Gunsite 19/8

[jim french]

I know its round and round this one; but shoots won in the eighties (by a massively experienced shot, with 200,000 shots under his belt) will be a shoot causing misery to anybody who has been shooting less than a couple of years; never mind real newbies.

What this long and subjective debate shows is that there is a big difference between the top shots and the newcomers, who are the future of the sport of course.. I have huge respect for the top blokes and admiration for beginners working hard to learn. There is no right and wrong; merely an order of things.

Maybe there is a place for the competition side of the sport to cater for both sectors? After all, as shooters who pop along to a registered shoot, we are are up against World class shots almost every time. Few sports operate like this. They dont stick a 17 year old racing driver into an F1 race, or a 15 year old tennis player straight into a Wimbledon final.

In the car park after every good shoot, you may find a top shot saying it was boring /easy and a newbie close to tears / quitting after hitting 35 or so.

The whole point is `one size fits nobody`. I believe that the bespoke shoots for AA have never succeeded when tried? I think that in reality we just have to accept that most shoots will appear just about right for the better B and lower A shots. Everybody else may feel disgruntled to some degree.

As my dad used to say, `Economic reality will always get you in the end`. Shoot owners can only run one large shoot realistically, to make it pay. This is what we have now; it can never suit all perfectly and we need to recognise that. It is likely the best compromise we will find.

CSC3

A good post but is life becomeing like the modern school sports day no one wins and no one losses you all take part just incase little johny gets upset

 

[Will Hewland]

I'm definitely a fan of finding the proper winners. A badge for all devalues it. However at a shoot set for 94HG you will get a very similar order of results to a shoot set for 82HG. The winner will be the winner. I will be about 25% to 30% down the scores list on either shoot typically. The difference is that the last 10 shooters on the results list may not feel suicidal at the less stiff shoot. What is more they will probably have learned something, as you need to hit a few to learn. Granted the top ten will be less interested.. As I say it's the best compromise that we aspire to in all reality..

Cheers

CSC3

 

[Azzurri]

I had a conversation with a friend a while back, part of this conversation was about new people coming into this sport of ours, we both agreed a lot of these people wanted a quick fix and run before they could walk, shoot big scores before they've done a proper 'apprenticeship', this rarely happens.

Reading back through some of the posts I personally think Glen & Nic have said it perfectly, sound advice indeed which should be gladly recieved in the manner it was meant.

As a relative novice I can remember years ago travelling to Grimsthorpe, there was a car full, all of us full of expectation of how we were going to shoot well and come home with prizemoney....didn't quite happen like that, we got our arses kicked.....that was when my apprenticeship began.

And for the record i'd prefer to see shoots still being won on high 80s with perhaps the odd low 90 now and again.

Azzurri

 

[GlenPresley]

Problem nowadays is it is a fine line to get right. People do want to break clays, we have all been at those really ball breaking shoots whereby even AA's are in the 70's and they are no fun despite what people may say. Like I said there is fine line and as long as a shooter doesn't come away demoralised and can think yep they were out there but I didn't quite do it, then everyone is happy in my book.

 

[GlenPresley]

I have said it before in sporting you only need the odd one or two tough stands to sort things out and if you have more than the average stands this makes it harder sometimes due to the concentration factor. In Fitasc Sporting you only need the odd hard clay or two a layout mix that with on report pairs and simos and you have to be careful or else it can then be even harder to cater for all levels.........the cream will always rise to the top whatever.

Very difficult to keep everyone happy and I would guess Steve and Alison are probably doing the best job right now in catering for all from the sounds of things.

 

[tiptop]

I respect all shooters this started off with birds only being discussed as a waste of time and then some AA AAA thinking no prize money for lower classes, which I do not agree with.

Then obviously some lower class shooters who have been shooting for so long seem to know everything so that's fine basically they are entitled to an opinion. I don't need to comment anymore, Matts dummy has been lost because he couldn't take a sarcastic post at him but it is ok when he does his Admin stuff and closes threads and puts his foot down like the godfather, maybe he was having a bad day yesterday really should lighten up it was only a little dig! I don't hold grudges, one thing is for sure I am always polite when approached and will always say hello and have a chat but hey ho I better go back to being arrogant! .

