One of the most fun activities you can do that will improve your shooting skills is shoot clay pigeons. There are three main types of clay shoots: trap, skeet, and sporting clays. Each has different rules and directions that the clays are launched. The end goal is the same. You shoot the little clay frisbee-like disc out of the sky.

I’m in my 40th-plus year of pool playing, (I know, I know, I don’t look too old according to my About.com photo; you’d be amazed at what proper lighting can accomplish in the photography studio) and I’ve yet to see anyone breaking in more than 3 or 4 times running, in person or on video site like YouTube, to instantly win multiple games. To take a screenshot with your Mac, Command + Shift + 3 and then release all keys to captuer the whole screen, or press Command + Shift + 4 and press down.

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The sport is designed to provide shooters with a moving target for them to attempt to pick off. Many hunters swear by clay shooting as a way to improve their shooting skills, but it’s a sport valued by all kinds of shooters not just hunters.

You don’t have to have any aspirations to hunt to shoot clays, and even beginners can have a lot of fun. If you’ve never shot clays before, here are a few tips to help you your first time out.

1. Safety Above All Else

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Safety is the most important aspect of any shooting sport. You must practice proper gun safety at all times while shooting clays. Game pigeon hacks chess. If you don’t know proper gun safety, learn it before going to shoot clays. Don’t load your gun until it’s time for you to shoot. If you finish a shoot and there’s ammunition in your weapon, unload it before stepping away from the shooting line.

You should also wear the appropriate eye and ear protection all of the time. A pair of fitted shooting glasses are cheap and provide ample protection. There’s a variety of ear protection options out there for you to choose from.

My ears are a little beat up from years of wrestling and combative sports, so I prefer earmuff-style hearing protection as opposed to ear plugs. However, both work well and there’s a wide variety of earplugs out there for you to choose from.

2. Know Your Dominant Eye and Keep Both Eyes Open

Everyone has a dominant eye. It’s the eye that provides most of the data to your brain. It’s easy to determine which eye is dominant.

With your arm extended, hold a finger out in front of you pointing straight up. Place that finger directly under an object across the room. Now close your left eye. If your finger is still directly under the object, you’re right eye dominant. If it looks like your finger moved when you closed your eye, you’re left eye dominant.

You want to shoot from your eye-dominant side. This could mean a right-handed person will have to learn to shoot left-handed. Don’t get discouraged. It’s usually easier to learn to shoot that way than it is to try to compensate for eye dominance.

When shooting, no matter what eye is dominant, you should keep both of your eyes open. Clay pigeons will be moving no matter what type of clay shooting you’re doing. Having both eyes open will help you track the moving target.

3. Keep Good Body Position

Your body position is extremely important. You want to be well-balanced, with your knees slightly bent and your feet slightly apart. The foot on the trigger-hand side of your body should go behind the other one.

You want to lean slightly forward with a little more weight on your front leg than the rear. This gives you good control of the weapon as it fires and allows you mobility to track the target as it moves.

When I first shot clays I had my weight too far back on my rear leg. This hindered both my mobility and my ability to handle recoil well. It wasn’t too big of an issue because I was shooting a 20 gauge, but I would have progressed faster as a shooter if I got my stance and body position right from the start.

4. Hold the Shotgun Properly

How you hold the shotgun is also very important. You should have a hand on the stock near the trigger and the other on the forend of the shotgun. The heel or butt of the stock goes on your shoulder.

Last but not least, your cheek needs to be pressed to the sock of the shotgun. This keeps you looking right down the barrel so you can point the bead at the end of the barrel towards your target. I missed many shots my first time shooting because I let my cheek rise off the stock.

One final note on holding and handling the shotgun properly: only put your finger on the trigger after you call for the clay to be launched (most people say “pull!”). This is a safety measure but one you should think about when working on your form.

Many shooters will tell you to keep your shotgun off your shoulder. They will say to start in the ready position until the clay is launched and then raise the gun to your shoulder. That’s not a bad idea, but for beginners, there’s no reason they can’t start with the heel against their shoulder.

5. Lead Your Target

As I’ve said, clays are moving targets. In trap, they move away from you. In skeet, they move across your field of vision. Sporting clays move in a variety of directions. In order to be successful in any of these shooting sports, you need to learn to lead the target.

Shoot where the clay will be, not where it is. This means you will have to point your shotgun in the clay’s path of travel. This is why it’s important to keep both eyes open and position your body so you can turn and move.

It will take some time to fine-tune your target-leading skills, but by the end of your first day of clay shooting, you should be starting to get the hang of it. At the very least, you should be able to tell if you’re leading the target too much or too little.

Clay pigeon shooting is about hand-eye coordination. It takes some practice to learn, but it’s a lot of fun once you do.

Do you have any tips for first-time clay pigeon shooters? Leave a comment below.

