Why use the ST-2  shooting simulator.

Most of the shotgun training is done as clay shooting. One problem with this method is the lack of feedback you get as you try to hit the clay targets. After a miss, all you know is that you did something wrong. Maybe you used too little forward allowance, maybe your shot went over the target – all you can do is guess, you cannot know for sure why you didn't break that clay. This is where our system comes in. The ST-2 can give you exact information, not only about where your shot went in relation to the target, but also how the gun was moved before the shot was fired. Maybe you stopped the swing, maybe you lowered the gun momentarily just before firing. With our simulator you can identify any of these errors and consequently get more out of the time you spend training. Every shot including misses gives you valuable information.

The ST-2 (Simulated Targets) simulator is the indoor system - an environment where you can practice regardless of weather, time and place.

With our systems you will improve quicker as a clay and wing-shooter.

Important characteristics with our systems:

• You can get exact feedback after every shot including hit position and replay of the aiming movement (the swing);

• You can use your own gun;

• Results can be saved and kept in a file as a record of your short and long term progress.

What about recoil - with no recoil,  how realistic is it?

Our simulator can not be used with live ammunition.

Simulator shooting with the ST-2 simulator is as close as you can get to reality up to the point when you pull the trigger. In real life you will feel a recoil after the firing, this is not simulated.

What is good about not being punished with the recoil is that you can practice more relaxed, which makes it easy to acquire a good technique, particularly for a novice in the field.

But, it is also a fact that a surprising number of experienced shooters make erratic movements just before triggering caused by involuntary muscular activity in anticipation of the recoil shock.

Such problems are easily detected in our simulator, but can be difficult to identify in the field, where you only see the final result (a bad hit).

The simulator practice does not replace live shooting. In our experience, the best training result is obtained with a combination of simulator training and live shooting. Also, even if you get valuable feedback in the simulator, it does not eliminate the need for a good coach who can instruct how to focus your vision, position your body, et cetera.

Do competitive shooters use the ST-2?

Yes. The national Russian and the Slovakian clay shooting teams use the ST-2 simulator. This is what they have to say:

Alexander V. Mitrofanov

Managing director of the Russian Shooting Union:

"The contemporary sport is not only a competition of psychological physical abilities of the athletes, but, in greater degree, of modern technologies, used in process of coaching.

Modern technologies created by human being, increases an athlete’s possibility in achievement of higher result. The analytical shooting simulator Marksman ST-2 is a good example. The ST-2, without exaggeration, is the unique optometrist-electronic system, allowing completely simulated clay shooting in indoor conditions giving a high grade information feedback to acquire shooting techniques in shorter time."

Sergei S. Planovskiy

Trainer in Chief of the National Russian clayshooting Team:

"This is the best simulator existing today designed for coaching purposes of clay shooters in the  trap, double trap and skeet disciplines.

The ST-2 is an analytical simulator which allows a shooter to master the basic element in trap and double trap shooting including education of correct control of target visual perception:

1. sequences in the distribution of central and peripheral vision;

2. education to sequences of the central vision moving at moment of waiting for the target release;

3. at moment of target release and in process of the aiming and, finally, firing a shot.

This is very is important both for beginners and for those who have already reached a higher qualification in clay shooting shooting."

Ivan A. Derevskiy

Senior trainer of the Junior Russian team of trap shooting

Ex-member of the Russian National team:

"The ST-2 simulator renders the immeasurable help for acquiring of shooting skill for beginners by showing how it is necessary to move, look and prepare to shot.

It shows very clearly all mistakes in shooting technique both of the beginners and of shooters of higher qualification.

It is very suitable for working in “coach & shooter” situation, since it evaluates all actions of the shooter: the shotgun lead, time of lead, distance of hit position, moment of pulling the trigger, action of performing the shot, reaction on clay release, during making a shot.

The ST-2 simulator represents the state-of-the-art technology and is an immeasurable facility for preparing athlete of any level.

Good luck!!!"

Kulikovskiy E.A.

