# Need tips for having the best shooting practices I can



## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Hi guys! I'm a newbie when it comes to slingshot shooting, but I'm really enjoying it. I had a few questions regarding the best ways to train. Right now, I'm shooting at a vitamin bottle from 5 to 8 meters. I hung it in front of the blinds in my girlfriend's apartment and can only shoot when she's not around, and I shoot toilet paper squares wrapped with electric tape because I worry that the steel balls could damage something in her apartment. I noticed I'm a lot more accurate when I try shooting steel balls, but I have nowhere to shoot them properly, because I live in downtown Vancouver and discharging firearms, including slingshots, is prohibited pretty much everywhere on the lower mainland. And my girlfriend won't let me have a trap in her apartment, so I just do what I can with what I have.

Now, for the questions... I've been working on shooting the slingshot like I would shoot a rifle, as described by Bill Hays in his excellent videos. I shoot sideways, using my right eye to acquire my target just over the top band. And I'm practising with the Scout and some Dankung 1842 with SuperSure pouches. One of the things that I'm wondering about is the anchor point. I think I'm finding it difficult to keep it consistent. I pull the bands past my head and lean my cheekbone against the band, but I do feel like it changes quite a bit. Is there tricks to get your anchor point more consistent? Of course, I know that practice makes perfect, but I'd like to ask the best shooters here, how did you manage to always have the same anchor point? Because I'm trying to eliminate as many variables as possible in my shooting, so I can control better the variables left. Also, what are the other variables to consider? I've notices the angle I hold my slingshot at makes a difference... Like, I find better results if instead of having it perfectly vertical, I have it like 10 degrees towards shooting it horizontally. Also, I'm not sure about the aim. I'm trying to aim using the bump of the band bending over the top of the fork, because besides the outside corner of the top fork, it's the smallest point I can use to align over my target. But I find that sometimes, I get a hit when my fork actually hide my target, which I don't like since I can't see the target very well. I think there's no way people could light matches or cut cards if they didn't see the tip of the match or a point on the edge of the card. So, what should I do? Aim using the top corner of the fork and change my anchor point to make it work? Also, I obviously can hit the vitamin bottle a lot more often when I stand 5 meters away compared to when I stand 8 meters away. Like, the difference is probably between 2/5 vs 1/8-10. Should I stay closer until I can hit time after time after time and then move back a meter? And am I losing my time when I move back to 8 meters? My personal opinion is that I should probably hit the target consistently at 5 meters before moving away, but if anybody could give me cues, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you very much to those who took the time to read all of that.


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Well I live in a apt..I bought a wooden cloths rack. the kind that folds up when not in use..stands up about 4 feet..I draped

double fold blanket over top & down the back...on a bar in the middle top I hung a couple folded bath towels..that swing freely

On the front top bar I have a small cord coning down with a hook to hang a soda pop can...works well for 3/8" steel balls

Nice thing is when your all done shooting you can take it down..fold it up & put the rack under the bed or behind the couch

Not sure it would be ok with your girlfriend tho..Best of luck with what to do...AKAOldmiser


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## S.S. sLinGeR (Oct 17, 2013)

Hi Jonathan.

Name here is Chris. Try this out. I want you to go in front of a mirror that can see your upper body. Pull the pouch back and look at your posture, stance, Move around and see if everything is perfect. Then take all those motions and put it on paper. If your alittle off yet, And you may be. Then there is small adjustments. Take your shot on the exhale, and your release should only be shoulder blade motions. Make sure your pouch is not bent. If you think you may not be releasing correctly then pull slightly back when releasing to insure your straight. Make sure your frame is paralell to you body. It does not matter what way you hold it. Just do not cant/tip the frame. I know some do. Sometimes I do. But before you do stuff like that get good form and some consistency. Any ?s just ask. Keep shooting. You only get better with good form and practice. Have a good day.


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## GrayWolf (May 14, 2012)

Hi Jonathan,

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you're on the right track. You're right that steel will be more accurate that the other ammo you are using, because they are always the same weight and size. And yes, of course, practice will always be the first part in getting better, but coming here to the forum is a close 2nd.

S.S. Slinger is right on the money with his advice on the pouch. The release is extremely important to getting consistent shot placement.

