Shooting Basics, to help get you started!

    There's basically two ways to hold a slingshot. One you can hold it so that the forks are upright in a horizontal plane, and the other is to hold the slingshot so that the forks are to the side, in a vertical hold.
When holding in the upright position there's a variety of methods that can be employed in aiming the slingshot where you basically look through the forks and estimate windage and elevation. When holding in the side shooting style, sort of like holding a bow and arrow, you put the bands in line with the target ... one on top of the other, lining them up under your dominant eye. Windage is pretty well taken care of this way so your elevation is all you have to worry much about.

    As a beginner you'll want to get a slingshot that feels right in the hand and can be held comfortably in the style of shooting you prefer. Meaning if you prefer the slingshot to be held in an upright position with a hammer grip... get one that has low enough forks so that you don't get to much strain against your wrist and has some wideness to the lower handle where the ring finger grips to help with slippage.
If you like to shoot with the forks in an upright position with an index finger/ thumb support grip... get one that is not to wide through the forks so that you can comfortably grip it.

    If you think shooting with the forks to the side may be the way to go... then get yourself a slingshot that accommodates your hand size and grip but also consider the torsion of the wrist at the same time... a canted handle with an ergonomically designed frame may be an option here.
Pick up a pencil, put it in your closed fist, close your eyes and extend your hand like you're holding it in a sideshooting hold... relax the tension in your wrist and forearm right to the point where you almost drop the pencil, open your eyes and see the angle created... find a slingshot that can achieve that angle, which is usually 10-30 degrees off horizontal yet will still have the bands line up perfectly one exactly on top of the other vertically.

    After you get the right slingshot, the next thing you need to get is the right type of elastics.
There's basically four types of common rubber elastics used. They are flat bands, tubes (thick singles or chinese looped), office type rubber bands and solid squared strips.
Flat bands are the fastest contracting, lightest drawing and quickest wearing out of the main four types, followed by small Chinese looped tubes, then big single tubes, rubber bands and then the square.
Inversely, the longevity of the square rubber lasts the longest followed by tubes and then flats.... so what all that means is, the faster a bandset is the more stress and damage it inflicts upon itself by crashing into the forks after release. There's always a trade off... faster bands wear out faster, and slower wears out slower... simple!

Understand one thing... once you learn and utilize the following shooting techniques, you will quickly become a true marksman.
You will be able to do things you, and most people would never have believed possible.... and what's more incredible is all the skills carry over to other projectile weapons. So if you were a decent shot with a gun before, you will in all likelyhood become an incredible shot... if you were a passable shooter using a bow, you will potentially be a top tier archer afterwards.
The "secrets" that are demonstrated and taught are proven to be effective with people all over the world who now can do things like cutting cards or lighting matches with a slingshot... and can do even more with weapons that actually have precision aiming apparatus such as guns or bows.

By watching, taking to heart, emulating and doing what is shown you will have begun a journey that will result in you becoming something of a "superhuman", so as Stan Lee says "with great power comes great responsibility"... use your new power accordingly!
Now, have fun and really put some effort into what is shown... there are plenty of videos and plenty of examples to follow... the rest is up to YOU.

Also, be sure to check out the Super Shooters and Super Shots page on this website to see examples of other people who took these lessons to heart and are now serving as inspiration to even more new shooters to become extreme marksmen like them... watch, learn, absorb and do... you WILL be next!

THE EASY way to shoot slingshots!	How to shoot and cut cards
Teaching Kids, and some Adults an easy method regardless	Point of View when shooting
Bringing it all together Mental and physical aspects to be aware of.	Flip versus no flip

After watching and putting into practice what is shown on the videos, you can reinforce that knowledge with the steps below.

Shooting Basics

For each and every shot, until it becomes automatic reflex, force yourself to go through each step in aiming.

1. Take your Stance. Stand exactly sideways to your target, feet shoulder width, even weight distribution on both your feet.
2. Hold the pouch in such a way that you're gripping the ammo through the pouch and not ahead of the ammo, so you have an even release.
3. Look at your target in HD. If it's a coke can, don't look at the can... read the label and shoot at a letter, not the can. You're aiming at the target within the target.
4. Inhale, pushing your stomach out completely filling your lungs.
5. Exhale slowly begin to Draw the bands in the low position at the same time.
6. Raise and finish drawing the slingshot to your Anchor slightly ahead of aligning your aiming hand... Aim making sure your bands are exactly in line and centered vertically on the target.
7. Do not rush your shot. Only release when everything is perfect. If it's not perfect, don't fire... do steps 1-6 again.
8. Release with a relaxed movement pulling back and away with the pouch holding hand.

9. Periodically check to make sure you're not overcompensating with the hold on your slingshot... that is, sometimes people will tighten their holding hand to much at the point of release trying to compensate to much for the release of tension... incidentally moving the fork a little just prior to release, throwing off the shot. This is the "yips"

Things to note
Number 9 is the most common reason shooters, whether gun, bow or slingshot are less accurate than they could be.
For example, when learning to shoot a pistol... Start with a revolver and have a friend load it with live cylinders and empties too. When you squeeze off a shot and it happens to be on an empty and your hand drops or raises when the hammer drops instead of remaining exactly where it was... that's overcompensating, the "yips"... practice until you don't move at all.
When shooting a slingshot it can be harder to conquer, but if shooting with a friend... you might try releasing on his command, and have him randomize it with a count. One time he will say fire on a count of 3, another time he'll say fire on a count of 2 or 5... and so on. You want to make sure you get rid of the yips!

