DOUBLE TRAP

There are two variations of Olympic or International Trap, Trap in which a
single target is thrown from one of the three traps in front of each of the 5
shooting stations and Double Trap in which a pair of targets are thrown
simultaneously from 2 of the 3 center traps.

The center trap (8) throws a dead straight-away target to a height of 3.5 meters
above the roof of the Bunker measured ten meters out. Trap 7, the left one,
throws a target 5° to the left and trap 9, the right one, throws its target 5°
right. Each are 3 meters high measured 10 meters out. All targets travel 55m
(60.5 yards).

There are three different schemes or patterns which determine which of the two 3
center traps are used. Scheme A employs Traps #7 and 8, B uses 8 & 9 and C
throws from 7 & 9.

A built in delay of up to 1 second is used between the call for the target and
the traps? release. This variable delay and the fact that the traps are set 1
meter apart and the shooting stations are in a straight line with only the #3
station being directly behind the active traps produces a very difficult game.

Double Trap is shot in the same basic sequence as American Doubles, that is, a
right hand shooter will shoot the right target first on stations 1, 2 & 3 and
the left target first on stations 4 & 5. A left handed shooter will shoot the
right target first on stations 1 & 2 and the left target first on stations 3, 4
& 5. Sometimes for station 3 both right and left hand shooters will switch the
sequence in order to shoot the straight away target first.

Choke selection is similar to American Doubles and not as important as might be
thought. Anything from IC to modified in the first barrel and modified to full
in the second will get the job done. As in other trap disciplines, most of the
better shooters tend toward tighter chokes.

As in International Trap, there are 6 shooters on the squad. You shoot your
target and after the shooter on your right shoots, you move to his station.
Shooter 5 rotates to station 1 after his shot. Once the match starts, it
continues uninterrupted until over. A match usually consists of 25 pairs from
each of the 3 schemes, A, B & C, which equals 150 targets. A final is then shot
by the 6 highest scoring shooters consisting of 25 pair of targets using scheme
C.

In the Olympics and at World Cups overseas, women shoot separately from the men
and only shoot 20 pairs of targets from each setting and then a final of 20 pair
from C. In the United States, the women shoot right along with the men and the
same number of targets.

The most effective technique for Double Trap is a little different then may be
expected. The foot position and natural point of aim for a right handed shooter
is set for the break point of the first target on stations 1, 2 & 3 and the
second target on stations 4 & 5. That is the right hand target. So a right
handed shooter sets his feet for the right hand target at every station. A left
hander wants to set up for the second target on stations 1 & 2 and the first
target on stations 3, 4 & 5, that is the left hand target. So a left hand
shooter sets up for the left hand target.

It is terribly important to watch the targets of the shooter preceding you and
to get the line of the target down pat. Then the shot must be planned.
Everything is dependent upon how efficiently the first target is broken.

During pre-shot routine, the break point for the first target is selected and
pointed at with the gun. Then the visual focus and gun are brought back down the
line of the target and slightly below that line to establish the hold point
where the gun will wait to anticipate the target. Then visual focus is removed
from the gun and brought further back down the target line towards the bunker to
establish the look point somewhere between the gun and the front edge of the
bunker where the target is most easily and readily seen.

Exact placement of the hold point and look point varies for each shooter and can
only be learned through experience but there are some guidelines.

The best techniques break the first target with a minimum of gun movement so the
hold point is relatively high. The target is shot with a decreasing maintained
lead. The target never gets to the gun. This is not a spot shot, but gun
movement is minimal. It is what Army Marksmanship Unit Shotgun Coach Dean Clark
calls a controlled ambush. Immediately after the shot, the eyes must go to the
second target and the gun will follow.

Soft visual focus on the look point, or target acquisition point is an absolute
necessity. Proper selection of the look point is also crucial to consistent
scores. Soft focus, proper selection of look point and pausing before calling
the target (sometimes called Quiet Eye) will allow the eyes? peripheral vision
to function as intended and lead your macular or central vision (which tracks
and shoots the target) to the target in the most efficient and consistent
manner.

Because the angles are very shallow, 5° on setting A & B and only 10° on setting
C, there is a great tendency to power the gun on past the second target. Many
good shooters intentionally stop the gun on the second target before firing,
especially on stations 2, 3 & 4.

Double Trap is the most difficult of the Olympic Clay Target games. This is
easily demonstrated by the fact that the minimum qualifying scores needed to
shoot in the Olympics are lower for Double Trap then for Trap and Skeet.

Double Trap is the newest of the Olympic Clay Target games, becoming a medal
sport only in 1996. It is currently shot by both men and women, but will be
eliminated for women at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The rules for
Double Trap have also been in transition, the up-to-one-second delay having been
introduced only in 2003. As a result, the doctrine and training techniques are
still being developed, however some constants are appearing.

I recently attended a Double Trap match at the Fairfield Sportsman?s Club in
Harrison, Ohio. It was a small match, only 17 shooters, but it was attended by
the United States Olympic Double Trap Team of Glenn Eller and Brett Ericson, as
well as former Olympian Army shooter Bill Keever and USA Shooting Resident
Athlete and current Pan Am Gold medalist, Jeff Holguin. I took two Juniors from
my club.

I watched with great interest as the best Double Trap shooters in the country
shot their targets and I was surprised at the similarity and consistency of
their techniques because a year and a half ago (before the delay) their
techniques were very different. They have all evolved separately, although each
certainly influences the others, to where they do many things the same. Here is
how I see it.

Double Trap is a lot like shooting pool. It is not so much putting the ball in
the pocket as where you leave the Q ball to set up the next shot. As Assistant
National Shotgun Coach B. J. McDaniel once said of a successful pool shooter,
"well of course he ran the table, he had all easy shots".

Double Trap is learned in 3 stages. First, break the first bird. Second, break
the second bird; third, learn to break the first bird in a way and in a place
that makes it easy to break the second bird. That?s where the good scores come
from.

The elements are these; first, absolute concentration and identification of the
line of the first target from each station. Second, the precise selection of the
target break point, the gun hold point and the visual look point. That allows
the first target to be broken with minimal gun movement and in a place that
allows a smooth transition from first target to the second target. Third, after
the first shot, the eyes must go to the second target before the gun moves. The
eyes must lead the gun. This gun movement must also be a minimal one to prevent
the gun carrying on past the second target and missing beyond (where 80% of the
misses occur).

Holding down on the roof of the Bunker and chasing the first target will never
yield good scores. It takes up too much time. The second target will be falling
before you get to it. And it builds up too much muzzle speed, so you will blow
through the second target and shoot beyond it.

Minimal and efficient gun movement on both first and second target are the key
to good scores.

Double Trap is a great game. It is a technique rather than a reflex game. The
doctrine is still being developed. Because it requires only 3 traps, it is a lot
less expensive to get into then a full 15 trap bunker. It is a great place to
start kids in the Olympic Clay Target Sports. It is where we started with the
Youth Development Shotgun Team and one year later we produced the top Double
Trap shooter in 5 out of the 6 Junior Olympic age groups and 3 Junior National
records. In the 2004 Olympic trials 4 of the top 5 Juniors in Double Trap came
from our program. Last month, three of our young men represented the United
States in the Brazil World Cup as the Junior Double Trap team.

For a young male shooter, Double Trap is a open avenue for advancement.