Pull away method advice & help?

OKay, so in the time that I haven't been able to get out and shoot, I've been trying to gen up a lot of bits and pieces about the pull away method, mainly youtube seems to consist of Ben Hustwaite & GIl Ash videos, both of whom have given me things to think about, but does anyone have any specific links to videos or articles/columns which have helped them with this method? I'm becoming more aware I have a tendency to use follow through most of the time for nearly everything which is possibly leaving me open to shooting a little flat instead of a curved trajectory for things like crossers, etc.

More tools in the armoury, that's all, and thanks in advance.

You could try searching for “Simon arbuckle how to hit” on YouTube/ cpsa website ... it may throw up some useful videos.

I dont know of any specific articles or videos. But you wont go far wrong with Ben Husthwaite videos.  Practice on a slow  crosser   insert  on or very close to the target  match speed and pull away slowly to the lead. The most important part is matching speed before pulling away.  If your used to shooting mostly swing-through  remember slow gun and you will need to see a bigger gap than your used to.  Match speed, slow hands, see the gap. 

Several good bits of advice above, Ben Husthwaite and Mark Winster videos on fieldsports channel and Cpsa how to hit series are very good for reference, Ben Husthwaite method star video is worth a watch as well, some snipits of it on YouTube for a taster. I have used all of the above to good effect to tune my shooting without being able to afford proper coaching.

If you follow ben on fb you would of seen a training session with some of his clients where he makes them use different methods,understanding when to use them is included in this session.Like many top shots he has a way of seeing the bigger picture of whats required to make the right shot but he's one of the few that can put that knowledge into understanding for the client.

Be selective about learning from videos as some are a case of "do what I say not what I do".

I've been reffing registered sporting for several years now and I would unhesitatingly say that the great majority of AAs & AAAs use maintained lead on medium to fast targets and pull through on slower crossers/quartering and trap type clays . Pull away seems to be the least used method amongst the higher ranked shooters.

Most of us started out with swing through and gradually learned pull away before getting to grips with maintained lead. Some though never get past pull away.

Having said that BH has been on this very forum arguing strongly that maintained lead is the worst method of all with the clear implication that he never uses it. Yet he does and I know this because I've seen him do it on more than one occasion. Similarly, GD has instructional videos where he's teaching and demonstrating swing through on crossers - which look to me to be perfect for maintained - yet I've reffed George on a number of occasions and he absolutely does use maintained if he thinks it's right for the target.

My advice if you have ambitions to improve is that there's no substitute for proper instruction from a good coach. It's not ruinously expensive and it really is the quickest and cheapest route to becoming a competent shot.

Apart from a mistake maintained lead is something I will never ever use. Question is a good one and pull away is amazing when delivered correctly. Please message me on social media and I’ll be happy to advise you 

ben 

El Spavo said:

OKay, so in the time that I haven't been able to get out and shoot, I've been trying to gen up a lot of bits and pieces about the pull away method, mainly youtube seems to consist of Ben Hustwaite & GIl Ash videos, both of whom have given me things to think about, but does anyone have any specific links to videos or articles/columns which have helped them with this method? I'm becoming more aware I have a tendency to use follow through most of the time for nearly everything which is possibly leaving me open to shooting a little flat instead of a curved trajectory for things like crossers, etc.

More tools in the armoury, that's all, and thanks in advance.

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I can sympathise. I had an awful day last Friday with the B525. Started out well. Some of the best shots I've made yet. smooth, efficient, controlled and precise. I was very pleased with them. 

Then for some reason, I'm not yet sure why, (but I have a few ideas) it all went t*/$ up and I started missing. I've noticed when I do this, it usually involves some form of 'thinking' and it usually ends up with maintained lead which I know only works by chance, that is to say if I make a hit, it's good fortune and nothing much else. This is what I was doing Friday and had a feeling that the gun wasn't pointing where I was expecting it to, resulting in hesitancy, stopping the gun and even freezing! I did dust a few on the second barrel out of sheer annoyance of missing the first, from body contortions I wouldn't have thought it possible to hit a clay. I guess that's what happens when you disengage the brain?

