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Skeet Shooting Baseline Station Tips: Part I

Skeet Shooting Baseline Station Tips:  by Russ Naples, JCTS Skeet Chairman 
 
As we build our Skeet game we look to reduce the many variables involved in shooting a single or a pair.  A common problem-solving technique that we can apply involves stating the challenge and then breaking it down into some smaller components, which often become more manageable to address.  In the analysis of a round of skeet we find that there are 16 unique singles shots, add 4 pairs at stations 1,2, 6 and 7 and if you are straight we take our option shot at a 2ndlow 8 target which gets us to a total of 25 shots. As we train to improve our technical skills it is useful to group similar stations together.  One method is to group stations 1, 7, and 8 together as Baseline Stations, stations 2 and 6 together as Transition Stations and finally stations 3, 4 and 5 together as our Middle Stations.   For this month we will focus on tips to improve our baseline station proficiency.

The baseline stations, 1, 7 and 8 consist of 10 targets, 6 unique singles shots, and a pair at stations 1 and 7. These 10 targets represent 40% of the 25-shot round, and if we are straight the 2nd low 8 target brings us up to a total of 11 targets and 44% of the round shot on the baseline.  Many shooters who have been shooting awhile agree that most of these targets are less challenging than targets at the other stations, so if we have a small goal to be “clean” at these stations we can then focus on the remaining challenging targets.  
Let’s cover some key tips at stations 1,7 and 8:

Station 1 – High 1:
  • Stance - Use a stance that allows you to turn smoothly and completely in the event that the low 1 on the double comes across low and fast. Right Handed shooters “open” our stance, facing your belly button slightly to the left on the low house window, left-handed shooters face straight out to the open field.
  • Hold Point– usually a 45-degree angle but be conservative to not hold too high so that the target does not come out and fly under your barrel. 
  • Look point – After you line the beads up, the look point is 3” above the barrel
  • Shot Execution - settle your eyes (.5 - .75 sec), call for the target, when the target comes into your look point assure you are lined up and shoot.
Station 1 – Low 1:
  • Stance - same as High 1
  • Hold Point – 10’ to the left of the low house window, level with the bottom of the window
  • Look point – halfway back to the window, up on the flight path of the target
  • Shot Execution – settle, call and when the target comes into your look point bring it across to your side of the field, matching gun speed with target speed, obtain 6” – 1’ of lead, shoot and follow through with your head on the gun. (This long incomer is a great target for us to practice patience, matching gun speed with target speed, keeping our head on the gun all the way across the field.)
Station 1 – Double
  • Stance, Hold Point and Look Point – same as High 1
  • Shot execution – settle, call, shoot when high 1 comes into your look point, with head tight on the gun, the gun moves lower, eyes shift up to the center of the field, find, track and shoot Low 1 the same as the single.
Station 7 – High 7
  • Stance - Use a stance that allows you to turn smoothly and completely in the event that high 7 on the double comes across low and fast. Right Handed shooters face straight out to the open field, left-handed shooters face belly button slightly to the right of the high house window.
  • Hold Point– 10‘ to the right of the high house window, level with the bottom of the window. 
  • Look point – Halfway back to the window, up on the flight path
  • Shot Execution – settle, call and when the target comes into your look point bring it across to your side of the field, matching gun speed with target speed, obtain 6” – 1’ of lead, shoot and follow through with your head on the gun. (This long incomer is a great target for us to practice patience, matching gun speed with target speed, keeping our head on the gun all the way across the field.)
 

Station 7 – Low 7:
  • Stance - same as High 7
  • Hold Point – about a 45-degree angle, aligned with the expected flight of the target (usually over the center stake) being conservative to assure that the target comes out above the gun and you make an adjustment up to the target.
  • Look point – just above the barrel on the expected flight path of the target, soft focus out in the distance
  • Shot Execution – settle, call and when the target comes into your look point, soft focus transitions to hard focus making any adjustment to align the target just above the bead of the gun and shoot.
Station 7 – Double
  • Stance, Hold Point, Look Point – same as Low 7
  • Shot Execution – settle, call and when the target comes into your look point, soft focus transitions to hard focus making any adjustment to align the target just above the bead of the gun and shoot, head stays on the gun, eyes shift up, find, track H7 across the field, obtain 6’-1’ of lead, shoot and follow through with head tight on the gun.
Station 8 – High 8:
  • Stance – Right handed shooters face out to the field, left-handed shooters take a stance with belly button slightly to the right of the high house window so as to allow a smooth tracking of the target. 
  • Hold Point – 4’ to the right and level with the bottom of the window (alignment is close to the center stake on the adjacent field if available.)
  • Look point – in the window 
  • Shot Execution – settle, call and when the target appears, begin your move bringing the gun straight up, cover the target, shoot, follow through with your head on the gun.
Station 8 – Low 8
  • Stance – Right handed shooters belly button slightly to the left of the low house window, left-handed shooters face out to the field so as to allow smooth tracking of the target. 
  • Hold Point – 4’ to the left and no higher than the middle of the window (alignment is close to the center stake on the adjacent field if available.)
  • Look point – in the window 
  • Shot Execution – settle, call and when the target appears, begin your move bringing the gun straight up, cover the target, shoot, follow through with your head on the gun.
Hopefully, you are straight and get to shoot
at a 2nd low 8 for a “25”!
 
Russ Naples
JCTS Skeet Chairman
NSSA Certified Instructor
Four-time NSSA First Team All American
 

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