Keep on Swingin’

by: Paul Giambrone, III

I had just picked up one of my best friends and squad leader from the airport in Dallas and he informed me that he had a new squad song for us, “Keep on Swinging'” by: Rival Sons.  I listened to this song and it made all the sense in the world to me, which inspired me to write on this topic.  The chorus of the song goes something like this, “Hey, Hey I keep my head down but I keep on swinging.”  It makes a lot of sense for us skeet shooters, but few of us actually execute this.  Why is that?  We all hear how important it is to keep our head down on the stock and follow through; but so many of us are pulling the gun away from our face as soon as the gun goes off.  Many shooters tell me, “well as soon as the shot is fired, it is over, so why stay in the gun?”  Others say it is “showboating” to follow through so long after the shot.  I say it is highly intelligent and wise to stay in the gun well after the shot.  Let’s take a look at why.

First off, let’s define what it means to keep your head down on the stock and have a follow through.  The proper way to put your head on the stock is to have firm cheek pressure on the top and the side of the comb.  This is achieved by turning your chin towards the stock (not literally putting your chin on the stock, but turning your head slightly into the comb) and getting your cheek on top of the stock.  This way you are locked in good and tight, but not head shaking tight.  Good firm cheek pressure must be obtained before, during and after the shot.  If you get the firm cheek pressure and can no longer see over the back of the receiver or the beads are mashed into each other, you need to raise the comb, not your head.  If you do not have an adjustable comb, you can use a product that I bring to my clinics, which is a wrapid comb (www.gunsolutions.com), moleskin or have an adjustable comb installed on your stock, anything that will build up the stock to where you can get the firm cheek pressure and still see over the gun.  In most cases, the gun does not fit the shooter properly which is why they want to come out of the gun so quickly.  Simple fix, take a lesson from a trained professional or see a gun fitter that has a great reputation.  Get the gun to fit you properly that way you give yourself every advantage to actually keep your head down firmly on the stock.  Why is this so important?  Simple.  In shotgun shooting, there are generally 3 sights on the gun.  The bead at the end of the barrel, the one about midway down the barrel and your eye ball.  If your eye is not in the same exact place every time and consistently there, you are changing your point of impact all around.  This accounts for plenty of misses each year.  The miss where, generally, everything looks perfect, but the target doesn’t break.  However, on the flip side, if you give your brain the same look each and every time by keeping your head down, firmly, and in the same place, this will most likely result in consistent shooting.

What about this follow through showboating thing?  If I keep my head down firmly during the shot, what difference does it make if I take it away from my face as soon as I fire?  I say it is contingency planning.  Say what?!?!?!  Yes, planning for the contingency that you are really pumped up or fatigued.  I see it all of the time.  When a shooter is doing really well, you can see the adrenaline flowing through their veins!  They are so pumped up that they actually get a little faster and a little faster which then means they are coming out of the gun quicker and quicker… Which, most of the time, leads to a shot that looks absolutely perfect, but the target doesn’t break.  More than likely, if the shooter already had a short follow through to begin with, they took their head off of the stock before or right as the shot was fired, resulting in the miss.  I have also seen it when the shooter is tired.  With fatigue setting in, they start taking the gun down quicker and quicker until the point where they take it down before they shoot.  See where the contingency planning comes into play now?  If I have a long, exaggerated follow through after the shot is fired, even when I am tired or pumped, I’ll still be able to keep my head down well after the shot is fired.  This is one of the primary reasons why my follow through is so exaggerated.  I can eliminate a lot of misses by not coming out of the gun too soon.  Years ago, we had a phrase on the squad to help us follow through and it was, “house to house.”  Meaning, whichever house we were shooting, we would follow through until we saw the other house in our peripheral vision (except on station 8 of course).  Now that’s exaggerating!  The other drill a shooter can do is follow a piece to the ground (remembering to keep your head locked in), but be safe when you do this.  Remember to always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

Lastly, I have shooters ask me if this hurts my doubles game because I exaggerate the follow through so much.  Actually, it’s quite the opposite.  By keeping your head down firmly in your singles will help you keep your head down when you shoot doubles.  If you are coming out of the gun quickly in singles, chances are, you are going to come out of the gun after your first shot in doubles, which will result in your eye moving, which will result in the gun shooting in a difference place every time you shoot your second target.  Tell me, can I be consistent if my head is all over the place?  Not a chance.  Moral of the story, glue your head to the stock.  Well, that’s great and all, but what about the follow through?  Won’t I get behind the second target if I follow through that much?  Sure you will, but if you look at all of the consistent doubles shooters, there is a slight follow through after they break the first target.  Meaning, they break the first target in the proper area, follow through slightly to the second target and then rip into their turn on the second shot.  Overall, it is so easy to learn the ability to stay in the gun and follow through, so why not master something that is so simple and is one of the very basic needs for consistent shotgun shooting?

If you have any questions or comments, please email me directly at info@gsclinics.com and visit breakmoretargets.com for more information!  Please check the website for upcoming tournaments and clinics in your area and keep in mind that GSC is now in the DFW area!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!

Tip of the month: Take a much closer look at how your gun fits you when you mount the gun properly and keep your head down firmly on the stock.  Instead of having light cheek pressure, get firm cheek pressure and see how everything looks.  A great tip is to mount the gun with your eyes closed and see how everything lines up.  You should be able to mount the gun with your eyes closed and have everything lined up properly.  If not, there is a good chance the gun doesn’t fit you properly and/or there is a gun mount issue.  This is where professional instructors and gun fitters with excellent reputations come into play.