The day ended better when I was presented with random clays, teals, chondell, quartering away, incoming, crossers all about 40-50 yards away and of moderate speed. Finished on a couple of fast crossers off the tower and deliberately took them early using pull away and dusted them much to my surprise.

I have to say, when I do get it right, pull away is almost guaranteed to work. I think maybe sometimes pull away can almost feel like swing through, or at least that's my impression when everything is flowing and buttery smooth.

I've used swing-through mainly on overhead driven and this has worked well for me. If I could find a grounds where the course was 50 rabbits and 50 overhead off the tower I reckon I'd be an AA* in no time! 

My Blaser F16 should be delivered to the RFD this week, so very much looking forward to that. Maybe it will help restore my confidence and I can start hitting them a bit more often?

*or in AA more likely

My biggest problem as a newbie and from a target shooting background is keeping the bleedin shotgun moving

ColinD said:

My biggest problem as a newbie and from a target shooting background is keeping the bleedin shotgun moving

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Yup, pull the trigger and stop!

Too much thinking 

k80ben said:

Apart from a mistake maintained lead is something I will never ever use. Question is a good one and pull away is amazing when delivered correctly. Please message me on social media and I’ll be happy to advise you 

ben 

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Thanks, and thanks to all who have replied... I do like as wide a scope of opinion as possible to give many option until I get to what makes sense to me so appreciate all for their comments.

...however... I did email you a few months ago Ben about a seminar but got nothing back so what method are you suggesting for contacting you dude?

Oh, and thanks Gavin for reminding me that the technique is actually called swing through.

Follow through is a whole other problem that I have!

El Spavo said:

Thanks, and thanks to all who have replied... I do like as wide a scope of opinion as possible to give many option until I get to what makes sense to me so appreciate all for their comments.

...however... I did email you a few months ago Ben about a seminar but got nothing back so what method are you suggesting for contacting you dude?

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Www.benhusthwaite.co.uk or any social media platform mate 

Look up Dan Carlisle...nuff said!

Well I suppose the point is that what suits one person doesn't necessarily suit another. Ben showed his class by taking HG at Garlands on Sunday, but just down the road at Honesberie, RF took HG with a 99 and he happily employs maintained lead where he feels it's best. Joint runner up on 97 was Chris Childerhouse who has posted on here and has told me directly, that he uses maintained on every target that needs lead.

My advice is find what works for you, perhaps with some help from an instructor and don't assume anything is carved in stone.

Oh, I'm not assuming there is a single winning way to shoot, be a bit boring and prescriptive if there was, but as I said earlier that I like to take many opinions, it's getting a broad scope of techniques and working out what one or ones work for you. At present, this is one that I don't reeeeeally have under my belt and I feel I do need to get to grips with it, even if it then leads to maintained lead as something that works for me.

I used to hate pull away, but now I find that on slower crossing targets that you have plenty of time on it is giving me more consistent results.  My biggest bugbear with it initially is that I ended up spending too much time making sure I was checking that I was exactly 'on' the target and matching speed perfectly before I developed the lead.  I've found that matching speed is important, but being exactly 'on' the target isn't so much of a big deal.  As long as I'm near enough, have the gun speed correct and then make sure that the relationship between gun and clay is the same at the point I fire it works pretty well for me. 

In fact, on really long slow targets crossing / quartering targets that need little or no lead, I intentionally track behind them at the same speed as the clay and then increase speed slightly until I get to the front edge of the clay and fire.  Works much better for me than tracking on the target, where I then tend to stop the gun as I fire.

I've tried swing through and pull away methods but I cannot get on with either they seem so uncontrolled and unmeasured to me. If I miss I have absolutely no Idea where. Maintained lead is so much easier for me, I use it on all targets.

chippy said:

I've tried swing through and pull away methods but I cannot get on with either they seem so uncontrolled and unmeasured to me. If I miss I have absolutely no Idea where. Maintained lead is so much easier for me, I use it on all targets.

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Even on driven and teal?