Learning to shoot – clay shooting for beginners

If you’re new to clay pigeon shooting or wondering how to go about learning to shoot, we’ve put together a handy guide to explain what you should be looking out for as a beginner.

Find the right instructor

If you’re totally new to clay pigeon shooting, we always recommend you book a lesson with a qualified instructor. Here at Lady’s Wood, our instructors have undertaken the advanced-APSI qualification (and are amongst only a few instructors in the country to do so) and have many years’ experience instructing shooters of all abilities and experience levels.

An experienced shooting instructor will be able to guide you through the basics, as well as the all-important safety aspects, and also ensure you don’t pick up any bad habits early on in your shooting career!

Ensure you’ve got the right gun for you

Ideally, you will be shooting with a gun that fits you, this includes looking at the length and measurements of the gun, as well as its weight. Lady’s Wood provide gun hire for all shooting lesson and we have a wide range of models and calibres to suit all shooters, no matter your age, size or gender. This also includes the use of our brand-new Caesar Guerini school guns, which you can learn more about here.

Determine your eye dominance

Your shooting instructor will also be able to help you determine your eye dominance, another important factor to consider when you first start clay pigeon shooting. Determining your dominant eye will allow you to see the target more clearly and thus ensure a more accurate shot.

Perfect your stance

Once you’ve determined your dominant eye, this will in turn inform how you position yourself with the gun; you shoot on the side of your body of your dominant eye.

Ensuring your feet are in the right position and holding your upper body correctly, will help you be more accurate when shooting. Before taking a shot, it’s important to ensure you feel comfortable holding the gun and getting used to its weight. Your instructor will be able to show you how to hold the gun properly so that it feels comfortable.

Watch the target

‘Reading the clay’ is a really important skill to develop. Before you attempt to shoot a target, watch it carefully and ask yourself questions like: how fast is it going? Does it veer to the left or right? At what point does it start to slow down? Also, talk to your instructor about this. They will be able to help you read the target and ensure you’re on the right track.

For more shooting advice for beginners, why not book a lesson with one of our experienced shooting instructors? Lessons can be booked by calling 01454 29454 or email shoot@ladyswood.co.uk.