Learning to Be a Fine Marksman
I’ve been taking clay pigeon shooting lessons for a while and I’m pretty good at it. When I first started, I didn’t even know how to properly operate a gun. I was afraid that I was going to shoot myself or someone else around me. Everyone else seemed so comfortable with the gun, but to me, it was something that I didn’t even want to hold. Over time, with the guidance of my instructor, I became more comfortable around the gun and learned how to shoot with it. As I spent more time with the gun, I became better at aiming.
The moving targets are a little hard to aim at when you first start shooting. Even when you have a cue that the target is about to be thrown into the air, there’s a bit of a moment between when you hear the cue and when you start to aim and fire at the target. Sometimes I would fire too early and miss the target, and other times I would fire too late. Getting the timing right comes with repetition and learning about how the target will travel, based on the environment. Wind can sometimes play a factor in the target’s movement, and you have to adjust according to its direction.
I’m not completely perfect at shooting. There are times when I still miss targets, but now I hit way more targets than I miss. Even my instructor is impressed with the rate at which I’ve been progressing in the lessons. I’d love to try my hand at competing against some of the other shooters in the area. It would give me a chance to test my skills that I’ve learned so far and see how I stack up. If I lose, I would have something to strive for in the next competition.