Master of Sport in exercise "Trap"

"An analytical shooting simulator like ST-2 is much needed and useful, especially for shooters of the initial cycle of the education. Some possibilities of the analytical simulator can be used and experienced by advanced shooters, in particular, give a work-out to a moving target. Simulator will help to find mistakes while  aiming the moving clay, see hit positions and gun swing, forward allowance and shot cloud center in relation of the target position, and a great deal of other valuable things that cannot be determined on the shooting field.

As a whole, simulator gives that immeasurable information when training, which can be applicable in real shooting."

Victor Nikolaev 

Master of Sport in trapshooting.

Member of the Trap Russian national Team

"I have once tried to shoot on ST-2 simulator. I liked it very much. I think the difference between simulated and real shooting is small. One difference I noticed was that it is difficult to judge the distance to the target at one dash and, accordingly, it is complicated to make a right forward allowance. This needs time for adapting. But generally, I consider this simulator to be very useful in the process of training. Rather engaging thing!"

Pavel V. Glebov 

Trainer, Master of Sport of International Range.

Ex-member of the Trap Russian national team

"The ST-2 analytical shooting simulator is unique in how it can support acquiring a good trapshooting technique. It is very useful for initial education and by giving a technical motion work-out it can vastly save time in setting the basic technique. Certainly, the simulator requires further improvement.

The video camera that can be used in he simulated environment indoors by means of which a film of shot performance can be registered, subsequently gives the shooters a possibility to see themselves from aside: so more clearly he will be able to correct their own mistakes.

For shooters of the Master of sport range and higher categories, I do  think, simulator will not render a significant assistance, except drills of perception control, as reasonably asserts Mr.PLANOVSKIY,  that of considerable importance, but beginners receive powerful support  in education of clay shooting, particularly, in their initial stage. More so, when drill is limited to short light daytime in autumn-winter period."

Vladimir K. Malahov 

The Honoured Trainer of Russian Federation,

Master of sports in trapshooting,

Field Judge of All-Russia category,

First trainer of the Trap Olympic champion Aleksei Alipov

"I ‘m certain to say that having got such an indoor complex as the ST-2 simulator in arsenal of shooters’ preparation, the qualitative level of the education process will raise drastically. The setting of the basic shooting technique, be that in trap, double trap or skeet, by means of simulator, may be organized more effectively and qualitative under condition of newly created methodology.

Strong points of the ST-2 analytical simulator possible to refer to are the following:

1. The simulator gives the full analysis of the made shot on clay target including ballistics and shooter movements.
2. Changing velocity flight of the clay target, it is possible to obtain the optimum motoric skill.
3. The simulator enables to work out the technique of the shot performance, work out the motor skill and muscular sensation at shooting on moving target;
4. Simulator enables as well to check the correct entry in target trajectory;
5. Simulator makes possible to adjust a stock of the personal shotgun of the huntsmen.

The simulator weak side possible to refer to is the fact that background image of the shooting scenario is not light enough and clay target is perceived not much clearly. But this question concerns the adaptation.

The Marksman ST-2 is enough interesting and useful. It is necessary to create a test group and afterwards do a final conclusion."

Maxim Kosarev

Master of sport of the international range on trapshooting

Member of National team:

"Marksman ST-2 is an excellent simulator for beginners and advanced shooters. Enables to change the velocity, trajectory angles and distance range of clay flight, ammo weight, choke and etc. The main thing to highlight is the fact that a shooter can use his own gun, approaching greatly the "dry" training to a real drill.

Requests:

1. to include an additional option of the shot V0 velocity equal to 440 m/sec for sporting ammo;

2. to develop a “training mode of operation” in scenario trap which would enable to set optionally parameters of the throwing targets.  

But as a whole, Marksman ST-2 is very suitable and practical."

Valeriy P. Konshin

Honoured Trainer of Russia

Two-times Champion of Russia in Sporting

Tree-times Champion of Europe amongst veterans in sporting

Two-times Champion of the World amongst veterans in sporting

Winner of several Gran Prix "Sporting- compact"

Managing Director of  the "Fox Lodge" Complex

"Certainly, the analytical shooting simulator ST-2 is considered to be the latest technology in the shooting sport range, for present-day it is the most efficient resource in preparation of clay shooters

The correct use of simulator allows to raise to a considerable extent the quality of the practice studies of shooters of different qualification.

