In round four measure and stock attempts meet: deflecting, bringing and bringing to the back. Read the task, set priorities and score points.
The fourth round of the target competition is the most demanding because it combines measure and stock attempts into a hybrid task. The honest answer to "Is that simply a stock attempt?": no. You do hit a target stock, but what is scored is where the stock comes to rest, in the first two attempts your own, in the other four the target stock.
The IFI rules (IER R 506) fix: 6 attempts are played at a target stock set up alternately in marked circles: A front left, B front right, G front half-left, H front half-right, E middle left, F middle right. Attempts 1 and 2 are about deflecting: you hit the target stock so that your stock comes to rest as near as possible to the centre cross. Attempts 3 and 4 are about bringing: you hit the target stock so that it comes to rest as near as possible to the centre cross. In attempts 5 and 6 you bring target stocks E and F into the back rings [1].
The textbook calls it a "hybrid form of the measure attempt": in attempts 1 and 2 the target stock may leave the field (= stock attempt), and the proximity of your own stock is scored. In the other four you must push the target stock itself as near as possible to the Daube: a "measure attempt by detour" [2].
The fourth round rewards whoever can do two things at once: hit and dose.
Entry criteria (practice standard):
Attempts 1 and 2 (target stock A and B): deflecting, your stock counts. Attempts 3 and 4 (target stock G and H): bringing, the target stock counts. Attempts 5 and 6 (target stock E and F): bring the target stock into the left or right back rings, the target stock counts. The end position of your own stock is irrelevant for scoring in attempts 3 to 6 [1].
Milestone: You explain the six tasks and what counts in each without looking.
In attempts 1 and 2 your stock hits the target stock and should come to rest near the centre cross. The target stock may leave the field, the proximity of your stock to the Daube counts [2]. So you play a controlled stock attempt with measure feel.
Milestone: You reach a score of at least 6 in 3 of 5 attempts.
In attempts 3 and 4 what counts is where the target stock goes. The textbook calls it a "measure attempt by detour" [2]. You hit the target stock so that it is pushed near to the centre cross, with clean dosage instead of force.
Milestone: You bring the target stock into one of the inner rings in 3 of 5 attempts.
At E and F the target stocks have to go into the back rings left and right [1]. This is the longest distance and demands force that must be dosed exactly. The textbook gives you the saying: it is harder to reduce force than to increase it [2].
Milestone: You hit E and F so that the target stock comes to rest in a ring at the back.
The textbook is honest: for children and beginners the 4th round gets very little priority. It is great if time allows and a few bringers can be practised, more important is to use the last two minutes for the middle target rings, so one can concentrate on round 1 [2]. If time allows, the textbook advises practising 2 to 4 bringers [2].
Milestone: You plan your warm-up time (8 minutes per player [1]) in fixed blocks.
In the target competition nobody may be in the target area or behind it during delivery [1]. When bringing, stocks fly further than in a measure attempt, so this rule is especially important.
Train round 4 in two blocks: first only deflecting (A and B), then only bringing (G, H, E, F), each time writing down the points. The textbook recommends training measure and stock attempts separately first and becoming hybrid only with advanced players [2]. The round itself is the hybrid test.
Six, at one target stock set up in circles A, B, G, H, E and F [1].
For deflecting (attempts 1 and 2) your stock counts, for bringing (attempts 3 to 6) the struck target stock [1].
Each attempt 2 to 10 points, at most 60 in the round [1].
The textbook advises beginners to give the 4th round little priority and to use the warm-up time rather for the middle target rings [2].
No. In attempts 3 to 6 the end position of your stock is irrelevant for scoring [1].
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