Please place one hand under your gun's receiver - balancing the barrel on one side, stock on the other. Now gently push the stock UP and watch what happens to the muzzle. It, of course, goes DOWN. During your gun mount - this is exactly what happens if your trigger hand goes UP faster than the fore-end hand in charge of the swing. In slow motion - if the trigger hand snatches the gun to the face - the muzzle does a "dirt dive." So - early in the swing - if the muzzle is going down and the bird's flying across the sky at 60 mph - are the bird and barrel aligned? Are they together? No. MOUNTING the gun to the face too quickly has pushed the barrel down, well off the target line. The muzzle will now have to be pulled up, then chase after the escaping target. All of this is called MOUNT - then move and shoot - a costly, time consuming, 2 piece gun mount. Friends will happily tell you "where" you just missed - but the real reason "why" you missed took place way over there at the start of your swing.

When the trap fires - if your bird/barrel sight picture is out of order early in the swing, how will the muzzle get to the "right place" BEFORE the shot occurs in the breakpoint? Now you have no choice but to try to fix your sight picture in what's left of the swing - before time runs out.........

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Once we decide to get serious about building a complete shooting game, we quickly begin to learn just how many different ways there are to present targets.

Once a target leaves the machine, there are usually multiple breakpoints available to us. Which one is best? That depends on many, many different factors. Shooting style is one example, an important consideration when choosing a breakpoint that favors that style. A fast shooter might pick an earlier breakpoint - a more methodical shooter would likely shoot this same target a bit later.........

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000000. As the empty shells pile up in the trashcan beside the shooting box, do you ever feel "lost?" Can't find the problem? Why isn't that target breaking? Here's what I believe is the # 1 most common problem and cause of missing. Chances are very good this particular detail could well be the starting point, the primary reason why your scores and performances may be sputtering. In Latin, it's called "anxious-erratica." I'm pretty sure that means "lost birds senor."

"Anxious" describes the approach to the shot - "erratic" is the swing result. When the trap fires, overcome by the feeling "the target is getting away," the shot is rushed unnecessarily, causing even more unwanted barrel movement during the swing. Just a thought,..... the shell speed is about 750 mph. Target speed is about 55 mph. You win. Why the rush?.........

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Learning a new skill can be fun. And it should be. And once all the equipment has been purchased - ready or not - it's finally time to step into the box and meet the clay target. While no doubt exciting - it may be a bit humbling as well. Not only do the targets provide all the challenge we want and more, we quickly learn the target doesn't always break just because we want it to.

Don't get me wrong - I applaud determination. But I also know that repetition in the box without the basics - without proper technique - is practice built more on hope than a well thought out plan. It seems, good shooting can be here today - then gone tomorrow. Consistently good shooting, on the other hand, is built on a strategy that includes the basics.........

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Being a pragmatic person, I am usually more inclined to look at things from a practical perspective. What follows is something that I've learned is best for me. YMMV. Here's what I've discovered.

I have a drawer full of shooting glasses, some dating all the way back to 1979. If you need a particular color, call me.

When I am teaching in really bright sunlight, I greatly appreciate my Randolph Engineering CMT's. The glare reduction features in these lenses are a Godsend and crystal clarity isn't compromised at all. On a grey, overcast day - I reach for my light yellow tint. It brightens my surroundings and seems to add appreciably more light making this color very useful in subdued light conditions.........

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OK, I understand this,.......sort of. Many folks put shotgun aesthetics at the top of their list. No arguments from me. A beautiful shotgun is a joy to behold, a masterpiece of craftsmanship, function and form, making it a delight to hold. Few "tools" deliver anywhere near this level of pride of ownership. I own one for upland hunting. So I do understand,......right up until all those "dynamite" loads take a trap, skeet or sporting clays shooter down with flinching, head lifting, debilitating neck and shoulder problems.