I suggest getting out the video camera. Video yourself from several angles while shooting. You will quickly see if you are doing the same thing every time. As far as hiding the target, that isn't a good idea....try lowering your anchor point...that will raise the point of impact on the target. Go slow, as a little movement at anchor is a pretty big change at the target. Instead of the tube touching the cheek bone, drop the pouch hand so the tube touches 1/2" lower...you will be surprised how much it changes.

Whatever you do, keep the practice FUN! Maybe change to a different target, a different distance....anything....just keep it fun.

Todd


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Biggest thanks to everybody here. I will try all of that as soon as possible (likely tomorrow or this coming Sunday), upload the videos of different angles and keep you up to date.

Oldmiser, thanks for the trick! I was thinking about doing about the same thing using using PVC pipes for when I go touring, so I can have a catchbox in every city, but instead I will look for a clothes rack I can dismantle and bring with me.

Chris, I will definitely look at my posture in the mirror! For the pouch, I think I do hold it straight and don't bend it, I'm making sure I'm pinching the ammo and I keep my hand aligned with the bands, but I'll look for that. It's a good idea to put my motions on paper. I remember, yesterday I noticed I tilted my head over the bands differently for my shots, and I know that makes a difference. And I will stop tilting the frame for now, I'll keep it perfectly vertical. And I also paid attention to the slingshot being parallel with my body, but I'll look again.

Thanks GrayWolf! I will make a video and upload it as soon as I can practice again. I'll try lowering a little bit the anchor point, too, and I'll definitely keep having fun! I'm usually doing my shooting between my sets of handstands, at home.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

One thing I find that helps me is to have a certain set of steps memorized so I can follow them "when the shot really counts".... what I mean is, we can all learn to shoot fairly accurately fairly quickly... but as soon as we "know" how to shoot we start to get a little sloppy... hurrying up or even skipping steps that led to your ability in the first place.

In martial arts, I make Black Belts to "basics" at the beginning of class... where punch and kick form are highly scrutinized... "straighten that wrist", "bend your knee more", "more snap"... and so forth and so on are about the only things I say other than counting for the first 15 minutes of class.....

So what I'm saying is, no matter how good or how far you advance, know the basics and work on those before continuing with more difficult stuff.

Basics ground you, they are part of your foundation... and a strong foundation is what great houses are built on.

Literally start at the ground... take a comfortable stance that is solid and unwavering, and then go through the rest of the steps one by one... work to perfect your basics and it won't be to long before you'll be ready for a "Black Belt" in shooting.... lighting matches and cutting cards are in the realm of the "Black Belts"... right now you're still a white belt.

Different people advance at different rates... but I can tell you for certain, those that work on mastery of the basics first, progress much faster and achieve much more than those who don't.


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

You need to devise a way to shoot safely in the apartment and show the GF that it is safe. Even hanging a comforter from something and showing her that there is no way you can A. Miss or B. damage anything.


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks for more tips! Bill, I fully agree with you. Coming from the world of gymnastics, it's the same. If I saw a "high level" gymnast having a hard time with the basics, I'd urge him or her to get back to it and fix it. And every training, at every event, we always start by drilling the basics, using them as a warm-up. (I also fully agree that I'm a white belt!  )

NaturalFork, I agree with that too, and I did it, but the problem is, the apartment is in fact a studio. She likes to keep it empty, Zen style, and there's not much place to keep stuff. I've already shown her I could shoot safely, but she doesn't want me to when she's there because she's in the same room, want quiet time, etc. And the way the apartment is, no matter where she stands, unless she's in bed, she'll almost always stand less than 2 meters away from the pellet flight.

And of course, I'm still planning to make a video soon. I've checked myself in the mirror and didn't notice anything weird. But I've shot a few times taking extra time doing everything fine (adjusting the stance like a basic standing fighting stance, breathing in as I pull the pouch to my anchor point and push the slingshot away, lean my head against the band, breathe out while being relaxed and release), and it feels like it helps. Same for using the corner of my fork to aim, I think it's going to help a lot with the consistency.


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Alright, I made a video where I shoot a few times, viewed from 4 different angles (left side, right side, back and front). It's a little long, like, 5 minutes, but if you want to take a look, just feel free to skip through it. I didn't cut the video between shots in case the way I set myself up before taking a shot matters enough for someone to want to see it.






