In shooting out you hit an opponent's stock and move it out of the target area. Here is how to build the stock attempt: target, sole, force and hits.
In shooting out (in the textbook: stock attempt) you aim at an opponent's stock in the target area and hit it with your stock so that it is moved out of the target area [1]. In the vocabulary of the German Ice Stock Federation this appears as "Abschießen" [3]. It looks like force. In truth it is precision with speed.
The honest answer to "Why doesn't it work for me?": the stock attempt is the harder attempt. Your target is only the cross-section of one stock, and for a clean hit you have to catch it centrally – with at most about 10 centimetres of variation [1]. Ten centimetres, that is roughly a hand's width.
A word on the evidence: there is hardly any research on ice stock sport. Everything here comes from the Austrian stock sport federation's textbook, the IFI rulebook and the German Ice Stock Federation [1][2][3]. That is federation knowledge, not a study.
The stock attempt is not a permanent solution. You play it when the Maß is no longer an alternative – for example because the opponent's stock lies very close to the Daube [1]. Or you have the second-best position: then your own stock does not have to stay in the target area after the hit [1]. Beginners play more defensively, meaning mostly Maß attempts [1].
Settle the attempt beforehand with your team. If you change your mind after starting, you must abort and begin completely anew [1].
For practice, put several target stocks side by side in the target area to raise the success rate [1]. Each hit scores one point. Once you have enough points, the target gets smaller – until at some point you only play at one target stock or the Daube [1]. If successes stay away, you shorten the distance or enlarge the target [1].
Practice rule of thumb (ours, not a federation value): if you hit seven of ten attempts at a single target stock, you add the Daube as a target.
At the start the target stock does not have to leave the target area. A touch is enough [1]. For beginners the force must not be greater than for the Maß attempt. You achieve that through the running sole: you choose it so that only the running speed still has to fit [1].
A hint from the textbook: if a right-hander always misses to the left (a left-hander to the right), the force was too great [1].
Even if the target stock stands to the side: stay centred on the Abspielstelle and turn only your body a little toward the target stock [1]. Anything else disturbs your foundation. If you always hit to the right or left of it, you turn your whole body a bit in the opposite direction [1].
In the target competition, round 2 gives you six attempts at a target stock that stands in marked circles one after another: front left, front right, back left, back right, middle left and middle right [2]. A Daube lies on the centre cross. Scoring:
At most 60 points [2]. In the team game: if the Daube is moved, it stays in its new position. If it leaves the target area, it goes back to the centre cross [2].
Shooting out means an impact, and stray stocks toward a neighbouring lane are possible. Watch the neighbouring lanes and warn teammates if in doubt [1]. During an attempt nobody may be in or in front of the target area [2].
Never play against each other from both directions at the same time: that is very dangerous and can destroy equipment [1]. A complete stock weighs roughly 5 kilograms [2]. Build-up is the safety here: you start shooting out only once the Maß and your stance are secure. Warm up and wear sturdy shoes.
This guide explains and motivates – it does not replace supervised training at a club.
Turn your training into a points game with a shrinking target. The textbook recommends playing attempt variants with scoring systems so that you notice improvements and deteriorations at all [1]. On top comes an incentive from the textbook: players should enjoy the sound of the impact [1] – that keeps you going longer than any technique lecture.
In the stock attempt you aim at an opponent's stock in the target area to hit it with your stock and move it out of the target area. In the vocabulary of the German Ice Stock Federation this is called Abschießen [1][3].
In round 2 you get 2 points for a target stock that is hit and stays in the area, 5 points if both stocks leave the target area, and 10 points if only the target stock flies out and your stock stays in the area. At most 60 points per round [2].
Stay centred on the Abspielstelle and turn only your body toward the target. Choose a running sole where you do not need more force than for the Maß and hit the target stock centrally [1]. With several target stocks side by side you practise until you can shrink the target [1].
When the opponent's stock lies very close to the Daube and no Maß offers a solution, or when you have the second-best position [1]. As a beginner you play more defensively and rely mainly on the Maß [1].
If the Daube has left the target area, it is put on the centre cross. If it leaves only temporarily and comes back, it stays in its resting end position [2].
Grip & Holding the Stock in Ice Stock Sport: Thumb Round, Fingers in the Curve