Skeet Shooting Baseline Station Tips: Part II

Skeet Shooting Baseline Station Tips:  
by Russ Naples, JCTS Skeet Chairman 
 

In last month’s article, Baseline Station Tips, for training purposes, we broke a round of skeet into 3 sections, Baseline Stations (1,7 and 8), Transition Stations (2 and 6) and Middle Stations (3,4, and 5) and discussed key tips for the Baseline station targets.  In this month’s article, we will cover some key tips for the Transition Stations (2 and 6).

Before we continue let’s remember that in skeet we know where the targets are coming from, (high house and low house), their flight path, (over the center stake) and when they will fly, (on your call). In addition, each high house target comes at the same speed and each low house target comes at the same speed assuming weather and machine adjustment are not altered during our round.  So, if the targets are coming at the same speed and general trajectory then why is it that certain targets appear faster than others as we shoot our round?  The answer to this question is that it is because of our position on the field changes in relation to the house that the target is emerging from.  When the targets are flying generally away from or toward the shooter, the speed is not generally perceived versus when we are at some of the other stations – 2 through 6.  High 2 and Low 6 are targets that appear to be moving very fast since the stations are positioned close to the house and we are looking at the target traveling across our vision. 

The transition stations, Stations 2 and 6, each consist of 2 unique targets and a pair for a total of 8 targets (4 unique) or 32% of a round. (8/25) Targets at these stations are often considered by shooters as very challenging. High 2 often presents an additional challenge since it can be considered the first target within the round that appears to be traveling much faster than the targets encountered at station 1.  Given these factors, some shooters get surprised by the speed and end up having to make a very fast and jerky move in order to catch up and shoot the target. This move often results in a miss either behind because the shooter never caught up with the target or ahead because the shooters momentum carried too far in front of the target. Either way, when the move is not smooth and you need to have a barrel speed that is either faster or slower than the target, the probability of success is lower as compared to a smooth move that matches gun speed with target speed, the shooter obtains the correct lead, shoots and follows through.

Station 2 – High 2: Stance – Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, 60/40 weight shift on your front foot and turn smoothly with the legs. Right Handed shooters “open” our stance, facing your belly button slightly to the left on the low house window, left-handed shooters face belly button slightly to the right of the high house.  Hold Point– parallel with the high house + 3’ towards the center of the field, level with the bottom of the window so as to allow you to see the target and begin the move while keeping the gun ahead of the target at all times.   Look point – Halfway back to the window up on the flight path of the target  Shot Execution - settle your eyes (.5 - .75 sec), call for the target, when the target comes into your look point, begin your move, match gun speed with target speed, obtain 6” – 1’ of lead and shoot. Station 2 – Low 2: Stance - same as High 2 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 1’-1 ½’ of lead, shoot and follow through with your head on the gun. (This is another long incomer that 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 2 – Double Stance, Hold Point and Look Point – same as High 2 Shot execution – settle, call, shoot when the target comes into your look point, with head tight on the gun, gun moves to the center of the field, eyes shift up to the center of the field, find, track and shoot Low 2 the same as the single.

Station 6 – High 6: Stance – Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, 60/40 weight shift on your front foot and turn smoothly with the legs.  Right Handed shooters belly button to the left of the low house window, 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 1’-1 ½’ of lead, shoot and follow through with your head on the gun. (This is another long incomer that 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 6 – Low 6: Stance - same as High 6. Right Handed shooters “close” our stance, facing your belly button on the low house window, left-handed shooters face straight out to the open field. Hold Point– parallel with the high house + 3’ towards the center of the field, level with the bottom of the window so as to allow your target acquisition and the beginning of the move to keep the target behind your gun at all times.  Look point – Halfway back to the window up on the flight path of the target  Shot Execution - settle your eyes (.5 - .75 sec), call for the target, when the target comes into your look point, begin your move, match gun speed with target speed, obtain 6” – 1’ of lead and shoot. Station 6 – Double: Stance, Hold Point, Look Point – same as Low 6 Shot Execution - settle your eyes (.5 - .75 sec), call for the target, when the target comes into your look point, begin your move, match gun speed with target speed, obtain 6” – 1’ of lead and shoot, head stays on the gun, eyes shift up, find, track H6 across the field, obtain 1’-1 ½’ of lead, shoot and follow through with head tight on the gun. Russ Naples JCTS Skeet Chairman NSSA Certified Instructor Four-time NSSA First Team All American