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Tips to Master Trap Shooting

Medha Godbole
It is not easy to hit a skeet or clay pigeon in trap shooting, unless you have practiced your heart out. Here are some tips that will help you in your quest.
Trap shooting refers to one of the 3 forms of clay pigeon shooting, along with skeet shooting, and sporting clays.
Simply put, it involves shooting and breaking a moving target prior to it hitting the ground.
Initially, when this sport started, live pigeons were used. But then those species of pigeons came under the threat of extinction, which lead to the introduction of fake pigeons. Now, clay pigeons are used. There are several versions―Double Trap, Olympic Trap, Nordic Trap. In the USA, American trap shooting is the most popular form of this sport.

Don't be Trigger Happy!

This is a very fundamental and important thing. The trigger should not be handled or fidgeted with, till the gun is properly mounted, pointing in a safe direction, and is ready for shooting. So ideally, you should keep your finger out of the trigger guard and off the trigger.

Focus, Again

Consider pre-focusing your eyes with high intensity to see if the target is slowing down. This will prevent you from chasing the target, jerking the forearm, and stabbing at the target. This, will help inculcate a better, relaxed swing, and build on the scores drastically.

Follow it Up

Follow-through is of extreme importance. For instance, if you have just shot one clay, and you have another in the air to aim and shoot at, you cannot lower the gun.
You will have to follow-through and continue to look down the barrel, moving onto the other target. For this, practicing weapon shouldering and looking down the barrel is very important.

'Choke' a Block

Practicing with an extra-full choke is ideal if you aren't doing so. The reason is, if you do that, you can learn precision shooting. The extra-full choke will throw a small tight pattern, and it will lead you to many missed targets. Using an extra-full choke will eliminate slop in your aim and shooting.

Protection is a Must

Using protective gear is a must, no matter what. For all shooters under the age of eighteen, or even over, ear and eye protection is highly recommended. Rather, there is no option to wearing protective gear.
Last, but not the least, read as much as you can about trap shooting. You can get to learn a lot about the sport during the off-season and in between practice sessions, which will ensure that you are attuned to the game.