Olympic Trap, Universal Trap, Double Trap, Helice
Getting a good coach at the beginning of your shooting career is probably the one single investment which will save you a lot of money whilst ensuring quicker progress and better scores. I have found that there is benefit to be gained from the different viewpoints, and approaches to training by using a few different coaches.
Some shooters may wish to seek out a reputable and experienced Olympic Trap coach, but first of all lets define what an Olympic Trap coach should be able to do. There is a significant difference between a CPSA badged Clay Shooting Instructor, of which there are many listed and an Olympic Trap coach. A CPSA instructor will probably improve the skills of the novice clay shooter, but may not have the technical knowledge or experience required to effectively coach a developing Olympic Trap shot. The OT coach will have in depth technical knowledge of Olympic Trap combined with good teaching skills.
Here are some points for you to consider in choosing the right Olympic Trap coach:
Do not assume that because someone has excelled in Olympic Trap as a shooter, that they must also be good at coaching. This is of course true in some cases, but there are some good coaches out there who never really excelled in the sport as a competitive shooter.
Before you commence range training and start smoking those targets, your coach will need to check and record a few things about you. He will check your gun and it's stock measurements along with your gun fit, any eye dominance issues, the trigger pull resistance, choke measurements, the general condition of your gun, and the cartridges you're using.
He/she will also have a chat with you to find out where you are at in your shooting, what you want to achieve, and what you think your problem area(s) are. This is important because a problem you have in one area may be attributed to an overlooked subtlety such as stance, hold points, or even an incorrect gun mount.
According to most shooting coaches, this is probably one of the most common questions asked by the Olympic Trap novice. I am going to explain the basic technique on where to focus when calling for the target, but first of all I would like to point out that the aim of this advice is to provide the novice with a baseline from which he/she can work from. Of course there are some shooters out there who have slight variations on this technique, and indeed there are one or two out there who have a completely different technique and are very successful in their own self styled way, but this technique probably works for most.
So now that I have got that out of the way lets get back to the question of "Where should I be looking when calling for the target?" Depending on who you ask you may get an answer of "about ten yards out", or "two foot above the marker" The main problem of course is that there's no precise answer, because we all have different shooting styles, and some eyes and brains are quicker than others.
A clearer explanation of "two foot above the marker" or "ten yards out" is to get a plastic rule and measure on your computer screen approximately 5mm up from the bottom of the yellow trench marker on the picture below. Alternatively if you're on a range then use your index finger and thumb and make a gap of about half an inch, put your thumb at the top of the trench marker and the top of the gap defined by your index finger is where you should be focussing when you call for the target. Your hold point should be at the base of the marker because if it is too high, you may have problems with target lock on the low angled targets.
You should use this technique as a start point in your first training session and adjust as required either by changing your hold points (i.e. - where you point your gun wrt the marker), and your look point (how far out you look wrt the top of the trench apron) It is important to spend some time and record this for every shooting ground that you will compete at.
First of all let's assume you're stance allows you to maintain easy lateral movement through 45 degrees either side of the central axis. You mount your gun with the front bead positioned at the base of the yellow trench marker. At this point your eyes should be hard focussed at your look point as defined by the method explained earlier. With your eyes hard focussed on your look point you open up your eyes in universal vision. The Universal vision must be wide enough to take in the area along the trench front edge so that you achieve target lock on the low 45 degree targets. Keeping a good level of cheek pressure on the comb of your gun prior to calling for the target will help keep your head on the stock if you need your second barrel during your shot.
On your call you get a right handed low 45 degree target
You call "Pull" and your target is released. As your eyes are hard focussed on your chosen point you will not react to the orange blur that leaves the trench, instead your universal vision picks up the target trajectory and your eyes move to the target (because you will be looking for it), and because your eyes have been hard focussed at a distance, target lock is quickly achieved. Only when you can clearly see the target should you move your gun (using your trunk not your arms) to shoot the target in a controlled and deliberate manner - this comes with the self confidence and trust in your technique.
Further Considerations
Also consider that your look point may vary at different shooting grounds. This could be due to a number reasons including the make of traps used, their distance from the front of the trench, the distance from the rear of the trench to the tip of the apron, how well lit the range shed is, or the light conditions on the day, and how tired you may be. So it is probably a good idea to make some notes of this in your training diary, at least until you have gained enough experience to remember.
These are very basic tips for shooting Olympic Trap and are aimed at the beginner. For those who would require more personal advice I recommend that you contact a professional shooting coach who specialises in Olympic Trap.
