Practise makes perfect - Marcus Horry

Marcus attends stage two of the Target Tokyo scheme

It's a busy time of year for Marcus, who is balancing his training regime with his regular studies

It has been a busy month as I have been travelling about collecting registered scores for England selection which is looming! I also attended stage two of Target Tokyo. Target Tokyo is a scheme set up and funded by British Shooting, scouting talent for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

I got invited to Target Tokyo when I was at the National Inter-Cadet Clay Target Competition in 2014 at Cambridge Gun Club. The second stage was a great experience - shooting Double Trap all day at Nuthampstead Shooting Ground with guidance from British Double Trap coach, John Bellamy. The day consisted of group coaching, one-to-one coaching and questionnaires — and, of course, the whole time I was being assessed.

My regular Down the Line practice at Nottingham and District Gun Club has certainly been helping my scores and confidence improve. I try and shoot at least once a week, if not twice.

A major part of my training is a technique called dry mounting. To do this I mount the gun into my shoulder in front of the mirror in my garage. I follow marks that are set out on the garage roof so that my muscles memorise the movements and it becomes effortless on the range. It also makes my mounting more consistent, which results in better confidence and set-up.

Having my last few months of school coming up I have got to balance my schoolwork with my shooting. Young people will understand how hard balancing your schoolwork with your social life and work is, never mind adding shooting to the mix. To help get around this I take revision and homework on the journey to the shooting grounds, unless of course I'm driving!

The next few weeks are going to be very tense as I will find out if I have been successful in reaching the third stage of Target Tokyo. Also, the England selection shoot for the DTL team is looming and I'm obviously hoping my four scores will earn me a place at the selection shoot to be held at Nottingham and District Gun Club. Much later on in the year I would also be looking to represent Lincolnshire in as many disciplines as I can for the Junior Team.

A busy few weeks of shooting ahead, which is great!

The Old Bostonian Association is sponsoring Marcus Horry throughout 2015 in support of his shooting. This article by Marcus was first published in Clay Shooter magazine (April 2015 issue).