No doubt, do something long enough and some things become obvious. This is about my number 1 observation in every formal lesson I give, formal meaning the lesson objective is advancing student knowledge and skill development.
Possibly you read some of my articles over the summer of 2011? I felt particularly good about those articles because they covered what I consider to be "the second most important" aspect of becoming a more consistent shooter with a rising score average: gun management. Gun management is all about how - and where - we move our gun during the swing. The goal being to remove as much "random movement" during the swing as we possibly can. And it goes without saying, an incorrect muzzle hold point before the trap fires has already assured the swing will start off badly. Add to that poor foot position and the focal point in the wrong place - the odds are now high the target will be missed and the trap hasn’t fired yet!........... more>>
In this instance, I think the "disclaimer" should come first because folks enjoy our great sport for different reasons. For many shooters, sporting clays is more a social event, a relaxed round of clays with friends. Skill improvement would of course be nice, but weekly training sessions aren't likely on the priority list. Perfectly understandable. I think the social approach is pretty much where we all started, didn't we?
This tip is dedicated to those who place a higher emphasis on skill improvement, the pursuit of better performances and higher scores........... more>>
Once the preliminaries are finished in the clubhouse, I'm more comfortable with what lies ahead because I've gotten to know my client and I'm mentally preparing a lesson format that I believe will best meets his or her goals. Arriving on station, I prefer to watch a few shots before giving any advice. How would I know what needs attention if I don't watch first? After 4 to 6 shells, I've learned a lot about my shooter in those first few minutes.
Frequently, my student will be breaking this warm up target fairly consistently. What I've noticed is a rather quick, instinctive "snap shot" with some good success. I change the target presentation a bit and we go from XXX0XX0XXX to 00XX0X00X0X. That's OK, that inconsistency is why he's here. I'm also noticing my student likes to pull the trigger just as the gun touches his cheek........... more>>
Coupling long years of experience and skill development with advancing age creates the evolution of a wise and formidable competitor.
Forgive me but I've long been loyal, outspoken, and at times a maniac in support of the underdog. My rough count showed 21 of the 59 Master class shooters at the 2011 Turkey Shoot at the Meadows in GA - are classified as Veterans. 6 of those Veterans scored in the top half of all Master class. So much for being over the hill. And sincerest congratulations to Veteran Malcolm Parker for his Master 4th position, breaking 190X200. May you have many more like that Malcolm and you likely will.
Let it be said that we all have our moments when dropping targets. Understandably. But it can be a bit disappointing to watch an up and coming shooter get upset over a frustrating performance on one field, and then carry those visible reactions through the next station and possibly the match. Didn't say competition was easy - but somewhere along the way, it seems some have forgotten what it truly takes to build a complete sporting clays game - and then deliver a solid performance under pressure........... more>>
About 3 years ago, I was alone, training on a course about 6 hours from home. Halfway around the course, I looked up at the sky. Close my right eye, blue sky. Close my left eye - total, dark, ink black. I called my eye doctor who told me to come to the hospital in Spartanburg SC immediately. Right now. 6 hours later, Michael told me my retina had become partially detached - a very serious situation. The good news was - a laser treatment could reattach it. It did. I have been 100% OK since. Age 65, I still have 20/15 vision. I do not shoot heavy loads. Never have. I’ve been writing about recoil affects and reduction since the early 1990’s. What caused this? Don’t know. But it scared me. Shooting is not a hobby for me. I went looking for all the recoil reduction I could find.
When it comes to my personal shooting, I am a pragmatist. Pragmatists are less concerned with shotgun aesthetics and why things work - just as long as they do work - all the time. That’s important to us because we tend to be a bit more "score" conscious. Long past "fads & notions" we’re more attentive to what really does help us put more X’s on our score sheet.......... more>>
Being a right-brain, artistic soul can also be a curse. It seems I can't touch anything mechanical without it exploding, burning up or just falling apart, never to be assembled again without pieces left over. A rock is a mechanical, engineering genius next to me.
That's why I get so frustrated when I attempt to use a new TV remote, reset the confused DVD player, or use my camera and other mechanical gadgetry. Way - way too many buttons and controls. But I am tenacious and it is with great determination that I am learning to master my "pro model" digital camera. Master might be a bit much but I am gaining ground.
