teaching shooting
I am helping coach a Youth Hunter Education Competition team at the middle school where I teach. The competition consists of four events: .22 rifle, sporting clays, hunting safty trail, and wildlife and game ID. I feel confident that I can help with the rifle, safty trail and game ID, but I have never done much with shotguns. What types of things should I be looking for to help these kids shoot better? Most of these kids have shot before, several more than me, so how can I make sure they don't develpe any bad habits and break the ones some of them already have. I appreciate any insight you can give me, and I would also welcome ideas on the .22 rifle portion.
Thank you,
Will
Thank you,
Will
0
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Will.... If working with kids a 20ga would likely be best for them to shoot as it does not recoil as much as the 12ga.
If you end up with a 12ga then use a light target load with no more than 1oz oz shot. If you will have them shooting a flying clay targets they will need to "lead" or shoot slightly in front of the targets so the shot charge will "intersect" the target in flight.
For .22 target shooting, select the ammo ahead of time and sight-in the rifles with that ammo so they will accurate before you start teaching. There is nothing more frustrating for a student than to shoot a gun that will not hit where it is aimed.
Remember to stress safe gun handling all the time. Make sure they do not point any gun at anyone, and to keep their fingers off the trigger until they are "on target" and ready to shoot.
Joe
"Never let school interfere with your education"0 -
Hey Will14; just a couple of thoughts from a guy that shoots trap, twice a week, every week. It is one of the most fun shooting sports that you could ever get these kids involved in. Almost every community that I can think of, has a trap shooting range, close to where they can access it when they want too shoot. And with that in mind, I think the biggest mistake that people make when they are starting out shooting trap, they try to get their students to shoot at a local range, at the 16 yard line, which is very difficult for young shooters to master. You are much better off starting them off, with a hand thrown trap, and a smaller shotgun that fits the particular student. So many people try and start them with a 12 gauge, and that creates bad habits from the get go!
Start em with a hand trap, and a 20, or 28 ga, that has a stock that fits at least a bit better than a full size 12 ga.
Good luck,
BigBarn[:o)]
"Respect the land, and it will respect you"0 -
I was able to come up with two youth model 20ga pumps that seem to shoot well, and safty is #1 at all times. There are always at least three adults at practice; one working the trap and one next to each shooter giving tips and making shure that muzzle doesn't go someplace it is not meant to. How far do you lead a clay target? Is there a set rule for this, like amount of drop on a rifle bullet at a given distance, or is it somethin you need to just get a feel of and comes from experience?
Thanks again,
Will0 -
spend as much time in the "classroom" and on saftey issues as you do on actual handling and shooting...
when teaching shotgun shooting, you need to consider what type of game or sport they will most likely encounter...
the hardest transition is from rifle shooting to wingshooting / trap shooting / skeet shooting / sporting clays. in rifle shooting you are taught to keep the gun steady, and not let it move at all. in wingshooting and the mentioned other events you need to keep the shotgun in motion, even after you pul the trigger. many youth shooter / rifle shooters try to pause or stop there shotgun whn they pull the trigger, and end up missing under or behind the bird. teaching proper follow through and muzzle arc swing can prove tricky...
keep it safe, but keep it fun or some kids will get bored or distracted. offer small / cheap prizes, and fun targets (balloons, clay pigeons on a string)...
use a milk jug full of water to demonstrate the effect of a shotshell. it creates a lasting impression...
best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
contact me at the shop at waltsgun@aol.com best regards, mike.0 -
Will14, try contacting the NRA. I'm sure with their vast knowledge and resources you should be able to get someone to send you step by step instruction on how to instruct students for the topics you are involved in. My guess is they will send you literature as well as a video. And as for leading flying birds or clay targets each person must develop his own feel and lead for their shooting, when I was beginning shotgunning I was told how to lead by people that should know but found out I was leading by too much, I soon figured out that what I see and feel for lead isn't quite what everyone else percieves. Some people are two eyes open shooters and some are not.
Good luck and have fun![:D]0 -
i teach shotgun for a living. this is my flyer. this is what i hand out to my students before the class. then, i have them take it as a test when im done. if they cant answer all of it 100%, back out to the field they go![:D] call me for the answers. kids are the hardest to teach because their focus span is 30 minutes on average. anything more than 2 kids at a time, is going to be a waste of day if youre trying to 'teach.' if all you want to do is a FAM FIRE, skies the limit. i found that its more FUN for kids to shoot 'types of shotguns,' than it is trying to hit something. so, i have a: lever, pump, sbs, single shot, and semi action on the range for kids to work their way down the line on. they get to load it, operate it, and aim at something simple like a clay target on the ground. getting serious is a one on one thing that takes TIME. if you have a bonified course for them to shoot, practice today! pay my way and i'll come teach the course for you! hope this helps.
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For years I've taught students in my hunder ed classes that when shooting a rifle- it is AIMED and when shooting a shotgun, it is POINTED. Last year it finally dawned on me that what I was saying was that when shooting a rifle, your primary focus is your sight; when shooting a shotgun, your primary focus is your target. In rifle instruction the technique used to shoot a shotgun correctly, if applied to a rifle would be called "chasing the target". 0 -
Wow! Thanks for all of the information everybody. So far, we have only had one shooting practice, and our focus was on bringing the gun to the cheek and focusing on the target instead of the sight. These kids are 10 and 11 years old, but they are used to 90min. classes, and anything involving a firearm is more exciting than how to use a comma to them. I had not thought about it, but a classroom lesson on the basics of how a firearm works would be a good practice for a bad weather day. I guess the next step is having them shoot more, learn to keep their barrel moving, and figure out how much to lead. Bobski, thank you very much for the offer to come help, but I am a teacher in rual central Missouri. Unless you lived in the next town over, and all I had to do was buy a tank of gas... Unfortunatly, this is not a school sanctioned team even though these kids have the opportunity to be successful in something they love and will be able to enjoy much longer than basketball or football.
Thanks again,
Will0 -
Youth model 20 guage is okay if a semi-automatic; otherwise I'd suggest a 28 guage. Bobski's questions are very good, and similiar to any good shooting coach's.... 
"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it." Lord Chesterfield0
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