How to Shoot an Overhead Target
An overhead bird passes above you. The whole move is a body-gun unit — you follow the bird with the head staying on the stock, and break it as it comes over rather than chasing it with the arms.
Right-handed
Straight overhead- Stance
- Pivoting leg oriented toward the flying path of the bird.
- Gun position
- Just below the flying path of the bird.
- Waiting position
- 40–45° between the gun and the body.
- Head
- Lifted, then settled on the stock as you follow.
- Visual
- Between the gun and the spot where you can first pick the bird up (soft focus, adjustable).
- Timing
- Move the gun as the bird approaches the barrel, and follow it with the head on the stock.
A tower bird is shot the same way as a crosser, quartering, or incomer of the same line — read the line first, then apply that setup.
Set up right and you'll break more of these. The library has the same breakdown for every other target — crossers, incomers, going-aways, teal, rabbit and more. See all guides →
About the method. These guides come from the coaching system of Bill Erdőss, an Olympic clay shooting coach — built on the fundamentals that decide every shot: gun fit, mount, stance, vision, and timing, with a precise, repeatable setup for each target.