When conducting a practice studies with beginners, carrying out selection activities (the determination of the abilities, of their co-ordination rate in shooting on moving target, reaction to the target release, etc) or in process of their preparation  to run such simulator means not only enormous economy of money and time savings, but also a higher quality of selection work.

Education work of mature shooters allows running the simulator to correct the motor actions and look deeper into mistakes, which are difficult to define in real conditions.

Certainly, for maximum use of the simulator possibilities it is necessary to manage in a perfect way the installed program, using a new methodology.

I’d like to advice to developers of the simulator to make the mounting sensor cordless in order to practice the simulator in group and make the life of the simulator longer."

Alexander V. Lyublinskiy

The water-fowler hunter of 10 years of experience.

"I’ve never expected that it could be possible to correct the errors in wing and clay shooting, in such a short time. Neither instructor on shooting field, where I spent lots of time and money before going hunting, nor fowling  and coursing, did help me to cope with sloppy shooting. Firstly, simulator helped me to use a perfect forward allowance and to avoid stopping the swing, but secondly, I learnt to enter correctly the movable target  trajectory . I became a Marksman! Shooting efficiency increased double. Formerly I spent at the average 8-10 cartridges to bag a wild fowl. Now I need 3-4 ammo to get one. A very good result for me. "

Jocke Smålänning:

"I use the ST-2 simulator both in my shooting school and for my own training. Before I beat the European record in target shooting at the qualification to the European mastership this year (400 points), I had practiced extensively in the simulator.

When I give shooting lessons, I think the slow motion replay is very useful. The hit position display shows you how you missed, the replay shows you why. The replay is helpful both for clay and rifle shooting, and can quickly help raise your scoring average. This is true for inexperienced as well as advanced  shooters."  

Jocke is one of Swedens most successful clay and rifle target shooters. He runs a highly respected shooting school, and is a popular exhibition shooter.

Thony Eriksson:

 "I have been unusually successful at competitions this season (2006). Yet, in my training I have been shooting only about 1000 rounds at the shooting range, which is very little compared to previous years. I have done most of my training in the ST-2 simulator, about 10 000 rounds. The simulator training is efficient because you get immediate feedback. If you do something wrong, the simulator will show you what, and how to correct it. I think the simulator is a very useful training tool and recommend it to everybody."

Thony Eriksson is an authority in the field of clay shooting and hunting. Thony has had the position as chief shooting instructor at the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, and has contributed to text books used for hunting and wildlife management courses. Thony now works at the Kjells Vapen gun store in Götene, and runs a shooting school using the simulator.

"As a New-Comer in sports shooting, I have to admit that Marksman Training simulator has provided invaluable feedback on my shooting skill or the lack of it. The simulator is able to generate an analysis or feedback on my swing path and the position of my misses. With a touch of a button, I was able to view the result of my shot, many readings could be derived from this section such as the distance of target when fired upon, timing, shots pattern etc. I would not have known this if I were to practice on the range.

It was surprisingly easy to operate the simulator with most functions assigned to “Hot-keys”. I learned operating the simulator in half a day. Mr. Andersson has been most helpful and patient in conducting this lesson besides giving some valuable tips on shooting.

Marksman Training simulator is also a fun machine with its changeable settings on almost all the shooting disciplines. For example, on clay shooting, a shooter is able to change the trajectory, speed and direction of the clay. I believe this puts some fun into the sports where repetitive practice on standard settings can be monotonous after a while".

(The articel is published at the following site:

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/general/columns/swan_james/1740190.html)

Do you need a  shooting instructor if you have an ST-2 simulator?

Our training systems do not replace a shooting instructor. At least in the beginning you will still need somebody to lead you the way to a good technique. The systems from Marksman Training Systems AB are instruments to help you – and the instructor – to analyze your shooting better and improve your skills.