Advice for Competitive Shooters
1971 Champion 28ga
1972 Champion 12ga Great Eastern
Coaching Champions
Skeet is a game of Doubles at 3, 4, and 5. If you cannot break those targets you will have a hard time winning even your class championships.
There is nothing more de-motivating for a shooter who has worked hard to get to a level to win his class, or break 100's, than to miss early in shoot offs.
I started shooting skeet in 1961. One would think that after shooting skeet for almost 50 years, that you should never miss. It is just an unforgiving game. A lack of focus or a sloppy setup and there goes a target.
I shot my first registered targets in 1966, at the Newark Rod & Gun Club - 200 birds in one day - 100 in the 12 and 100 in the 20. I shot 99 & 96 for HOA RU. The World Championships were at Rochester Brooks that same year. Signed up by myself and was squadded with, are you ready for this?? Ed Scherer, Clarine Menzel, and a hot junior shooter of that time, named Tim Glock, all from Wisconsin - three All-Americans, what a squad for a beginner.
I missed high 5 the first round for 249 x 250 shooting in AA class and I won $2.20 -- yes a check for $2.20 for 249 x 250. I went 4 boxes of doubles at all stations for 3rd in the Western event. In that shoot-off, the shooter who finished second was one of the Pakis' from Arizona, with a cast half way up his leg, whipped by a shooter with a broken leg, I still carry the scars. The winner was Randy Robb from Buffalo.
My first state title was in 1970, my first World High Average was in 1972 in the 20 gauge -- 598 x 600 (picture of me in my green hat holding the plaque). I missed low 2 single and the option, first round in Toronto that year, there is a story here for new and old shooters but at another time.
There have been many titles since then, most recently I won the world 28-gauge championship in 2005 and in 2006 the Briley Blue Goose HOA 399 x 400. That is 40 years at or near the top of a Great sport.
I was given a gift, great hand to eye coordination. That was all I needed for the first 10 to 15 years of my shooting career, but that alone will not make it in today's game.
1971 High Average 20ga 598 of 600
2005 28ga World Champion
SKEET IS NO LONGER A 100 STRAIGHT GAME
A 100 straight is just the preliminary to the CHAMPIONSHIP. That is what we all want, right? At the world shoot I have seen 1 out of every 8 shooters break a 100 in the 20 gauge event, I have seen 150 + shooters run the 125's in the 12gauge events. That's 1 out of every 6 or 7 shooters. So the 100's are common, who do you see at the end of the shoot offs? THE SHOOTERS WHO CAN BREAK DOUBLES AT 3, 4 & 5. THAT IS SKEET TODAY.
So don't be discouraged. I can get you breaking 100's if that's your goal. But all the 100's you can break, won't help you break doubles at 3, 4 and 5 if you lack the technique necessary for being a great doubles shooter.
I will show you how to use station 1, 2, 6 and 7 doubles in your regular rounds to develop positive habits that will make you a better and quicker 3, 4 & 5 doubles shooter. I will show you how to break the first target at 3, 4 and 5 to enable you to break doubles easily on these stations.
I hold the highest average in DOUBLES ever shot 549 x 550 (.9982). When I ripped the vitreous in my right eye about 10 years ago, my doubles scores dropped. Specialists told me my shooting career was done. I have learned a lot since then about doubles and shooting, which makes me a better coach. I am able now to relate better to problems other shooters have in making changes to their game. Old negative habits that have been reinforced over the years can require several subtle changes to eliminate.
There is a reason the top pros in other sports have a coach, in golf pros have a putting coach, a swing coach and a workout trainer. Obviously the monetary values are not in skeet to warrant that many coaches, but one personal skeet coach will enable you to gain the consistency necessary to hit your goals sooner than if you tried to do this by yourself. I have helped many shooters with a series of 3 to 5 lessons. For example, you can't discuss developing a pre-shot routine that has a trigger mechanism in it to provide 20 to 30 seconds of total focus, with a shooter who has technical problems in his game. You start with basics, I don't care how long you have shot, we all have negative habits. EVEN ME -- and they are always trying to creep back in.
AGAIN -- YOUR SINGLES MUST REINFORCE HABITS THAT MAKE YOU A BETTER DOUBLES SHOOTER. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SHOOT SKEET THAT WILL WIN TITLES.
- written by George Lehr, 2007