Top Tips- Improve your shooting with Robert Cross
Over the coming weeks we will bring you a selection of 'Top Tips' from our team of instructors. First up is a familiar face to many, a man who needs little introduction...Robert Cross!
Robert has been teaching at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School for nearly 30 years. He is recognised throughout the shooting world for being a truly outstanding instructor and his clients enjoy and learn from his calm and focused style of teaching. The following are Robert’s Top Tips for people to bear in mind;
Tip 1 - Make sure that you mount the gun properly.
A good gun mount will result in a good shot. Practicing your gun mount is key, especially after a lesson whilst everything is fresh in your mind. This will create the muscle memory that is essential to good shooting.
When practicing, make sure you bring the gun to the shoulder with both hands working in unison. You want the gun to come to the shoulder and cheek simultaneously with the gun parallel. Do not let one hand work harder than other…this will create a see saw action.
Tip 2 - Make sure that you don’t mount too far behind the bird / clay.
Mounting too far behind the bird forces you to accelerate too fast to catch the bird up. This will can lead to you losing the line and, worse still, is inconsistent.
Try matching the bird’s speed as you mount the gun before gently moving to the point where you want to shoot it. This will help your timing and your swing as well as reducing the risk of “over- thinking” your lead.
Tip 3 – Position your body
It is so important to position yourself in the right place when you want to shoot a bird or clay. This means more than just moving your feet.
It is important to place your feet in the right position, but also you want to make sure the upper part of you is square / parallel to the bird. What I say to students is “imagine you have a plank strapped to your arms. Now, get that line of the plank parallel to the line of the bird. This will adjust your shoulders and torso to the line.”
Good luck with practicing these tips over the summer. But to really get to grips with them, why not book a lesson with Robert?