Sporting clays is the ultimate test, pitting ourselves against targets down gullies and through trees at countless unknown speeds, angles and distances. We spend thousands of dollars on equipment, books, videos and training all to master basic, rudimentary skills. Some shooters do, and they have the skills to show for it. But why is it that skills don't always match scores?
Hmmmm. The answer is simple. Competition.
Breaking targets on a quiet practice field conveniently bypasses consequences. Other than a brief moment of disappointment or consideration, the missed target is quickly forgotten. But not when the 0 is put on a scoresheet. That's a whole lot more than just a consequence, it leads to expectations, what ifs and a host of other distractions and disturbances.
Gun skills are not the same as "scoring" skills. To score well in competition takes much more than just gun skills. Engage the mind, divert the attention, and the shooting performance will suffer. Why? Not because the gun skills aren't present but because the performance is managed by the mind, which first must be focused and still.
If higher scores and consistency are the goals, sooner or later a shooter must attend to mental distractions and scoring skills. It's the part of the game we don't see, hiding in plain sight, robbing us of targets, needing our attention.
At Paragon, The Workshop takes a close look at these questions and delivers straight answers.