I share this because all too frequently I watch my new student implode after a short series of misses. I say this sincerely, I can empathize with their frustration.......... more>>
Last month we talked about Just Enough, a way of saying we don't want too much or too little gun speed. Establishing a good relationship between the bird and muzzle early in the swing creates the much needed precision to build our X count.
Only occasionally do I have a student with too little gun speed. That is to say, most folks are swinging their gun too fast. This month's Tip revolves around a good way to find the right pace so we can lock up that bird / barrel relationship not late but early in the swing. The earlier the better. This greatly reduces unnecessary movement that compromises the precision in our swing.
Long years of teaching experience have shown me that a swing that starts out fast usually overruns the target. Result? As the swing is coming into the trigger pull, muzzle now ahead of the bird by too much, our shooter throws the brakes on. Now the swing is decelerating instead of smoothly accelerating. Basically, we've got a fast start, then slowing down and stopping the gun, just when we need the opposite.......... more>>
During one of my lessons last week, my student answered my question in a very good way. I thought I would share his answer with you.
I prefer not to reach for my gun during a lesson unless I believe something of real value will come out of the shooting demonstration. And, I’ve learned that almost all of the time, my student actually will pick up on what I am trying to demonstrate and carry those images into the box as he or she resumes the shooting. Set up and executed properly at the right time, a good demonstration can be of real value in a lesson. This was one of those times.
As is so often the case, my student had a lot of excessive gun speed. After a considerable bit of work on this by both of us, he was still struggling to slow down. So I respectfully reached for my gun to demonstrate a smooth and very deliberate swing with a lot of precision in it. I asked that he watch me, not the bird and shot 6 singles. I then asked him what he saw.......... more>>
Sorry - I'm late getting this TIP on line so forgive me if I don't have the exact, very recent issue of Sporting Clays magazine in front of me. There was an article regarding "hard (visual) focus on the target," by one of the regular contributing writers.
I read that article with special interest because - at Paragon - we wholeheartedly agree with the author and most of the article's contents. For a very long time - I was taught, and I taught - a hard visual focus on the bird. This 100% hard focus actually has its advantages in that we can visually slow the bird down considerably and that's a good thing. But - like most things - there are tradeoffs and too much of a good thing can be costly. So, years ago, I changed our teaching philosophy and methodology at Paragon.
Our visual "focus" moves and we decide where to put it. You can stare at the hood of your car in 5 O'clock traffic - but I wouldn't recommend it - everything in front of your car visually disappears. NOT good.......... more>>
I just got a call from one of my students who lives on the Western side of the US. She had just returned from the gun club and was badly shaken.
She and a few of her friends decided to shoot a round together at the club. One of her friends, let's call her Cathy (not her real name), asked her husband to come along and shoot with them, which he did. Cathy likes shooting her 20 gauge but shoots her 12 gauge better. The group of 6 left, Cathy bringing her 20 gauge.
By the 5th station, Cathy was discouraged and shooting poorly. Her husband asked her to switch to her 12 gauge and Cathy agreed. He asked Cathy to empty her pockets and shooting bag of all 20 gauge shells, which she did. He left with the cart, gun and 20 gauge ammunition.......... more>>
There are many important elements to the Paragon Instructor certification class and I'd like to share with you one of the most important. You being the shooter reading this, possibly considering instruction.
Obviously, the instructor candidates in the class share a desire "to help." That's one of the reasons why they come to this class, to learn how to assist you competently when called upon. On day 1 of the class - the candidates are inclined to believe (once trained) that they can provide what the student is "missing." That's partially correct with one small clarification. Let's start with what an instructor can add, can contribute: a safe working environment, usable information, clear communication and support......... more>>
Happy New Year Everyone.
Since our sport's gone into it's usual short hibernation this time of the year, I thought we could spend a minute thinking about the upcoming season.
Folks in general seem to approach the upcoming season with the same hope they had at this time the year before. There's nothing wrong with good intentions mind you but what are we changing in our approach to this season? Realistically, can we expect to see some measurable gains in our skills and performances if we're coming into the new year counting on the status quo? I submit this to you respectfully, but that just seems unlikely......... more>>