I think I can establish from this thread that it is now like Pigeon Watch the 2nd, what started of as serious feedback got into taking the peee out of different disciplines.

All forms of shooting are easy when you succeed!

Have fun I am running across no mans land now back to my trench!

I don't know where you picked this up from Glen, but it started out as a good day at a shoot,

I happened to post a P.B and then some people came in saying that shoots are getting easier and C class shooters are getting over inflated scores and ego's.

If you read the earlier posts before it all went a bit pear shaped i was agreeing that there should be tough targets at shoots look at posts 18,27,36.

We all know you need harder targets to improve, i just find it a bit rich at times that some people are saying you are shooting easy shoots and you have an over inflated score/ego and when the results are up those same people are there shooting and collecting.Amazing really.

As i keep saying i am listening to what people are saying,and am open to any advice or critisisum.i dont take things personal.

As the results are over the last 12 months i doubt i would go up more than 1 class if i shot like that til the next classification. May be i am improving just a little little bit,and if i do go up a class i know i wil have to improve more i will still enter comp as well just in case.

And i agree as well i would like to see "birds only" go.

 

[GlenPresley]

Appologies and well done on your PB :wink: :wink: I guess I did not see the early posts and saw that part only picked up on some of the other comments and had a view and gave it.

I totally agree with what you are saying and my comments were based on a lower class shooter refering to a shoot as 'skeet in the woods'. I found that laughable based on their experience. I do not feel somebody who has only been shooting clays for a minimal amount of time and not done the shoots and been around enough to judge and make comment in this way. When they have banged in some 90's at any discipline and won a few HG's then maybe I would appreciate their point of view more. This is not arrogance at all, this is common sense you keep your mouth shut until you have done something.

If you mix your shoots up and get around a bit then you are going to get the best and most true average to yourself, you may not move up the classes quicker but you will undoubtably gain more from it and if you progress at the right pace and learn and have that little something else then you will get there. However it is a hard fact many will not make it and are happy just shooting for fun. For me I shoot registered or use to shoot registered in UK for the competition and I was there to compete. In the early days when I started off it was fun but then something clicks and you realise the fun comes later it is hard to explain this. When I am shooting registered comps out here in Holland and Germany I am there to win everytime, I do not enjoy going through the comp, I get nervous, I get anxious and at the end I always think I have not done enough even when I get a placing.

When I went to the European Fitasc I set myself a clear target before hand of trying to shoot 180+ and I said to myself anything better is a bonus top 50+ will be good due to the little I shoot now compared to what I used too. You have to have clear goals and high standards and want to be competitive to go forward. This could be a goal in your class but you need some or you will get stuck in the mud.

My aim here was to achieve top 3 at every(minor) registered shoot I shot in and at the Majors here like Dutch Open Compak, Dutch Open Fitasc, German Open etc top 10 minimum.

This is a big ask as I have had to shoot no fewer than 4 different guns and only shot the gun I use to use in the UK once for the European Fitasc in Portugal. This is due to the gun laws and backwards and forwards between the UK etc it is a nightmare but hey you have to set standards and do the best you can. At the end of the season I will review what I did this season and then set a new goal for 2013.

You have already beaten your PB so you have achieved one Goal.......question is what are your next? How many targets have you shot this year so far and at how many different ground?

Yours arrogant-less-ly,

Glen :wink:

 

[tiptop]

I am still on the learning curve and do mix it up where i shoot admittedly i don't travei as far a field as fuz and some of the others but am shooting a mixture of shoots.

It just happened to be my first time at this shoot something different and was my best result nobody knows what a shoot is like until you have shot there,so to me the comments made were a bit stupid, like i said there should be hard targets to sort the top boys out all shoots.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Well said Glen. What you forgot to mention was 'shoot with people who are better than your own standard'!

We have all done that and it is the only way that you learn how to read targets properly, it is part of the essential learning process if you cannot afford many lessons.

(p.s. Tip Top, as the thread was X pages long i have not bee arsed to read it all, i only came into it at the pages I posted on.....not everyone reads everything but.... to achieve a personal best at any time is a great feeling.)

