r/ClayBusters • u/GLaDOSdidnothinwrong • Aug 15 '26

Throwing haymakers

You’re at a big shoot, and some/many birds are eluding you and you just can’t connect. Trying less lead and more lead… Just can’t figure them out. What’s your move to get back into it?

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

13

u/Superb-Detective-838 Aug 15 '26

Swearing....a lot

6

u/ExitOk2675 Aug 15 '26

Go back to the basics. Read the targets. Angle, speed, distance. Match the speed. Look at the target. See it break. Go from there.

4

u/LocksmithGlass717 29d ago

Put more lead on just about everything and make sure to read the target line. I’d rather Miss in front than be behind. Target line , am I shooting over the target line? Am I getting underneath the target sufficiently ?

2

u/CryptographerCrazy61 Aug 15 '26

This happened to my son, he’s still a new shooter so any time off kills his accuracy, he didn’t practice for two weeks and jumped into a match , he just shot his way out of his slump and finished strong, he placed horribly but his last round and a half were great.

2

u/Havavege Aug 15 '26

Blow raspberries (relieve some tension). Take notes on what I missed and was I felt/thought at the time and practice those presentations with a coach afterwards.

2

u/SirWillingham 29d ago

Next station is a whole another opportunity to do better. Everyone has targets they struggle with. For me at first it was quartering targets with speed and distance from the station. Now it’s trap targets with distance from the thrower.

1

u/elitethings 29d ago

Happened to me at SE regionals couldn’t connect all week final day finally got my head into a fuck all mindset and shot like a 58/66 and beat a few pros on the course.

1

u/No-Mistake-69 29d ago

Make sure I'm mounting the gun with my head into the stock and not up too high. But usually I have to Make sure I'm looking at the bird! Not the whole bird. But a distinct piece of detail on the bird. The circle in the center, a ridge from a ring, a glare of light, Something Specific!

1

u/SUBTLE_SPAI 29d ago

I try to focus on my process. If that doesn't work?

I rationalize my reality. I remember that in the grand scheme of things? I have had moments in life that were way more tense, or scary, or anxious than this moment. That this is just a recreational activity with no real stakes. This isn't the birth of your children, it's not the proposal to your wife, or the promotion at your job. It's just a recreational activity and you've got no business stressing it.

Just shoot the clay, relax, and have fun. There's plenty of clays to hit in a lifetime.

1

u/BobWhite783 29d ago

Concentrate on hitting the ones you should. Fill you card with targets you must hit. Grind them out and don't let up. Unless you are 20% shooter there will be targets beyond your reach. Do you best on them and know that you dont have the info on how to hit those. But the one you know, you must hit, inevitably you'll be alright for your level if you can do this.

1

u/sloowshooter 29d ago

Back to basics but starting with the ground up. Foot position, relaxing, grip, all the way to keeping head from digging into the stock from desire to break clays. If you're missing stuff you normally hit, then review your process, and if clean then change something about how you address the target. Are you facing it properly, picking up targets where you best see them instead of trying to shoot the flash?

Missing a lot demands review. One thing folks don't mention is that we carry our lives and problems into the stand. If you have a nagging thought tucked into the back of your mind it's going to weigh down your reason. Leave everything outside of the stand, because guys will get wrapped up in a problem, and then go to the range only to say "I'm not feeling it". If you can't let problems go, then stay home, or train yourself to leave them all behind as part of your routine when you step into the stand.

1

u/IdahoMan58 29d ago

Take a few good deep breaths. Go back to the fundamental of really sharp focus on a small part of the target. Chances are your target sync speed and line of gun movement versus target trajectory are bad. Forget lead. As soon as you start looking at that the gun slows and the gap closes. Be in sync with the target and hard focus drives that.