Here at The Big Shoot, we know that Clay Pigeon Shooting can sometimes be a bit confusing, especially for the beginner. To help make things that little bit clearer, we are proud to announce our new A-Z of Clay Pigeon Shooting, this time focussing on disciplines.

Disciplines are what we call the different forms of regulated clay pigeon shooting competitions and they were often divided into three main groups – English Sporting, Trap and Skeet. This time around we will run through the first three disciplines which span the letters A-C.

All Round

First up is All Round. This discipline is a real melting pot of disciplines in one overall round. These disciplines being Down The Line, Automatic Ball Trap, English Skeet and English Sporting. Depending on where this round is being held, all four of these must be held in line with their own technical rules and regulations. Each individual shooter must start in the same position for each round, but despite it being one shooter at a time, you are allowed a maximum team of five shooters per side. So, it’s time to round ‘em up, because a friendly game of All Round is ideal for groups of friends and family alike.

Automatic Ball Trap

This discipline utilises the firepower of six shooters per squad, as they each aim at one target per stand before moving to the right, ready to set sights on the next target. Two shots are allowed at each target, but Automatic Ball Trap, or ABT differs from similar disciplines because either shot scores equally on the boards. The targets used in ABT tend to be faster and come from a greater range of angles and heights as they are thrown at random trajectories from a single trap. All of these factors combine to make ABT the second most popular Trap discipline behind…well, you’ll have to wait until next time to find that out!

Compak Sporting

Compak Sporting is often confused with Sportrap (which will be introduced in future editions of this blog series) as they are similar-looking. But, the differences between the two are important. Firstly, Compak Sporting has one less stand and it also has a differing order of shooting. There are five traps overall, which provides a varied challenge for the shooter. There are three compulsory target trajectories – right to left, left to right and straight on. The final two targets are chosen by the designer at that particular shooting ground. Sound confusing? Don’t worry, because in Compak Sporting signs will be placed in front of each enclosure to help inform the shooter of the combination of shots to take.

Final Thoughts

So, that’s it for edition one of our glossary of disciplines in the A-Z of Clay Pigeon Shooting. But don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty of disciplines to cover in future editions so don’t forget to check back soon for these. In the meantime, if you’re feeling inspired by these three different types of Clay Pigeon Shooting, you can try your hand at any one of our Clay Pigeon Shooting grounds located across the UK.