I’ve written for Sporting Clays magazine since the early 1990’s. In poring over my articles, deciding which to choose to put on our website, I discovered two evolutions. Sporting clays and my own.

Sporting clays continues to be an elegant sport born of long tradition, fulfilling our wingshooting passion to experience the wing and shot. Feather and clay, inescapably tied, grants us so many learning opportunities to hone our skills, a path of personal growth that affords us a refreshing, unbiased look at ourselves. Time and again, my students have learned how entirely more capable they are than once thought. The American sporting clays shooter can honestly and proudly say, in a very short period, he has indeed advanced to take his rightful place among the best in the world. And, let’s not forget, no one is having more fun out here than you and I are.

The events, times, places and persons in my articles are all true. While I changed a name here and there, 100% of the information came from my experiences with you. Each tournament, each lesson, each experience with you generated the material for my work. I am grateful.

Should you decide to purchase an article, I have a favor to ask. Please remember that this is always more about you than equipment and methodology. To find the magic, look inside yourself, not outside.

"16 young, passionate shooters prove, there’s no magic in the method. The magic is in the application of the method."

Article Intro:
Forgive me folks, but sometimes it’s just too good.
As a sporting clays teacher, it’s never very long before my eyes and attention goes to what the shooter in front of me is doing. If your interest in shooting is as strong as mine, you can’t help but watch. Over the years, this attention to details has taught me a lot. There is never a day when I’m coaching that my student doesn’t teach me something. It’s the constant study of human behavior and shot management that broadens the instructor’s understanding.....

"Knowing where you want to go is not enough. Nor is a direction. It must be the right direction."

Article Intro:
Taking a brief respite from teaching, I was visiting my dear friend Wendy Crabtree at the Meadows, outside of Atlanta. Enjoying the warm Georgia sun, chilled sweet tea and good company, Wendy said she had a lesson coming in. Feeling I should be someplace else for awhile, I stood up to leave when she asked me to sit down and wait with her. It was nice to see Ron walk through the door and we shook hands. He and Wendy retired to her office. A few minutes later, meeting finished, Wendy asked me if I’d like to observe the session. Ron told me I was welcome so I volunteered to push buttons and pull the targets. I was grateful for the invite and guest privileges to observe.....

"The silent, unnoticed cause of missing."

Article Intro:
Good shooting form is my trade. It is because I typically study and adjust hundreds of students each year that I’ve developed the ability to see the slightest infractions in their swing and shot. It is these errors of varying degrees that contribute to shooter inconsistencies, hence their importance to both shooter and instructor alike. As you would expect, a day in my office is to spend time with r.g.m. (random gun movement).....

"Why we can't take more out of sporting clays than we put in."

Article Intro:
In the February 2004 issue of Sporting Clays, Randy Lawrence wrote a superb article titled Respect For The Game. This insightful, gritty piece poses some soul-searching questions to those of us who partake of the wing and clay sports—inspire their traditions—shape our future. Sometimes a message is so important, and so well stated, it bears repeating. This is one of those times. I hope Randy will look kindly on my comments and pray that my remarks will do justice to the bulls-eye relevance of Randy’s observations.....

"Can a shooting formula be that reliable, that consistent and that simple? Yes."

Article Intro:
What a pleasure to watch Jon Kruger’s performance.  We love this game and every now and then we get the opportunity to watch one of our very best show us how it can be done. 
Here we were at the US Open in Forsythe Georgia.  Peter and Wendy Crabtree did the Meadows and our sport proud.  Everything, down to the smallest detail, was just as you would want it for a nationally attended tournament.  The targets and accommodations were great, the practice stations opened early, everyone knew where to be and when, and the shoot went off like clockwork.....

"Instinct can only carry a shooter so far in sporting clays where the targets are becoming increasingly more creative. Not necessarily harder but more technical for sure."

Article Intro:
The worst thing about being self-taught is the teacher. It’s not that we men aren’t smart because we are. In this case, it’s kind of like the Driver’s Ed teacher saying, “Look, we’ll talk about the brake tomorrow, right now just get your coat and I’ll get the keys.”
You’ve been hunting pheasants, quail and ducks for many years. By now, good shooting should pretty much be a no-brainer. Facing your first clay bird, we heard, “Yeah, I can do this, throw me a target.” It’s pretty much a jock mentality. After all, while you may be a bit washer and dryer challenged, you can shoot a shotgun!.....