Most shooters just go out and ping away....but it is most important aside from the joking at the shoots to always have your eye on your goal for that shoot....and it has to be a realistic goal if you want to improve. Equally most shooters higher than your level will be happy to help point you in the right direction about difficult targets on a particular shoot...provided you ask at the appropriate time......whether they are B, A, AA, AAA or God.

Everyone in this game should be approachable.

 

[GlenPresley]

Sounds to me your on the right track once the confidence is high you can try further a field too and you can't do much better than a PB.

I still remember mine, sadly have not beaten it yet bet have to keep trying!

Just remember if you shoot all the local stuff and dont challenge yourself by mixing it up then when you do shoot a big major you will fall out of bed big time! Been there and done that. At this game it takes a lot of time and money travelling around to get the experience and then get the scores.

Some can do it but only a few. For example even Ed has been shooting from a youngster made the team as a junior and is one of the few who have made the transition from junior to senior and had consistent results. It is hard work and when he was a junior he went to everything and did his time! TIME, MONEY and WANTING TO WIN.

Glen.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Ah I remember.....what a sweet little chap.......did not swear then look what shooting has done to him now

Glad he is back with a vengeance......i knew that snooker was tooooo boring for him......and as he has Henry Hopking working with him.....he could be the next Gebben!!! :kiss: mark my words.

 

[tiptop]

I know exactly what you are saying believe it or not my goal 12 months ago was to be able to shoot a 60 at westfield and weston wood achieved than and am more consistant there now.

The next goal is to get to B.

 

[EdSolomons]

Ah I remember.....what a sweet little chap.......did not swear then look what shooting has done to him now

Glad he is back with a vengeance......i knew that snooker was tooooo boring for him......and as he has Henry Hopking working with him.....he could be the next Gebben!!! :kiss: mark my words.

Ha when I was with Henry I was really good! Worked with him for 18 months, won the British sportrap and classic. Great guy with huge knowledge. Just turn up and shoot now, don't have time for all the taking it serious and practicing! If I have a good day then I do ok, if not then I don't mind as long as I enjoy it I'll shoot ok, when I'm not enjoying it I stop. It's a good system!

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Ha when I was with Henry I was really good! Worked with him for 18 months, won the British sportrap and classic. Great guy with huge knowledge. Just turn up and shoot now, don't have time for all the taking it serious and practicing! If I have a good day then I do ok, if not then I don't mind as long as I enjoy it I'll shoot ok, when I'm not enjoying it I stop. It's a good system!

Run out of like for today so.......

'LIKE'

 

[ELVIS]

George Digweed cut his teeth on skeet Martin alworthy Richard Fould,paddy Howe, Peter Thoubold,and i could go on,when they'd all shot 450 straight they moved on to sporting.(just simplify things)

Does this not tell us somthing, learn to walk before you can run?What i think i'm trying to say is, use the time on the easer targets to learn to kill pair after pair this is part of building a big score.Then you can use this when you get the harder targets so instead of having a mare you kill 7/8 not 5/6.I don't get people new to to clays saying they need to shoot harder targets to progress,no you need to learn all the otheer stuff first,then move on.Iknow this all sounds easy but it's far from it.It takes time and commitment, this being the key word i know if i spent 4 weekends with any one on this forum i would up there score by 10% don't do sh*t i do shooting.shoot 97/98 then call it skeet in the woods.George shoot 99 at Jack Pick did he slag it off no, walk the walk then talk the talk?.Or just shoot for fun (BOLLUX) .What does Mr ED think.You remember these guys.(To gain respect you have to have respect) Thats my phofy, pilfo, :wink: philosophy

 

[lead belly]

Hey Elvis How cum you writing all this filopsfy stuff so early in the evening ? You sound like u done a bit dude ? I knew a guy called elvis once, him and his mate got me pissed and took all my money off me playing cards at an International fitasc comp in Suffolk. think he shot for Wales or Isle of man or sumfing. Must have bean a different elvis, don`t think this one had done much shooting !!!!

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Lead belly did you know that there is spellcheck on here?

 

[ELVIS]

You wont have been the first?.See you are shooting better these days :wink: .

 

[lead belly]

Sorry finkin i was on my phone textin and such like

 

[lead belly]

Hey Elvis can`t believe you responded so quick I thought those retirement homes had u in bed for eight o`clock. Hear u shot well in Holland recentey, well done dude your getting better with age eh .