– Fundamentals
– Aiming
– Cue Ball Control
– Speed Control

– English (sidespin)
– Position Control
– Safety Play
– Strategy

– Break
– Jump
– Massé

See also:
Top 100 Maxims/Sayings/Quotes
Top 100 Myths

Most of the secrets of pool are revealed in the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS). Specifically, all of the VEPS “gems” are useful and important to know to be a good player. Here’s the complete list of shots and gems presented on VEPS. Below is a categorized summary of some of the most important “secrets” and “gems” of pool, with links to additional resources, including video demonstrations and well-illustrated instructional articles.

The biggest tip and “secret” of them all is: Practice, Practice, Practice!!!

Dr. Dave keeps this site commercial free, with no ads. If you appreciate the free resources, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to show your support:

Fundamentals

  1. A session with an experienced and qualified instructor can be very helpful to players at all levels.
  2. Make sure your stance is stable, provides clearance for the stroke, and is comfortable.
  3. Keep your grip relaxed during the entire stroke (see grip technique advice).
  4. Make sure you bridge is stable and still during your stroke (see bridge technique advice).
  5. Use a bridge length appropriate for you and a particular shot (see bridge length advice).
  6. Keep your cue still and eyes quiet when checking your cue alignment and aim (see reasons for pauses).
  7. Don’t rush the transition between the final back stroke and forward stroke (see stroke technique advice).
  8. Don’t drop your elbow during the stroke into the ball (see elbow drop).
  9. Stay down on the shot … don’t move your head or body during the stroke (see stroke technique advice).
  10. Don’t use more speed than is appropriate for a given shot.

Aiming

  1. Use a consistent and purposeful pre-shot routine.
  2. Make sure your vision center is always aligned properly.
  3. Ghost-ball aiming can be a useful visualization tool.
  4. The contact-point-to-contact-point or parallel-lines system can be a useful visualization tool.
  5. The double-the-distance or double-the-overlap aiming system can be a useful visualization tool.
  6. Your cue can be used to help you aim (see NV 3.2 and NV D.9).
  7. Make sure you are sighting shots consistently and purposefully.
  8. Be leery and suspicious of exaggerated claims concerning some cut-shot aiming systems. Having said this, these systems do offer benefits to some people.
  9. With good technique, HAMB (“Hit a Million Balls”) is the best “system” for aiming success.

Cue Ball Control

  1. The 90° rule predicts the CB heads down the tangent line for stun shots.
  2. The 30° rule predicts a rolling CB heads in the natural-angle direction.
  3. The Dr. Dave peace sign can be very useful in applying and making adjustments to the 30° rule.
  4. The 3-times-the-angle (trisect) system predicts the angle the CB direction changes for a good-action draw shot is 3-times the cut angle.
  5. For a fairly full hit, with a ball-hit-fraction greater than 3/4, the CB will deflect about 3-times the cut angle (see where the CB goes for different cases).
  6. For a fairly thin hit, with a ball-hit-fraction less than 1/4, the CB will deflect about 70-75% (about 3/4) of the angle between the aiming line and the tangent line (see where the CB goes for different cases).
  7. With all shots, more speed shifts the cue-ball farther down the tangent line before curving to the final direction (see CB path speed effects).

Speed Control

  1. The optimal tip height for speed control is 20% of the radius above center (see optimal tip height for speed control).
  2. With a full-hit rolling CB shot, the CB travels about 1/7 the distance of the OB after impact (see ball travel distances).
  3. With a rolling-CB half-ball hit, the CB and OB separate at close to same speed and same angle (see speed control article).
  4. With a 45° stun shot, the CB and OB separate at the same angle and distance (see speed control article).

Draw Shot

  1. Make sure your tip is well chalked, keep your grip relaxed, keep your cue as level as possible, accelerate smoothly into the ball (see draw shot technique advice).
  2. In general, for best draw distance control, use more spin with less speed (see physics-based draw shot advice).
  3. For a stun-back shot, with a small and controlled amount of draw, a firmer hit closer to center offers better CB distance control (see physics-based draw shot advice).
  4. Elevate the cue only when you need quick draw.
  5. Don’t push the miscue limit so much with long power draw shots.
  6. The 3-times-the-angle (trisect) system can be used to predict final CB direction with a good-action draw shot.
  7. Draw is a lot easier on slicker cloth (or with a CB treated with Silicon spray) and with a lighter CB.

English (sidespin)

  1. The miscue limit is half of the cue ball’s radius from the center, which is the width of the stripe on a striped ball (see “tips” of english articles).
  2. A solid understanding and feel for squirt, swerve, and throw effects is critical to being able to use sidespin effectively.
  3. back-hand english (BHE) and front-hand-english (FHE) can be used to compensate aim for squirt and swerve when using sidespin.
  4. Outside english can be used to eliminate throw, and this can be useful in clingy conditions (see gearing outside english).
  5. Running english can greatly reduce the difficulty of rail cut shots.
  6. Going ball-first or cushion-first with sidespin on rail cut shots makes a big difference in CB control (see NV B.72).
  7. A drag shot can be used to increase the effect of sidespin off a cushion (see maximum sidespin effect).

