Sporting Clays Shooting Tips For Beginners (Video)

Shooting a shotgun is different from shooting a rifle. With the rifle you must aim precisely. Shooting sporting clays or moving targets can be a frustrating experience for beginners. With a shotgun you point at the target. Because of this, the fundamentals of shotgun shooting are different. Accurate shotgun shooting requires a fast sequence of movements involving the body, gun and eyes. These movements need to be performed in one smooth, coordinated movement for accuracy.

Dan Schindler is one of only 35 worldwide members of the British Guild of Shooting Instructors and holds the highest level of certification in the US as a NSCA Level III instructor. In the video below, he is giving instructions in the fundamentals to host of Shooting Gallery Michael Bane, Shooting Gallery producer John Carter and Ruger’s Ken Jorgensen.

Sporting Clays is the closest thing to actual field shooting of all shotgun sports. The sport dates back to England in the early 1900s when trap shooting used live pigeons. With the introduction of clay targets, the sport began to take on the popular form we know today. Rather than using standardized distances, target angles and target sizes, sporting clays courses are designed to simulate the hunting of ducks, pheasants and even rabbits. This experience of actual hunting conditions, is one of the main reasons why the sport is so popular with hunters.

Sporting Clays was introduced in the US in 1980 and became a success story. Today sporting clays is one of the fastest growing sports in America, with more than three million people of all ages participating both competitively and recreationally.

For more information on Sporting Clays, visit National Sporting Clay Association.

For more information on Dan Schindler, visit Paragon School of Sporting Inc.