"Saying “I want to shoot better,” defines a goal but is a bit vague on how to get there. Learning a few principles might improve the odds on your achieving this goal."

Article Intro:
The more we add in terms of swing mechanics, strategies, shooting methods and equipment the more complicated this whole thing becomes. I promise you, breaking a target, consistently, is not hard. It truly isn’t. But the more we think about shooting, the more we analyze, the more difficult it can become. At times, some of us feel lost in a complex puzzle of unanswerable questions. What is best, when, why, where and how, all lead us into a shooting game that seems anything but simple. Yet everything we shooters read, see and hear tells us the less we think about when that target’s launched the better. That is true. Good shooting comes from our doing less in the box, not more. So how did we get here? More importantly, how can we make better sense of all this?.....

"Top shooters have good form. While their shooting styles may differ, the style each one uses is consistent, making it dependable, at the target and on the score sheet. But there’s more going on there than meets the eye."

Article Intro:
I’ve just come home from the outstanding NC State shoot at Hunters Pointe where Chuck Frazier perpetrated on us some of his best, most well thought out target presentations. Standing in the box, I distinctly remember telling myself not to shoot that target right there. Did I remember to follow those instructions? Actually, to tell you the truth, well, I just forgot. It looked so good right there I couldn’t help myself. See, here’s what happened. After stomping the first bird, I moved the gun to intercept the second bird. And there it was, right on schedule. So I mosey up to it with my “never-fail” move and watched myself shoot right over the top of it! Chuck ambushed me. Twice! X0X0. It’s enough to make a person feel daffy. I did adjust the last 2 pairs, XXXX. Couldn’t get those lost birds back though.....

"Though we want our mind to stay focused on what we are about to do, every miss we ever made, or might make now, can compete with our ability to hold our mind on the task in front of us. What is your real objective here?"

Article Intro:
Mr. Bittlekirk is, for the most part, your average, agreeable guy. He likes football, baseball and fast food. His physically demanding job keeps him in good shape as his handshake and physique implied. Rugged face and stature, Mr. Bittlekirk was outwardly personable but I detected a serious edge about him too. Over coffee and a sweet-roll we talked about our upcoming session.
I like to gather information about my student before guns are loaded and targets fly. I inquired about goals, priorities, targets shot per month and problem areas, all to better understand who Mr. Bittlekirk was and where we were going.....

"Most misses are caused by swings that are out of control. The number one cause of loss of control is incorrect swing speed, in most cases going too fast."

Article Intro:
My good friend and Paragon teacher, Bob Standish, sent me an email the other day asking me how my day went. Things have been a bit stressful around here so I’d taken a few hours to myself. I thought Bob might appreciate my afternoon enlightenment and possibly you would too.....

"For those who wish to advance in sporting clays it’s a good idea to know which topics to discuss first."

Article Intro:
Everybody’s here, or at least it seems that way. We’re all enjoying the Meadows hospitality, just outside of Atlanta at the Turkey Federation Shoot. As they always do, Peter and Wendy Crabtree have it all running on time with everybody standing in the right place. That’s no small feat with this many in attendance and especially nice when it gets crowded. Everyone’s wearing their tournament face. Some have already shot, others are about to, many are crowded anxiously around the scoreboard.....

"If you’ll take a moment and tally your resources and talents, the shooter you wish to become may be a lot closer than you think. Provided you learn one thing."

Article Intro:
There are advantages to being a published writer. I’m given the opportunity to express my opinions, something writers like to do. But there are drawbacks too. My opinion is out there for all to judge, in un-retractable print no less, my credibility on the line. Some opinions are more controversial than others. Did Dan get this directly from Elvis? Actually no, and for some, it may clarify what is holding your performance back. For those who rely heavily on equipment and formulas, what follows comes from a shooting perspective somewhat different than you may be accustomed to. However, if I can get you to contemplate on this for awhile, then I’ve succeeded.....

"It takes time, patience and training for the eyes to begin to see what is happening over the muzzle. It is always there—to be seen—to use to our advantage."