Position Control

  1. It is important to know various useful CB-control reference lines when planning position.
  2. It is much easier to control CB travel distance with natural-rolling follow shots (see follow shot accuracy).
  3. Always try to leave an angle and come into the line of a shot.
  4. When you leave yourself straight in, there are still options for position control (see NV B.30).
  5. Pocket cheating can help create an angle.
  6. Rail cut shots offer many position control options.
  7. Coming off a cushion can increase your margin for error when targeting a position close to a rail.
  8. The 45° rule, that predicts a ball rolling into an end cushion at close to a 45° angle heads close to the center of the table, if very useful for position play.
  9. Practice positioning the CB to the center of the table. This comes in handy in many game situations.

Safety Play

  1. Always play safe when it increases your chances of winning a game.
  2. Use two-way shots where possible when faced with a difficult shot (e.g., a bank).
  3. The 30° rule is very useful in safety play (see 30° rule examples).
  4. When playing a safety in 9-ball, try to leave the OB away from a cushion (see “big ball” effect).
  5. Come into the line of blockers when hooking your opponent.
  6. With ball-in-hand, try to be strategic with combos, clusters, and problem balls (see 30° rule examples).
Shoot

Strategy

  1. Follow “best practices” concerning how and when to play safeties (see general safety advice).
  2. Don’t bump into or disturb other balls on the table if it isn’t necessary.
  3. Keep the CB away from the cushions to enable a wide range of tip positions without cue elevation.
  4. Pocket or move balls that clear the way for other balls as early as possible.
  5. Break out clusters and deal with problem balls as early as possible.
  6. In 8-ball, choose stripes or solids wisely and identify key balls for the game (see 8-ball strategy).
  7. In 8-ball, if you can’t run-out, play a safety early in the game.
  8. In 8-ball, break out clusters when an insurance ball is available.
  9. In 9-ball, break out clusters and problem balls at the right time (see 9-ball strategy).

Bank and Kick Shots

  1. To bank and kick effectively, it is important to understand and have a feel for all of the bank and kick effects.
  2. For rolling-ball kicks or banks, the through-diamond aiming system is very reliable.
  3. Faster speed can help bank shot accuracy and consistency (see advantages of fast speed).
  4. With shallow-angle kicks, the contact-point mirror system can be very effective.
  5. For cross-corner bank shots, it is very important to know how to detect and avoid double kisses.
  6. Sidespin can be used to alter bank shots (see spin transfer bank shots).
  7. For aiming two- and three-rail kicks off a short rail, the Plus System is very useful.
  8. For aiming two-, three-, and four-rail kicks off a long rail, the Corner 5 System is very useful.

Carom and Kiss Shots

  1. The 90 and 30° rules are very useful for aiming carom and kiss shots (see carom and kiss shot aiming).
  2. When two OBs are frozen, the combination direction can be changed quite a bit with throw (see frozen-ball throw).
  3. Bob Jewett’s two-times-fuller and ten-times fuller systems are useful to aim frozen carom and kiss shots.

Throw

  1. A solid understanding and feel for throw effects is important, expecially for combos and small-gap shots.
  2. Maximum CIT, with no sidespin, occurs with slow speed at about a 1/2-ball hit (see maximum throw).
  3. Maximum SIT occurs occurs with slow speed and about 50% sidespin (see maximum throw).
  4. Maximum throw, under typical conditions, is about 1 inch per foot of OB travel, or 1/2 a ball per diamond on a 9′ table, which is about 5°.
  5. When the CB is fairly close to the OB, SIT can be used for a “hold” or “kill” shot to limit cue ball drift.
  6. When balls are frozen, it is very easy to achieve maximum CIT of the 2nd ball (see frozen-ball throw).
  7. Gearing outside english can be used to eliminate throw, but this might not be the best approach for all people and situations (see using outside english to prevent throw and cling).
  8. Transferring spin from the CB to the OB is an important effects with some shots (see spin transfer for examples).

Break Shot

  1. The optimal tip height for a lag shot is 20% of the ball radius above center (see lag shot).
  2. Follow the “best practices” for an accurate, consistent, and effective break (see getting a tight rack and break technique advice).
  3. Knowing where different balls tend to go in a 9-ball rack can be useful to know (see pattern racking strategy).
  4. In 8-ball, a 2nd-ball break from side can be used to make the 8-ball on the break.
  5. If you use a break cue with a natural pivot length well matched to your bridge length, stroking errors will not affect your accuracy (see pivot-length article).

Jump Shot

  1. For best results, follow all of the recommended “best practices” (see jump shot technique advice).
  2. For best jump results, aim between the center of the CB and resting point on the cloth (see jump shot article).
  3. To jump higher and shorter, elevate the cue; to jump longer, use more speed and less cue elevation (see jump shot article).
  4. With more cue elevation, the dart stroke will be more comfortable and effective for most people (see jump shot technique advice).
  5. Jump shots are often over cut due to the CB hopping in the OB (see jump shot over cut effect).

Massé Shot

  1. For best results, follow all of the recommended “best practices” (see massé shot technique advice).
  2. The Coriolis aiming system for massé shots can be very effective.
  3. After-collision massé shots can be very useful when you need to curve the CB path after contact with the OB.

Pigeon Shoots Pa

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