Shooting - School

Whether starting out at clays on the range or wild game in the field, too many hopeful beginners are told that learning to shoot with a shotgun is extremely difficult.
"You'll need to fire off a cart load of cartridges before you're any good" is simply not true.
Encouraging novices to start shooting and giving them solid advice on how everything should be done properly can be daunting, both for student and teacher.
The beginner might easily form the impression that his instructor is some self-important, know-all big shot!

I always say that shotgun shooting is easier to learn than the two most popular ball games, tennis and golf, which everyone tries, despite the fact that both are actually very difficult to learn well.

A golf instructor colleague recently confided to me that too many of his pupils lack any skill at all, which made me think he should tell them to take up clay shooting - they'd be more successful with much less pain and effort!

At my shooting range, I always start off beginners with an easy target, to give them a chance to get the feel of a strange gun, the sensitivity of the trigger, the loudness of the report and the impact of the recoil.

A Scottish gamekeeper once said of shooting "What's hit is history - what's missed is mystery". No one wants to remember targets missed - especially the easier ones.

We want first-timers to experience the thrill of hitting the target, so we like to start off with some easy clays.

But it's equally important to remember the detail of the overall sensation. Was the recoil as comfortable as promised, or worse? Could one still see the clay during the shot or was it masked by the barrel? Or perhaps the shooter could see neither clay nor barrel - because his eyes were tight shut!

Right from the start, little mistakes must be ironed out. A small error left uncorrected will develop into a big problem later. These are spotted and clearly noted within the first or second lesson.

In the early days it doesn't really matter whether the novice actually hits the target or not. In my experience contact starts to happen sooner or later, and once it begins, it goes on again and again.
What really matters is that the student understands the answers and advice being given by the instructor.

During the lesson, you will be accompanied by the instructor from one position to the next, either at the skeet or trap range or the sporting set-up.

We advise and teach all the essentials required to become a competent and, most important, a SAFE gun handler.

Our approach to instruction is the same as taught at the better known English shooting schools such as "Holland & Holland" or "The West London"

I would like to thank Percy Stanbury, Norman Clarke, Rex Gage and Ken Davies of The "Holland & Holland" school in Northwood for all they have done to teach and help me.

The natural layout at Heisterberg is unique because it provides our sporting set-up with a wider variety of training opportunities than any other shooting range in Germany.
After only three or four lessons we can make a dramatic improvement to your shooting. There is a special pleasure in discovering how and why you are hitting the target using a gun that fits you personally.

You may think I sound like the barman who says he likes his own drinks best. You might think I am blowing my own trumpet, but I know we can improve your shooting - dramatically.