Edit: I'm sorry, I just noticed that the word "HIT" appeared for way longer than I wanted it to in the last sequence. This is a mistake on my part, and I noticed only once it was finished uploading. Sorry for that.  In the same time, I'll add a video that is unrelated to shooting the slingshot so those who are curious can see a little bit what else I'm working on:






Hope you find it entertaining!


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## S.S. sLinGeR (Oct 17, 2013)

jonathanfv said:


> Alright, I made a video where I shoot a few times, viewed from 4 different angles (left side, right side, back and front). It's a little long, like, 5 minutes, but if you want to take a look, just feel free to skip through it. I didn't cut the video between shots in case the way I set myself up before taking a shot matters enough for someone to want to see it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Glad to see your doing well shooting.  Keep shooting Jonathan.


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks a lot for confirming my technique looks fine! I noticed an improvement in my accuracy. Two days ago, I hit the target 4-5 times in a row a bunch of times. Very happy about it!

Thanks again to everybody for the advice.


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## Mr.Teh (Feb 28, 2012)

The "quick demo" video is very entertaining, your body must consists of one big single muscle  ,

that's true body mastery, big respect from me !!

cheers mr.teh


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Thank you sir Teh! The "one big single muscle" remark is very close to the truth, as you have to be able to keep all parts of your body connected to be able to control it better.


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## Mr.Teh (Feb 28, 2012)

Yes and when you have the controll, then it looks as elegant as with you !!


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Jonathan, Man... you got some body control there...

Now about the shooting part... it looks pretty good, but I did notice it seems like you could have a touch more follow through, and hold your after release pose for a split second more.

It looks to me like you're dropping your hands just a touch early and on some of the shots it looks like your front hand moves just a split second before, or right at the release... like you're expecting the shock/recoil a little.

Anyway, give the hold the pose and stretch out your follow through thing and see how it works for you... other than that, it looks to me like you're doing very well for someone who's just started!


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Thank you Bill, I'll try that and post updates on this topic. I expect the next day I'll have some time to shoot will be this Wednesday. Some day, I'll be a good shot with a slingshot!


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Aright, I want to apologize for getting back to you guys so late. I got really busy and didn't have much time to shoot.

But I've had 2-3 sessions since.  I found a few interesting things. First, I know why I dropped my slingshot too early. It's because of the way I was holding it. Because I was previously shooting much heavier bands, I was used to putting my fingers against the forks. I was doing the same with the Scout, but the thinner part of the handle is a little too thin for me, and my hands aren't big enough to reach well for the palm swell from there, so I didn't hold it with my entire hand and when I was releasing the band it was too loose in my hand. So I just dropped my grip lower on the frame.

Also, I was having a hard time aiming because I would often find the corner of my top fork too blurry compared to my target. I found that by pulling my head back further from the frame I could have more distance between my eye and the frame, and that's enough for seeing it much clearer and aim better.

Generally, my accuracy is still improving, I'm pretty happy with where it's going and I think I could kill a rabbit, but of course I won't be trying until I know I can get a clean head shot from 15-20 meters. So, I still have a lot of practice to do!  (And honestly, even when I get there, I'll keep practising regularly, cause I want to become really good!)


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Today I brought my slingshot to the circus school, and when I was alone (after all the classes are done, I stay there on my own and just train for a couple more hours), I used the aerial silks as a backstop and shot 3/8 steels at 200ml juice boxes. From between 6 and 7 meters, I could get them maybe about one time out of two, aiming mostly with the thinner side of the bottles facing me.

I also received a contract for going on tour with a circus show as an acrobat. I'll be gone for a few months, but I'm going to bring my slingshot and I hope I'll be able to set myself a good backstop where I'll be living so I can keep up with the shooting. If I end up touring more, I'll have to be careful not to break any laws by bringing my slingshot with me!


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## Mr.Teh (Feb 28, 2012)

Enjoy your months on tour, sounds interesting, just do not forget your slingshot, good shooting !!


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## GrayWolf (May 14, 2012)

Congrats on the contract! Shooting will always be there, but doing what you love to do and then getting paid to do it....it's something not many people get to do.

Todd


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## jonathanfv (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks guys! I'll enjoy it as much as possible, and I won't forget my slingshot! I'm probably going to keep working as an acrobat for a few years, so I should really keep up with shooting if I also want to get hunting experience at some point!


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