Site Update
July 2011

 

Olympic Skeet Basics

Shooting Olympic Skeet is not as difficult as many make it seem. However there are basic requirements if the discipline is to be shot with any measure of success, and first among these is a clear understanding of the techniques involved.

What doesn’t work.
When attempting ‘maintained lead’ many people make the mistake of allowing the target to come to the stationary gun, only moving the gun at the moment the lead is deemed to be correct. This is doomed to failure as it is impossible to accelerate the gun to target speed in an instant. What actually happens is the target flashes past the gun, forcing a rushed swing-through shot and the maintained lead method is abandoned as hopeless!

Maintained Lead - How It’s Done

There are two accepted ways for shooting maintained lead. In version one the target is allowed almost to reach the gun, which then accelerates away to the correct lead and the shot is fired. In version two the target comes to the accelerating gun until the correct lead is established and the shot is fired immediately. Both methods have the same outcome - the target is shot relatively early (several metres before centre when done properly) but version 1 requires a faster-moving gun than version 2. Neither have the big movement and gun speed required of the swing-through method of shooting however, and therefore both versions enable greater gun control, earlier kills, and less effort.

At the advanced level the first target of each double is shot sufficiently early to allow the second to be shot maintained lead also. While this is quite easy on stations 1, 2, 6 & 7 it becomes more difficult to achieve on stations 3 & 5 and even more so on station 4 doubles. However, top maintained lead shooters such as George Achilleos (left pic) make all doubles look easy employing this method.

Of course this is not to imply that it is easy and that anyone can do it - scores produced in all but the major competitions would suggest otherwise. However, granted some basic ability with the shotgun anyone can learn to shoot Olympic Skeet to a decent standard, while those with the talent can learn to shoot it very well indeed - but only if their technique is valid and they train regularly and thoughtfully in all aspects.

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