The elusive 25 straight...

Having been down that road, you have to stop thinking about it and relax. I know, easier said than done. But I'll bet that if you miss on station #1, you can easily go through the bunch including low #8. The pressure is off. I have been known to miss the 2nd low #8. Once you run that first 25, you'll get a 2nd before too long because the pressure is not so high. You have already done it once. Just keep at it. Your mind knows what to do if you stay out of the way by not thinking about it.:banghead:
If you shot them all in reverse order, I'll bet the problem would be high house #1.

Seriously...it's all in your head. RELAX, take it one bird at a time and just shoot what you see.

If it's any consolation, the first 25 is the most difficult...

Story time...I used to shoot with an old guy (don't we all? ) that when I'd miss an easy one, he'd pull his hat off his head, swing it at me and say, "Ed..quit thinking and just shoot." There's a lot to be said about that statement.

Ed

If you can hit 24, you can hit 25. Keep at it. It WILL come...

They're not hard to hit, just easy to miss.

When running a straight; the 2nd low-eight was initially difficult for me, first-time jitters I guess. After I missed a few options on low-eight, I practiced and shot a box of shells just at station eight. After I could break them every time I was very confident and actually looked forward to station eight because I knew that I would break them.

The other posters are right, once you get the first 25-straight out of the way, there will be many more to follow.

Always remember to have fun, otherwise it isn't worth it.

You are missing that target for a reason. The first thing is to find out if there is a technical reason you miss that target. Is it eye hold, foot position, hold point, eyes not still or moving before you see the bird? Don't depend on some old duffer at the club who means well, find someone who instructs and knows the game and can tell you WHY you missed. Practice a few dozen low 8's with the instructor.

If it's not your technique then it's your head and that's more complicated but here is a tip that worked for me when I was chasing my first straight rounds. Put half a dozen more shells in your pocket than you need. Reaching into your vest at the last station and finding two shells instead of one reinforces how close you are to the straight. You already know that you are close but for me at least reaching in and feeling those extra shells seemed to make a difference.

"If you can hit 24, you can hit 25. Keep at it. It WILL come... "

and when you do, then you will want a perfect score on the S/C range

It might be a matter of nerves causing you to miss Low 8, but then again, it might be a shooting fault that you have at that station.

I used to have a terrible time with Low 8 because I never really mastered the mechanics of the shot. High 8 was a piece of cake but Low 8 threw me for a loop.

There can be many reasons why your mechanics of shooting Low 8 are faulty, but the only way you are going to run 25's is to first master Low 8.

Some common faults are: stopping the gun, lifting your head, failing to follow through, "cross-sighting" the target, and shooting before you have acquired the proper sight picture.

Some "fixes" may include: changing to a more open stance, keeping your cheek glued to the stock, exaggerating your follow through, concentrating on the sight picture you must see to break the target, and closing the "off" eye.

Some shooters work on Low 8 by starting several steps back from the shooting pad (toward the High House), then as they experience success in hitting Low 8, they gradually move forward until they are back on the pad. You have to be careful not to let your bad habits creep back into your shooting mechanics as you move closer to the pad.

For me, the solution was to face about 30 degrees left of the low house, winding back to just outside the low house window, tightly closing my left eye, then staring intently into the window as I called for the target. This, in effect, turned a low incoming target into a close range crossing target. I'm not recommending this method for everyone, but if other methods have not worked for you, you might try it. Good luck.

If it's the low 8 that you suddenly drop for no good reason, take an extra shell and shoot a low 8 before you fire any shot of your "official" 25; you'll break it, and suddenly you won't be dreading that position, you'll be looking FORWARD to dusting it.

Many years ago the league had the most beautiful 100 Straight patch. I was high average, most straights in the juniors. Man, I wanted that patch. Three time a week I shot, and if I got 50 I kept going. Most I ever got was... 97. Choke city. I can close my eyes and still see that patch...

This is how ranges make money.

If the RO will go along with it...
take a box of shells to station 8 and shoot nothing but low 8s. call for the first 10 targets and the rest launched by someone else as surprise targets.

You might want to check your stance. I was having lots of trouble with 8 low, so I changed my stance a little to take the bird a little later. Don't rush. You come off the gun when your head impedes movement of the gun. This happens when you run out of flexibility to swing in the trunk of the body. Angling a little more out into the field gives you more room to swing. See the bird, move on the bird, shoot the bird.

Some folks give advice on shooting the bird quickly out of the house, but go with what works.

I myself am having problems with 6 low. But that's probably mental, as 6 low has been giving me trouble since I started, and I hate that damn station's guts...

I have had similar problems, can almost shoot that target with my eyes closed as long as I dont get cocky and dont think too hard about it. A game I have played a few times that seem to help was this:

Start at regulation low 8 and shoot it. If you hit it, take a step toward the house. Shoot from there. If you hit it, take another step closer and repeat. IF you miss, go back to where you shoot regulation 8 and start over. Shoot this with a box or 2 of shells and you will notice a big difference - you also wont feel rushed on these shots after this.

Great!! Thanks for improving my morn.