Tony Bracci on facing pairs of targets
In lesson four of a series of six transforming a novice shooter into an expert shot, Tony Bracci looks at how to successfully deal with pairs of targets
We continue our work on gun down on suitable targets, going through a routine of picking the right break point, pick-up point and visual pick-up point. We are also building up confidence in the mount and its consistency, which should be done on a selection of targets with plenty of time for the mounting process.
The main push for this lesson is learning to deal with more than one target – to begin with on report, then simultaneous (sim) pairs. On sporting clays this will mean having two break points, two gun hold points and two visual pick-up points. This should start with two on report targets that can be shot consistently as singles by the client; for example, a going-away target and a decoy. The process is discussed and then executed, making sure the method and process are followed.
Depending on the client’s ability, pushing forward with other familiar on report pairs, building up the confidence putting the processes in place. Faults are discussed and changes can be made to help. If all is going well, an introduction to sim pairs is another step forward. A gentle pair of targets that could be taken in any order are selected and the process is discussed: that is to say, which target will be shot first, its break point, gun hold point and visual pick-up point, then assessing where the second target will be and where it will be shot and how to get there after shooting the first target. Again, discussion of outcomes following this helps the process.
Choices
Next, we would move onto a sim pair where both targets reach their optimum breakpoint at the same time. Let ’s set the scene, a decoy and a left-to-right crosser. As the decoy reaches its highest point, the crosser is just in front of you after rising from the left and just before it disappears behind the tree line. A decision has to be made about which target to take first but a compromise has to be made. We would first break the options down by shooting the targets individually. The decoy can be easily taken at the highest point but could it be shot consistently on the way up, possibly starting in the shoulder to buy some time before moving onto the crosser? We can also try to shoot the decoy on the way down after shooting the crosser at the optimum point. The last option is to shoot the crosser earlier to then take the decoy at the highest point. After the options have been explored and tested a plan is made which way round to shoot them and then put it into practice.
As you can see by this example, the clay shooter should not only practise taking the
targets in the easiest place but during practice try to shoot individual targets both early and late. Over time this will help make the shooter make decisions on which targets can be taken most consistently in different places and which will, in turn, help when facing awkward sim pairs.
Before moving onto the game side of lesson four, the clay shooter should also be looking at some consistency training. This can be adjusted to the ability of the client but in its simplest form will be shooting a single target 10 times in a row. This may seem tedious but this is how we train to replicate all of the actions that we have put into place and the mental discipline to replicate it. Start off simple and see if the same hold points and break points are the same; it sounds easy but this is where a lot of mistakes are made and targets lost. After different single targets, move onto report pairs, then sim pairs.
Flush
On the game shooting side of things, we would be looking at multiple targets as well. This training is quite different as when driven game is presented to you, you don’t really know where it is coming from and each bird could be at a different height and speed. Also, as birds flush there could be a lot more than two targets.
The gun hold points are not as precise as a clay shooter, although there are things we can do to help. As we wait on our peg the gun should be held in an obvious safe position up in the air. When we are expecting birds to flush the barrels move down into our peripheral vision where we expect the birds to flush from, keeping them above the tree line. As the birds flush, the eyes and barrels will lock on naturally to the chosen target in one smooth
“The first shot has to be executed perfectly before any thoughts start about the second target”
movement. With sporting clays, we shoot one shot at each target, but with game we should stick with the first target until it is despatched cleanly. We want to ensure that in the heat of a drive we don’t just fire two shots randomly in the air in a panic. A full and unwavering concentration on the first target until it breaks, no matter what else is flying towards you, is paramount.
Once the first target is taken cleanly, only then do we start to engage with the second target. On the clay ground this can be practised by shooting one target out of a sim pair, then shooting the second shot at the next sim pair. Once the concentration is there and focused both targets can be shot. If the focus drifts to the second target before the first is shot, misses will happen and then we will go back to only shooting one of the pair. What we are trying to instil is that the first shot has to be executed perfectly before any thoughts start about the second target.