FIELD and GAME FEDERATION of AUSTRALIA Inc. "Home of Sporting Clays"

 Australian Sporting Clays
(commonly known as Sporting Clays)

Sporting Clays was established as a clay target discipline to simulate the type of shooting one could normally expect in the field while hunting. The size of the targets, their speed and angles of flight are all variable, making sporting clays the most challenging clay target sport you can ever participate in.

Unlike conventional clay target shooting where targets all follow regular and standard trajectories from course to course, no two sporting clays ground are the same and no two grounds have the same targets. However, ever shooter on a given sporting range on a given day, receives exactly the same targets as his or her fellow competitors.

In Sporting Clays, aspects of the natural terrain at the ground are fully utilised so that competitors are shooting amongst trees, rocks, uphill, downhill and overhead.
Many different types of targets are employed in Sporting Clays, including;

• standard clays,
• "midis" and "minis" which are both smaller,
• the larger but very thin "battue" targets that turn on their side at the end of their trajectory,
• the hard-rimmed "rabbit" targets that roll along the ground, and
• the smallest of all, the "super-mini" is a high speed midget.

Targets are thrown in single and double formation, and in combinations of different sizes and at infinitely variable speeds, from angles at all points of the compass around the competitor. A single round of Sporting Clays consists of 25 targets.

In Sporting Clays the challenge to the competitor is a multi-disciplinary one as he or she must maintain a mental approach that encourages concentration and accuracy. The emphasis on eye-hand coordination required is greater than in any other of the shooting disciplines, therefore a high degree of mental alertness must be maintained in addition to general fitness.

• Open grade (all competitors)
• AA grade
• A grade (competitors with 70% and higher break rate)
• B grade (competitors with 59% and higher but lower than 70% break rate)
• C grade (competitors with lower than 59% break rate)
• Veterans grade (competitors 55 years and over on 20 June 1999)
• Ladies grade (competitors must be female)
• Junior grade (competitors up to 21 years old on 20 June 1999)