Starting in Trap

If you’re just getting started in the shooting sports, trap is a great way to do it. We’re out here today at the Tennessee Clay Target complex in Nashville, Tennessee, my hometown. And we’d like to start by talking about some of the basics of trap.    First of all, we’re going to start with the stance. If you’re a right handed shooter you are going to have your left foot forward, your right foot back. You’re going to have your feet about shoulder width apart and this will give you good balance.    Now that we’ve got the balance, let’s talk about leaning into the gun. A lot of people starting out have a tendency to lean back. This not only causes the barrel to go up, but the recoil from the gun, when it kicks, will push you back, and you’ll lose your balance. So, lean into the gun and you’ll see how this gives you a lot more control.  Now, let’s talk about sight pictures. Everybody is going to tell you about different sight pictures to see, different ways of seeing the target. Now some trap guns, you have the target set just on top of the bead. Some people say come up and cover the target. I, actually, shoot quite a bit under the target. It all depends on your gun and also your style of shooting. There’s basically three different points of aim. You can cover the target, shoot below the target, or above the target.    One reason people miss targets is that they lift their heads. One way that you can fix this is, when you break a target, find a piece and just follow it to the ground, and this will force your head to stay down.    Once you learn the basics of trap, I’m sure most trap shooters will tell you that the game is at least 80 percent mental. You’ve got to clear your mind, be able to focus on that target, and picture yourself breaking it. Visualize your success. See your target break before you even shoot.    In trap, you have five stations and you can have a person on each station. Everyone will take five shots, unload the gun, and then rotate. Then, when you get really, really good at the 16 yard line, we’re going to move all the way down this handicap line to the 27 yard line. Ha, ha. That is a tough shot, but if you just practice all the things we talked about, and before you know it, you’ll be back here on the handicap lines, too. Pull. I love it!