Always treat your gun as if it were loaded.

Always wear ear and eye protection when shooting. Keep the safety on the gun until it is in the firing position. Never put your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to shoot. When you are not in the shooting position, keep the barrel of the gun up or pointed at the ground. Never point the gun at yourself or anyone else, and always treat the gun as if it is loaded. Before you try to aim, load, or fire your shotgun, learn to respect it: it's a dangerous and powerful weapon. 

Hold the gun correctly.

Always hold the shotgun by the middle of the handle with your non-shooting trigger hand. Use your thumb and index finger to form a V shape and hold it firmly. Use your triggering hand to hold the handle behind the shotgun's trigger. Hold the gun tightly but easily, as if you were shaking hands with it gently.

Place the gun into the shooting position.

Pull the gun back against your shoulder in a comfortable position, keeping your hands in the same position but rotating upward. Pull the butt of the gun back and place it firmly against your shoulder. If you fail to hold the gun securely against your shoulder, the recoil from the gun will make a bump to your shoulder more painful when firing. Holding the butt tight allows your body to absorb the recoil and prevent the gun's recoil from hitting your shoulder. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and turn your body about 40 degrees toward the side of your target. Your finger should not be on the trigger, but keep your finger in the gun-holding position behind the trigger guard ring.

Put your cheek close to the butt of the gun.

To aim properly, you need to practice what's called "cheek to stock," which means you put your cheek against the stock and look evenly down the shotgun. Put the butt end of the shotgun into the hollow formed by your shoulders and pectoralis major, let your head rest on it, and relax your neck. If the shotgun has a sight hole halfway down the barrel, align the gun so that the front sight on the front of the shotgun barrel, the sight hole, and your line of sight are in line. Practice bringing your cheek to the same point on the gun body, lining up the sight point as quickly and comfortably as possible.

Practice body swings.

With an unloaded gun, make sure the safety is on, and practice getting the gun into the shooting position quickly. Push the gun straight away from your side, then push the butt of the gun firmly into your shoulder, resting it in the small nest formed by your shoulder and body. Like golf or tennis, shotgun shooting also involves a partial swinging motion of the body. Whether you're sport shooting or hunting, getting your shotgun into shooting position quickly and comfortably is an important starting point for the process.

Decide what you want to shoot at.

In most cases, guns are ideal for shooting moving targets in the air. If you decide to practice shooting at a shooting range or a safe, rural property with a lot of space, you may want to practice shooting Frisbee first before moving on to hunting or other types of shooting. The shooting range has a frisbee target area where an automated machine launches a frisbee to various locations in the shooting area from which you can shoot. This is also a great way to learn more from experienced shooters. When you are in position, shout "Pull" and the disc operator presses the button and releases the disc onto the field. Take turns firing shots at the shooting range and watch others' skills.