The key to Olympic Trap shooting is preparation, whether it's preparation immediately before your shot, or preparation of your equipment the day before the competition. Always check your gun and equipment 2 - 3 days before a competition;
Watch the prior squad's targets, tracking them smoothly with your eyes before you shoot. This will stimulate your eye muscles to focus your vision and prevent lazy eyes on the first line you shoot. It can successfully import target behaviour patterns to your subconscious mind increasing performance;
On stepping on to your next stand ensure that your feet positioning on the stand is not physically constraining you. If you feet are positioned too wide apart it can inhibit your movement and cause you to freeze up;
Whilst waiting for your turn to shoot, take a ten second visualisation of perfectly mounting your gun, calling for the target, swinging smoothly and seeing the target explode. Visualisation is a powerful technique professionals in all sports use to reach perfection. Take a look at David Beckham when he takes a free kick in that danger zone, or Johnny Wilkinson when he prepares to kick for a Rugby conversion, both of these sports professionals use visualisation to powerful effect. Visualisation is instructing the mind what the desired result is to be; a command to perform to maximum ability so if you miss a target just replay the shot by visualising a perfect shot, so you reduce the likelihood of a recurrence.
To solidify this one on one connection with the gun, control cheek pressure to the comb. This pressure must be felt to obtain shot consistency. If you apply too little or too much cheek pressure the eye/rib alignment will be altered. Cheek placement must also be consistent. Feeling cheek / comb pressure is extremely important to maintain proper eye/rib alignment and for repeatable accurate shots.
Control your breathing as part of your routine. By taking a relaxed deep breath prior to calling for the target the oxygen supplies a burst of energy to the eyes which will allow you to see the target sooner and with increased clarity. It also helps to calm the mind and body by relaxing the upper body. Controlled breathing will help you if ever you become tense;
Raise your eyebrows just before or when you call for the target. If you look in the mirror you may see your eyelid covering the iris of your eye. This happens to a severe degree when under stress when the forehead tenses and compresses downward like when you are shooting your last target or in a shoot off. Twenty percent of light gathering vision can be lost. Vision reduction can create a surprising number of missed targets. Eyes wide, than call. You will see an improvement in your shooting performance if you incorporate the technique in your training sessions now.
Pay attention to the squad rhythm. Is it fast, slow, smooth or inconsistent? Mentally you must make adjustments to your own setup pacing, not alter your set up timing, but to be "aware" that an irregular squad's timing can sneak into your setup forcing you to rush your shot. If possible a fast shooting squad should be avoided. If you can't avoid it, then make sure you maintain your own internal and external timing. Forget about everyone else and just start your timing factor when the prior shooter calls for the target. This will reset your setup timing to remain consistent. A slow and sloppy squad's timing can be managed only when you are aware of the problem. Those who feel there is no problem will drop targets. Watching a shoot off you will see good shooters miss targets due to unfamiliar squad timing altering the shooter's normal set up and timing. Awareness is concentration; Maintaining control of your routine and where you normally break the target must be maintained. Know that the squad can have a powerful influence on a shooter that is not totally focused on natural timing factors. Guard against allowing yourself to be influenced by the squad resulting in breaking targets sooner or later than you usually do.
Guard against dwelling on distractions or associating any mental negativity towards them. Gun jams, misfires, background noise is all part of the game. The moment you allow yourself to be distracted your score will suffer. Always remain calm and learn to block out distractions by listening and observing them then they will no longer be distractions, just normal background activity.
Control emotions and remember that you cannot change the past, if you miss a target, learn to reset your mind by immediately visualising that perfect shot. Flush the mind of emotion and shoot like a machine using the same precision techniques you learnt in training. Everyone misses targets, it just happens, and when it does show no emotion, accept it, and concentrate on the present.
Look at your targets before you shoot them. In competition events walk to your next layout to look at the targets. Check for variations from layout to layout. Layout A could be throwing a mixture of low and high targets, but layout B may be a throwing a lot of lower or higher targets. You may want to compensate by adjusting your hold point; There are currently one or two shooting grounds that throw very inconsistent targets that don't even reach the required distance - beware.
For those intending to compete at the GB selection shoots be aware that during the previous practice day (Friday), the traps may not always be set to competition settings and may throw soft slow targets and targets with a solid face. It is good to warm up and train the day before, but only if you are aware that the traps will probably throw faster targets at increased angles during the competition.
Mental Techniques
Having the right mindset at the start of the day helps so always ensure you get plenty of sleep on the nights preceding any competition. Here are some proven mental techniques that really apply to any sport......
Concentration - A frame of mind to focus on a job at hand. It is a thought focused to accomplish a goal which concentrates the energy of mind to perform a specific task. There is no sweat or strain. If there is you need to improve your concentration skills.
Confidence - An overwhelming belief in one's ability to get the job done. It's having simple faith in yourself. You know you can do because you believe you can. Faith invoking the power of thought to produce a tangible rise in performance and achievement.
Focus - The professional trapshooter begins this process of getting focused the night before the shoot and maintains a slow state of mind to channel the power of thought upon arrival at the shoot. Negative thinking is hereby allowed to be flushed from the mind and positive conviction replaces it. This focus, a thought process, then triggers visualisation, concentration, confidence and increases even more focus. Again, the power of the mind is used to enhance the physical outcome where the invisible becomes reality.
Visualisation, Concentration, Confidence, Focus. All are unseen yet we know of their power to manifest that which can be seen, and it's all part and parcel to the power of mind. There are many Sports Psychologists and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) therapists out there so if you decide to consult one check that they fully understand what it is you want to achieve.