Article Intro:
For those who aspire to higher sporting skills, focus inevitably shifts from breaking the target to the final score. It is here we begin to look at the miss. Why did we miss that target? For that matter, how did we hit the previous one?
Those are very good questions.
In the beginning, just hitting the target seems a worthwhile goal. We read, we watch and we listen, all to improve. Do this—don’t do that. Getting a handle on the tangibles, like equipment, is first. Next comes strategies and methods—the mechanics of sporting. Gradually, the game makes more sense. Where to point the gun and how to get it there are calculated and the number of hits begins to outnumber the misses. For those who are patiently building their game, the next round of clays will be better. Slowly but surely we grind concepts into skills. The diligent assembling of techniques, instincts and trust, yields higher scores more often.....

"Good shooting is a process that includes more than chokes, loads and methods. A lot more. Synergy can push a performance to outstanding levels."

Article Intro:
What’s nice about a shooting method is its simplicity. No rocket science here, just a straightforward technique that works. It’s relatively easy to implement and even easier to understand. See this, do that and pull the trigger. X. Have a plan, follow your plan.
But we also know, to break the target consistently will require something more than just a method. We must add pace and precision to the swing, and timing to the trigger pull. Each and every move we make on the target should embody the delicate balancing of agility and control. It’s the careful study of the target’s speed and flight that will reveal a plan including a shooting method.....

"Stepping into the box feeling assaulted, intimidated, maybe even debilitated by our emotions, when was the last time we devoted some serious effort to the management of our feelings and thoughts?"

Article Intro:
For those of you who believe this coach steps into the box and always gets it right, I only wish it were so. I attended a local tournament this past week-end. No, it wasn’t a disaster; it only felt that way at the time.
The cold and rain was not a significant problem except I left my heavy wool sweater in my vehicle when Gary picked me up at our usual meeting spot. After shooting the 5-Stand the rain turned to a downpour so everyone huddled. My hands were numb and I was well past chilled. Finally, it cleared enough to get our squad on its way. Waiting for the trapper and scorekeeper, the rain began again. We were relieved when the 4-wheeler pulled up, only to discover he had the wrong score cards.....

"A little knowledge can be very useful."

Article Intro:
Sometimes it starts while you are waiting on station to begin your round. Possibly stepping into the box on the first or last field initiates it. For others, it may be constant during a tournament from start to finish.
Attending a Zone shoot one weekend, a State shoot the next—re-packing—then attending another distant tournament, I see many familiar faces. There’s something else that is very familiar at competitions, regardless of sport, location or skill level.....

"Every day, our sport continues to make ever-increasing demands on our swing for precision. Compromise that precision by under or over-exerting the swing, consistency suffers and targets will be missed."

Article Intro:
Ah,…the life of a shooting coach. Sleep late, shoot all day, see you tomorrow, do it again. Really? Who thought that up? A busy coach typically has little time to practice. He, or she, is busy taking care of their students. This same teacher understands sporting clays inside and out, respects what makes it challenging and knows what it will take to move you ahead.
Students arrive with a list of factors to be considered, possibly adjusted, and a universe of opinions and questions. It’s all part of the dynamics of sporting clays and the challenging and gratifying learning curve. Good teachers untangle thoughts and simplify the shooting process.....

"It’s all about more. More speed, more torque. Bigger and faster is better. We have Indy blood."

Article Intro:
Sports. It conjures up images of tremendous endurance, speed, muscle and talent. Baseball, football and tennis players hit hard. With intensity and aggressiveness, the tempo here is fast. Move! Hit! Want to win? Get tough. Survival of the fittest. Sports generate very powerful emotions for both competitor and spectator alike. It’s all about more. More speed, more torque. Bigger and faster is better. We have Indy blood. We live for Armstrong pulling away from the pack—Tiger at one stroke back with two holes to play in the championship. Vicarious sports fans are addicted to the lip-curled, anytime, anywhere-you-want attitude. You want to see fanatical? Sit next to me during the Olympics when the Americans are competing.
We love this stuff. And why shouldn’t we?
Then it should come as no surprise that we naturally bring this same wide-open, go-for-it passion into our sporting game. If smashing a hypersonic teal and the 50-yard battue off the tower on report doesn’t make your heart pitter-patter a little faster, what are you doing here?.....