doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Swing problems.

Again out to pasture trap and I have always notice that my swing from right to left is smooth however, my swing from left to right is nothing short of ackward and jerky. Percentage hits from right to left is 80% upwards to and including 100%. But left to right its dismal sometimes as low as or below 20%. I also noticed that up in South Dakota while hunting. The bird would blast off ranging either to my right or left and it was pretty much the same story and the same percetage of hits.

I played a lot of baseball/softball when I was a kid and the feel of a double with that barrel weight out there feels like you are swinging a baseball bat. I'm thinking is this the way its going to be because of the natural habit or should I say bad habit I acquired learning how to swing a baseball bat all those years? Anyone else has this problem or am I barking at the moon??

Your smoother swing right to left is not at all unusual. Swinging in that direction helps keep the head on the wood whereas going the other way there is a tendency to push the gun away from your head. Second part of it is your left foot can be moved more easily to the left to keep your stance open for the swing. Again, harder to step to the right to account for game bird going that way as normally you would need to move both feet to do that. As a result your get caught up in the tendency to dip the gun downward as you run out of the optimum portion of your swing to the right and this results in a number of jerky corrective efforts. Try it dry firing and you will see. So I suggest concentrating on head on the wood and making a distinct move with both feet to set up correctly for the left to right swing. Don't know if any of this is your problem, but it sure is mine if I don't concentrate on setting up before the shot. My kids and friends laugh about how everything that flies left on me is dead - that going right the birds have a chance. Now if I could just figure out the straight aways.

I have an opposite direction (R to L) issue, to a much lower degree than yours. My issue is more about sight picture, but also includes my swing.

I'm finding that "pass-thru" (as opposed to constant lead) shooting is helping.

It would seem with your left foot forward swinging from your left to right would be easier as your body is better positioned to swing in that direction.

No, or am I full of sh$t.

Turning from the hips and not the arms will also help a lot. Ideally, the upper body remains perfectly stationary as you pivot on the hips.

I agree with Jerry about not keeping your cheek on the stock, and especially your foot placement. Try taking just a little more time to take a step backwards with the right foot, or forward with the left, to give you more "room" to swing right without "winding up". That little extra time taken to do that can pay great dividends. If it takes too much time and you can't get the shot off, well, it's better to not take the shot anyway than to miss 80+% of those shots.

Try also to work on cutting back on the total length of the swing. I've learned that the more your hands are involved in the shot, as in longer swings, the greater the chance of getting off line or trying to "measure the lead". I learned this from Bill McGuire, a very successful pro shooter. I insert the gun, nearly always, on or just ahead of the bird and then, with a very short move, pull away and shoot. Let your eyes do the work for you. They are much more dependable than your muscles that you use to swing the gun. There is just so much swing that our bodies are capable of before our muscles "wind up" and we lift our head or drop the shoulder.

People watching me shoot sometimes comment on how little muzzle movement I have, at times calling it "spot shooting". It's not spot shooting at all, there is just a very short and quick move to establish lead, sometimes almost unnoticeable to bystanders.

Stan

As a right hander , I too find the left to right more awkward, but have found some improvement by giving a good bit more lead on those shots
franc

Thank you gentlemen for the information, great stuff!! I'm heading out right now to practice these methods.

I noticed something by the way we all talk and the terms we all use are we nothing more than a bunch of old baseball/little league players?

Try this once as I think it will demonstrate the foot problem for you. Stand in your normal stance facing to the front as you would be in walking in on a flush. Mount the gun without moving your feet and see how far left you can swing and keep the gun going level without undue strain - probably close to 90 degrees left. Now do the same to the right and see how your body starts to strain to keep the barrels on a level plane as you get around 45 degrees right and tension builds in your back muscles. It is because you are turning around that front left foot which is normally carrying about 70% of your weight. So you need to reposition your feet to get the lead foot around closer to the hit point - opening the stance for that side of the swing.

Whenyou get to poition #5, take stance as if you were pointing 20' off the right hand corner of the trap. Then turn your body at the waist to assume your normal hold position. When the hard right hander comes out your body will uncoil naturally to the right reducing any jerky movements. With a straight away from this position you don't have to move. Every other bird will be going to the right which you will be ready for. Can't hoit to try.