Falmouth Skeet Club

The Skeet Field (from NSSA)

Today’s skeet field varies little from its 1920 beginnings. It has eight shooting stations and two trap houses. Seven of the stations are arranged in a half moon between the two trap houses, and one station is directly between them. The high house, on the left side of the field, throws its targets from a trap 10 feet above the ground. The target rises to a height of 15 feet by the time it travels to the center of the field. The low house target, on the right side, leaves the trap house just 3-1/2 feet from the ground. It also rises to a height of 15 feet by the time it reaches the center of the field. A Round of Skeet A round of skeet consists of 25 targets, with 17 shot as singles and 8 as doubles. The first miss is repeated immediately and is called an option. If no targets are missed during the round, the last or 25th target is shot at the last station, low house 8. The shooting sequence is as follows: Stations 1 and 2: High house single; Low house single; High house/Low house pairStations 3, 4, and 5: High house single; Low house singleStations 6 and 7: High house single; Low house single; Low house/High house pairStation 8: High house single; Low house single Skeet is shot in squads of up to five shooters. They move from station to station around the half moon, ending up in the center, at the end of the round. Any gauge shotgun may be used, of any type, as long as it can fire at least two shots. The preferred shot size is #9, but nothing larger than 7-1/2 should ever be used. Since strength is not a factor, women are able to compete equally with men. Left handed shooters do just as well as right.

Six Steps to Winning Skeet (from NSSA)

1. CORRECT FOOT POSITION – This will enable you to swing on the target without losing your balance or running out of swing.

2. GUN HOLD OR WHERE TO POINT THE BARREL BEFORE YOU CALL FOR THE TARGET – This will enable you to pick up the target quicker and shoot it with a minimum of swing.

3. WHERE TO FOCUS YOUR EYES - Where to look when calling for the target to enable you to see it faster.

4. KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO BREAK THE TARGET – You must have an idea of where to break the target to be able to perform steps 1, 2, and 3.

5. VISUALIZE HOW MUCH LEAD IS NEEDED TO BREAK THE TARGET – Tell yourself how much lead is needed to shoot the target and mentally see it break before you call for it.

6. BE LOUD AND FIRM WHEN CALLING FOR THE TARGET - Call for the target in a loud firm voice. When doing so, make sure you’re mentally alert and physically relaxed