Skeet is a clay target game that was invented in 1920. The name skeet is an old Scandinavian word for shoot.The inventors of the game intended to use it as a means of improving their bird hunting skills. There's more to the history and evolution of the game than this, but I'll add that later!
A regular round of skeet consists of shooting twenty-four targets from eight different stations laid out in a semi-circle; a twenty-fifth shot is a repeat of your first miss, or, if you don't miss any shots, you shoot two at the Station 8 Low House(hitting all of the targets is known as a "straight"). Oh yes, the targets you shoot are a combination of singles and doubles from two trap houses called the High House and the Low House. The sequence of shots is as follows:
Station 1:
Single from the High House
Single from the Low House
Doubles, High House target shot at first
Station 2:
Same sequence as Station 1
Stations 3, 4, and 5:
Single from the High House
Single from the Low House
Station 6:
Single from the High House
Single from the Low House
Doubles, Low House target shot at first
Station 7:
Same sequence as Station 6
Station 8:
Single from the High House
Single from the Low House(hopefully two here!)
The "H" on the left refers to the High House; the "L"on the right refers to the Low House. The "L" and "H" by station 8 refer to where you stand when shooting at the Low and High House targets from station 8. The two arrows depict the target flight path and their crossing point.
Doubles from all stations is a version of the game that's an exciting and challenging event at tournaments! Doubles are thrown from stations 1-7, then you come back on stations 6-2 on the first round (12 stations, 24 shots). The second round starts and finishes at station 1 (13 stations, 26 shots). The doubles are shot at just as the ones on stations 1,2,6, and 7 in regular skeet. When you are going from station 1 to 7, the doubles at station 4 are shot in the sequence of high-low; when you come back from 7 to 2 (or 1), the sequence on station 4 is low-high. There isn't an option shot in doubles. Station 8 is not used in doubles.
1. The proper stance. Whether left or right handed, standing correctly on the shooting station is where it all begins. The "non-shooting foot" or "off foot" (Left foot for RH shooters and Right foot for LH shooters) should be pointed toward the area where you want to break the target. Generally, this would be at or right before the target crossing point. The front leg should be slightly bent at the knee and your weight should be balanced on both feet. You must be able to swing at the hips; rolling your body as you you move the gun across the field will result in you not being able to move as the target moves.
2. Lining up the bead(s). Your eye is the rear sight when shooting a shotgun. After you're in the proper stance, mount and point your gun towards the place where you want to break the target. After you have lined up your eye and the bead(s), swing towards the trap house to your starting point.
3. The starting point. After step 2, you should now be looking beyond the end of your barrell at the starting point. This should be 10-18' outside the trap house window. Your gun muzzle should be pointed at a place that is below the lower edge of the window (this allows you to get a good, unobstructed view of the target as it appears). You should now be looking at the window and not your front bead.
4. Call for your target, swing and lead it, and most importantly: FOCUS ON THE TARGET! When you see a fuzzy bead in front of a clear target you need to shoot, follow through with the swing, and watch the target break! Note: the follow through is the result of a proper swing.
Now work on these fundamentals and adjust to suit yourself. All of the professional instruction in the world won't help if you don't do the basic fundamentals.
