Trap - Worse second round?

[ChillyW]

I shoot trap once a week, and almost always shoot two rounds. Both rounds go in the league book for scoring.

I've been shooting about two years, and I feel like I'm doing pretty well. My average was around 17 until recently, when I switched to a full choke. Now with the full choke my average is pushing up and I should end the league over 20.

My problem is that I always shoot worse on the second round than I did on the first. It's not uncommon at all for me to shoot a 23 or 24 for the first round. (Still no 25's, darnit! ) But then my second round usually drops by 3 or 4 birds from my first. I'm trying to figure out why.

At this point, all I can think of is fatigue or concentration issues. Two rounds of trap shouldn't tire me out at all. But right now that's all I can think of. How about you guys? Have you got any suggestions for how to sort out the second round problem, or what could be wrong?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Two rounds shouldn't tire one out enough that scores drop that much,ChillyW. My guess is your concentration flags after the first. Remember it's not a 25 bird event, it's a ONE bird event followed by other ONE bird events.

Something that oft helps with concentration, besides Ritalin, is shooting flurries. See old threads for details.

Also, in case lack of conditioning is a factor, practice your mounts at home. 15 minutes spent inserting the shotgun into the right place and swinging it will do more good for your form than one round of trap or skeet.

HTH...

 

[00-Guy]

Another thought:

Is the second round shot immediately after you finish the first? If that is the case, I agree with Dave about it probably not being fatigue, but diminished focus. Practice the mount. Focus on one bird at a time.

If there is some amount of time between rounds, think about what you are doing. Are you filling up on caffine? Are you talking about the last round with friends? Examine your activities and see if they might be contributing. Do not think about where you are in the count, but focus on one bird at a time. Do not think about what you are doing after this round ends, including going home, but focus on one bird at a time. Trust me, BTDTGTTS (been there, done that, got the t-shirt)

One final thought: Even in the Great White North, hydration is important. Drink a sports drink or plenty of water will help.

hope that helps,

paul....

 

[ChillyW]

I'm thinking it's mostly a focus issue. We usually only take enough time to grab another box of shells between rounds. And truly, I don't think about a "round" at all. I'm always only thinking about the current station. I suppose I need to focus even more on each individual shot.

Practicing my mount is a great idea. I expect that after 25-30 shots, I'm probably getting lazy with the mount, and just sticking it up there on my shoulder. I need to make sure I'm hitting the same point exactly every time, and that I'm getting my cheek on the stock just right.

The one thing I've found that really helps me with staying on the stock, and with follow-through, is to bring my point back to the house before I relax. What I mean is; I mount the gun, set my point on the trap house, call for the bird, and then shoot the bird. But it doesn't end there. Now I reverse the path of the gun, and bring it back down to the house to my original hold point, before I take my cheek off the stock and the butt off my shoulder. It helps me maintain my focus and keeps from from jumping up off the gun right after the shot.

 

[kudu]

I have to agree with the previous guys. Focus is the main cause with only 2 rounds. Try 4 rounds at a time and see what that does to your concentration, or have one person pull you targets without you calling for them, being ready to shoot of course.

 

[arcticap]

I think that YOU need to figure out what's not right with your method in the rounds where you are not hitting as well. There may be something that you are not conscious about yet that you need to incorporate into your shooting technique that you can only learn by continued improvisation and continuous trial & error over many, many rounds of trap.
It could be how you hold your forestock, arch your back, or position your feet, etc...You are overcoming the deficiency at first, somehow, but it catches up with you because somehow you may still be somewhat unaware of it. Nobody is born with all the technique. It must be aquired and figured out somehow. The more rounds of trap that you shoot, and the degree that you continue to try out and develop new techniques when on the line, for better or worse, will determine how much you, or anyone for that matter, progresses toward being a more perfect trap shooter.
Did you ever notice where your missed shot went at the time it happened? If you can determine WHERE your shot went when you missed, then you can begin to try to work on what you may need to do to get the shot to hit WHERE you need it to go.
Fatigue may be an issue. If it is, I combat fatigue by resting the muzzle of my gun at all times when not loaded while on the trap line, by placing it on a pad that I carry and put on the ground at every station. That way, I can keep my arms rested for the next shot.