Playing in the pool -or- some lessons to learn from target shooting

    So ShallowRunner and a buddy and I couldnt get into the water a few weeks ago so we decided to do some pool target shooting to hone our skills and to introduce my buddy to speargun use.


    the target was a piece of yoga mat with a cartesian plane on it for shot adjustment, with two attachment points for some small snap swivels that are tied together and looped through a pinch weight (thanks Jeff)


    here it is dry and being aimed at








    we tried it out at a few distances and learned a lot about the way the shaft hits the end of the shooting line and the effect that a limp wrist will have on your shot.


    the pics lose something by being viewed in a vertical column..if they are viewed as a slide show the small differences are highlighted.


    here is a sequence of three shots showing a shot leaving the gun and hitting the target...good stiff arm





    i like to spear fish

    not trying to put Shallow on blast, but here are two shots that show how important it is to maintain a good locked shooting arm...compare the position of the barrel relative to the center stripe of the pool...that is a lot of movement on release for 2 5/8 bands....this shot was a miss...most of both of our shots were bad this day



    i like to spear fish

    at least one of my shots hit the target <img src= " height="23" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x">








    and a cool shot of Shallow lining up a shot


    i like to spear fish

    How were you able to get a way with using the pool ?
    Is that one just North of the Fountain Blu ?


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    It is the lesser used one of the two in my apt bldg. Translated. No one else but me uses it ever. The security guards all like me too so I get left alone.

    i like to spear fish

    When you shoot at a small target like that, can you tell if you miss high or low? When I miss fish, I have a hard time identifying that.
    I practiced a couple times in one of our shrimp tanks, about the size of your pool by the way it looks. I used a piece of cardboard that was 2x2 feet. That way I could tell where I was missing.
    (the cardboard doesn't last long but for one session it was ok)

    Hank is right. You should always practice with a larger target. I did some pool testing about a couple of months ago. I found that recoil affects the shot especially at distances. I am not talking about muzzle lift, just recoil.

    Lunker, you should have posted some from the day we were consistently hitting it at distance :). I don't think I realized I wasn't locking my arm out that day, the cold water may have effected my brain function :@. Perhaps we should try it out with a larger target as suggested so we know which way we are missing. Though an onlooker is able to see where it was missing as I noticed the other guys (forgot his name) shots were left or low. But having a mark may be nice too. Good times though. :thumbup:

    very good advice...the target was small and should clearly be enlarged...I was always aiming at the center of the "X" so if i was a little off I could see in which direction but if I missed the target completely, nothing is learned.


    if you look at the image of me with the target..you can see that shot was about half inch to the right.


    I have redesigned the target to address all concernes posted..thanks for the feedback guys.


    offer is open to anyone who wants to ever come to miami for some shooting :) usually followed by beers

    i like to spear fish

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    very good advice...the target was small and should clearly be enlarged.


    <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">


    LunkerBuster--your condo just went WAY UP on the SPEARO PREFERED CONDO LIST. Any condo with a spear friendly 24-7, indoor, heated, lighted target pool AND spearo friendly security guards has got to be near the top of the list. ^^

    i agree...although it is not indoors, it is heated...the front desk look at me really strange I go and ask them to turn the heat up...they say" are you really going to swim in this weather" and I always laugh and say" not swim, just lay on the bottom" :)

    i like to spear fish

    So when are we breaking in the new improved targets? Seems I have to make up for last time <img src= " class="smiley" srcset="https://spearfishing.world/forum/images/smilies/emojione/1f606@2x.png 2x" height="23" width="23" loading="eager" data-tooltip="biggrin" aria-label="biggrin">. Sunday, beers, football and target shooting. :thumbup:

    Lemme get this straight....you guys live in south FL and on Sunday, you're going to drink beer and dive in a pool? OK, the beer thing is cool....but a pool? A fricken pool? haha

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    I like it. Let's dive Saturday then


    Done and done :thumbup:. For Saturday ust let me know where and yak/shore. Though, I may still bring the yak for a mother ship if anything so we can maximize our time with a place to rest and grab a drink. I will call ya Friday and see what the plan is.

    Quote from Tin Man

    Conveyor belting makes an excellent target. Scraps (all you need) are usually cheaply found on ebay.


    thanks for the tip Jeff




    Hank, You are right...but, I wil hopefully be diving on friday and saturday and the pool is an elevator away from my tv and fridge, while the reef is considerably farther


    :thumbup:

    i like to spear fish

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member to leave a comment.

Register a new account
Sign in now