Do I need an instructor to improve my clay shooting?

I shoot between 75 and 100 targets most fortnights but my scores are not showing much improvement. Any suggestions?

CLAY SHOOTING
John Bidwell
Pleased to hear you are being diligent with your dry mounting because consistent accuracy relies on the gun mount being spot on, and second nature.

In the absence of having a coach watching over your shoulder why not be your own instructor and carry out a little self analysis whenever you miss, or even hit, a target?

I can hear you now asking: ?Why on earth question myself when I break a clay??

Well, it?s how you sometimes do break a clay that gives a clearer idea of where improvements and adjustments can be made.

We all like to dust targets with the centre of the pattern because it indicates our approach has been right, but what of those we chip or crack in two?

It?s these birds that can tell us a lot.

The classic is a ?chip? off the back end of the clay that tells us the next bird needs more forward allowance.

However, it should also prompt us to ask if the near miss behind was caused by standing incorrectly or addressing the muzzles/looking for the target in the wrong place.

Similarly, chips to the top, bottom or front of a target offer their own clues as to the changes that are needed by way of our approach.