Is Your Swing Invisible?
August 2009 Sporting Clays Tip
by Dan Schindler
Any of this sound familiar? You lifted your head. You should be shooting a tighter choke. Less choke. You missed behind. Over. Too much in front. You haven't been practicing enough. You should have shot #8's here. You need to slow down. Swing faster. You need to trust yourself more. Give the target more. Less. And the list goes on.
I respectfully propose to you that the above suspected reasons - likely didn't cause the miss. I ask you to consider that your swing - from the first 3 inches of muzzle movement went unseen in an errant direction. Muzzle chasing or hunting for the target - in the time you have left before the trigger pull - it will be difficult if not impossible to get the muzzle into the right place. Lost bird, and the inconsistency on your score sheet - X0X0000X.
A swing you are not watching - did not see - can not be counted on to put the muzzle into the right place consistently. After 1 shot, a competent shooting instructor will help you see that swing error. See it clearly - precisely. Not where you missed - but why. Adjust that, 1 shot, 2 shots, 3 shots, 4 shots, XXXX.
Here's an interesting question: did you just break that target - or did you break it on purpose? Advanced shooters very deliberately duplicate the correct swing. Guiding their gun precisely - they see - exactly what is happening on the other side of their muzzle, shot after shot. The result is not only consistent but predictable.
In order to find the real inconsistency in your swing - precisely - you must first see it - clearly - then adjust it accordingly. The key to improving is seeing - knowing - duplicating a swing that starts and finishes correctly. If you're not sure about this and have questions, consider consulting with a certified Paragon instructor.
July 2009 Tip
Hip Lock
This gets overlooked so much it justifies why we should take a minute to review. While there are some times when this isn't all that critical, there are more times when it is.
Please stand up and extend your arms out to each side, parallel to the floor. Gently turn your body clockwise - now counter-clockwise. No surprise - your body rotates - but only to a point and then comes to a stop
The target is a crosser, 90 degree angle, left to right and moderately fast..............
September 2009 Tip
Here's Your Paddle. Upstream or Down?
Seriously now, take about 10 long seconds and do this. Slow down and think about what it feels like to paddle a canoe upstream. Against the current. Go ahead. Please. I'll wait. 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, 4.........................
OK, it's nice to be on the water and the view is beautiful but if you're going to make it back to the cabin before dark, the paddling takes some work. Right?..............
