A friend of mine said I should write something about skeet shooting. I have taught how to shoot skeet for quite a few years now. My method may not agree with the finest teachers on this subject, but I have seen my students really start to shoot skeet well, so take it for what it’s worth!

First of all it’s difficult without actually being there with the shooter to explain what they may be doing wrong, so the only thing I can basically give you are the hold and lead points for the game. You will have to try them for yourself. First rule. Never stop swinging the gun even after you pull the trigger. Always follow through, just as in a golf swing or with a baseball bat!! Rule 2. Never jump to a target and fire, always swing smooth. Jumping only results in stopping and missing.

Let’s start with Station 1. I know you probably said, “Duh where else would we start”? Ok, wise cracks over- here goes. The gun should be held at a 45 deg. angle up from the stake for the high house. The idea here is to swing down past the bird and fire when you attain one foot below it. For the low house, aim right at the window. Let the bird get at a 45 deg. angle in the sky and your lead or firing point is one foot in the upper left in front of the bird. On the doubles the low house is going to be to the left of you and you only need to be one ft. in front of it--straight in line with it.

Station 2. For the high house hold parallel with the house at the height of the window. For the low house, hold on the stake. All four shots require one ft. lead.

Station 3. From this station thru station 6 the hold point for the high house is about 4 ft. from the window. This is so you develop a swing. If you are further out you won’t swing , instead you will jump to it and stop when you fire. The hold point for the low is the stake. Both houses require a two ft. lead.

Station 4. This is the hardest shot and the one requiring the most lead. You need to get it fast. If you hesitate, this bird will pass you up. The hold for the low is about 6 ft. from the window. For both shots you need a 3 ½ ft lead. I tell everyone as soon as you see a yardstick of space between you and the bird -fire immediately!!! He who hesitates will be lost here.

Station 5. The hold point for the low is about 6 ft. from the window. We are going to go down with lead the same way we went up. The lead for both birds is two foot.

Station 6. The hold point for the low is parallel with the house at the height the bird will be at by the time it reaches your gun. Both birds require a one foot lead. I usually tell everyone for the low house, as soon as you see daylight between you and the bird, shoot. By the time your mind reacts you will be one foot in front of it.

Station 7. The high house hold point is just to the right of the window. Let the bird attain a 45 deg. angle in the sky and be one foot in the upper right hand in front of it. The hold point for the low is right where the bird is flying to [usually 45 deg. straight out where it’s heading] This is the only shot on the whole course that does not require any lead at all. You shoot right at this bird!!

Station 8. This shot is very similar to a quick draw. If you think at all this bird will be over your head and gone!! The hold point is right at the windows. For the high you must veer slightly right and left for the low. The idea here is to get in front of the bird about a foot and fire immediately. You must keep one thing in mind only: Think fast!!

The two most common mistakes here are to veer off the flight of the bird or to stop and fire when you attain the lead. If you miss these birds, those two things are what you should be looking to correct. For the ones you miss during the round, just tell your buddies that on that particular station the idea was to get as close as you could to the bird without breaking it, and you did great!

The birds you get at each station is easy to remember. At every station you get one high and one low bird. You always shoot the high first, except on doubles at the 6th and 7th station. You get doubles after your high and low birds only on stations 1-2-6-7

If you try my method out and it seemed to really help you, let me know, or if you would like to send me comments on anything, please do by writing to Smalltalk Feedback, and it will be forwarded to me.