One last thing to note here is that draw weight and draw length have a close to linear relationship (longer period of acceleration = stronger shorter acceleration)... Which means (i.e.) that if you draw to 30" with a 20 pound draw weight and shoot 200 fps... if the same bandset were cut differently so that you draw to 60" with a 10 pound draw weight you will achieve approximately the same speed. Draw length and draw weight are approximately proportionally linear, a 30" draw must pull double the weight of a 60" draw to shoot about the same speed... which also means if you use a longer yet lighter draw you may be more accurate than with a short heavy draw.... and with a longer draw it's usually easier to see and correct your overcompensation problems as well.

      To become a Master shooter, you must master the basics and THEN you must learn focus.
Focus, focus and focus some more.. that's the key. You will already know how to shoot, just calm down, slow down and make each and every shot fully focused...

Focus... it's easy to say and for some easy to do... But for those who haven't had a lot of shooting experience, or have not been actually trained in extreme accuracy technique... they might not know the full meaning or even how to achieve or what real focus feels like..

When I say focus when talking about slingshots... I mean for you to take your stance, regulate your breathing, use a proper and even pouch hold, THEN when aiming... sight along your bands (thin line of band edge for OTT, or thin inked line for TTF) making sure the line is directly and perfectly lined up with your target's center... shift your eye to the frame to confirm elevation, and then finally look at your target keeping your frame's elevation marker in your peripheral vision....

When you look at your target you should experience a kind of "tunnel vision"... literally, you stare at the target and it's like looking through a piece of pipe... See nothing but the target and the elevation in the periphery...

As a beginner, make yourself hold on target for a couple of seconds... don't release as soon as everything is lined up... hold it for a couple of seconds... control the slingshot don't let it control you.

With more experience you can release sooner, like as the lineup happens... but when learning, or wanting to do better faster, control your hold on target and focus completely.

        The videos below are some of the first made on the subject of shooting in this style and to this depth. With simple easy to remember steps, thousands upon thousands of people have learned to shoot a slingshot with very good accuracy. In fact some of these concepts work so well that many others have "borrowed" much of the content, down to the actual words used and slingshot type shown, in making their own "original" video productions.
Do not be confused, go to youtube and check the upload dates and then realize the other guys who try and act like they came up with all this stuff... actually just took what we made available and called it their own without any acknowledgement or credit given to where they actually acquired the knowledge in the first place.
Generally speaking this doesn't bother us, but when people email asking for advice in reference to shooting or other subjects we've made available... it's impossible for us to know all the answers when they're in reference to someone else's interpretation of one of our videos. So if you email asking for advice, please make sure it is actually about one of our videos and not some other's.

A basic How to Shoot video	Another how to shoot video, "using the line", this one introduces the concept of "one line shooting"... adapted for use by a slingshot.
How to improve your speed and accuracy even more	How to tie bands on the slingshot

MUST READ
Obligatory Warning:

Slingshots and slingshot shooting is dangerous. About the safest thing you can do with a slingshot is to leave it unbanded, store it in your closet, occasionally take it out to admire it and then put it back up.
However, if you do decide to actually use your slingshot then following these numbered rules will help to keep you safer, although there is nothing specified or implied that will guarantee you will be safe even if you do follow these rules...

Rule number one, make sure you're an adult or you are using the slingshot only under close adult supervision. All the same safety rules that are commonly associated with the use of a firearm are applicable.

Rule number two, ALWAYS check your band set, pouch and connections to make sure they are all in perfect working order. If there is even the smallest imperfection change out your band set to one that has no cuts, tears, holes or other problems. Then stress check your attachments to make sure there is no slippage or other undesired movement.

Rule number three, ALWAYS wear safety glasses. Slingshots use rubber and or natural latex compounds... Due to naturally occurring variances, there are NO guarantees either specified or implied about how long a band set will last before failure... no one can tell you how long a band set will last before it breaks... and they ALL fail at some point. SO always be safe, if you're going to shoot with a slingshot, wear safety glasses and always check your band sets and attachments before EVERY shot. If it is not perfect, put a new one on.

Rule number four, NEVER aim your slingshot at someone or something that you do not want killed or destroyed. Slingshots are capable of inflicting serious injury or even death with even the "lightest" of band and ammo setups. Treat slingshots the same way you would treat a loaded gun.

Rule number five, before EVERY shot make sure there is no damage to your slingshot itself. If there is any damage including but not limited to: cracks, dents, scrapes, breaks, or any other signs of damage, DO NOT use the slingshot without thorough testing being done by a competent professional first... and even after testing always use the slingshot in a cautious manner.

Rule number six, you are shooting at your own risk. We already recommended the safest course of action is to keep the slingshot on a shelf in your closet and to never use it... if you do decide to shoot even after we recommend differently... then refer to rules number 1 - 5 as reference for a possible safer way to accomplish that.