The affects of recoil are cumulative. It's a price we all pay, some more than others by the choices we make. So it's in our own best interests to mitigate recoil every chance we have. First are ammunition choices. Here, Lite loads get it done,....all day,....every day. 2 3/4 dram loads will help you shoot better and do it more consistently.........

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Sunday evenings and Mondays can be busy answering calls and emails from my students around the US. Typically, we're discussing this week-end's tournament - play by play - and results. Listening, I hear a Field by Field account of what happened and why.

It is worthwhile to do a post-game review of stations - provided we don't get caught up in replaying certain misses too many times and reinforcing those particular images - which we really don't want to do.........

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Excessive gun speed, swinging the gun too fast is all too common in my lessons. It's the opposite of gun control. Russ Vowell called it, "blazing barrels." There are a hundred reasons for this, mostly having to due with wanting to break the target--with a fierce determination. Going too fast though has a price.

After the first 5 minutes of the lesson on the course, we've got 0000 and a well-intentioned swing out of control. To slow my student's swing down, drastically, I ask if he's ever driven a tractor. Ever heard of granny gear? He says yes. Granny gear speed is a crawl. At this point my student is thinking, "This ain't going to work. Not happening. I'll end up shooting way over there.".........

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Last month we took a look at "the hard part." In that discussion, I mentioned the "1" change. Let's talk about that a bit further.

First, it's human nature to be in a hurry to get somewhere. I get that. Guilty myself. But in skill development, it just doesn't work that way. Ain't goin' to happen. Like it or not, learning a new language, a new software program, shooting skills, let's face it, some time and effort will have to be invested. So we head out to the range, fully determined to accomplish something good today. Here's how

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When people ask what I do and I explain, their eyes light up and they say "Wow,"..... or "Cool,"..... or something to that affect. Understandably, this reaction overlooks the everyday challenges of being a Coach. Standing inside the clubhouse, 2,000 miles from home with my disgruntled students looking out the window as the snow piles up and the wind howls, is nobody's idea of a good time. Tomorrow's forecast is the same and day 3 is their flight home. This we can't control.
 
Fortunately, there are some things we can control......

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A good teacher/instructor can't just be a lecturer. There's more to good teaching than just dispensing advice and information. When you register for a private lesson or a class with your friendly, local instructor, it is reasonable to expect your "mentor for the day" to be organized, look the part, and be truly attentive to what you have to say. It is also fair to anticipate that your instructor will take the time to ask why you are here today. He or she will listen to your specific questions and concerns - then tailor your lesson around those topics. Isn't that why you signed up in the first place? Yes it is. A competent instructor will want to have this conversation with you in order to formulate the best lesson for you.

When the early Q&A portion of your lesson is concluded in the clubhouse, priorities shift. Headed out to your first shooting field, you become the listener. It is because your approach to your shooting is not working - you will be asked to do things differently in the shooting box than you are accustomed to. Your instructor is counting on your undivided attention and utmost cooperation......

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That I do work with a lot of students in a year's time grants me an experienced opinion. And I am privileged to be included in each and every lesson. With one exception (Gunny) - I have never learned more from anyone than my students.

So I find it interesting to watch how many shooters are romanced and seduced by all the tangibles. Holding it in your hands, surely there's something magical about it, surely there can be no doubt - this is THE one that will work better than any other. And it may. But down the road, many find this revelation: look not at what you have or where you are – but to step-by-step, consistent improvements.

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Think about it. Balance a shotgun on a pin. Move the back end --> the front end moves. Hold that thought please.

First -- I ask that we mentally focus on a specific block of time -- when your gun starts moving -- all the way to the trigger pull. During that specific block of time -- using the second hand on your watch -- notice how long 2 seconds is. Now 3 seconds. Now 4. Can we agree that this block of "swing and shot time" usually takes place somewhere between 2 to 4 seconds and -- quite often - sooner? Seems right.

OK -- now look hard at the first 1 to 1.5 seconds -- the very first, critical movement of your gun. What's happening in that first 1 second? Too often -- the trigger hand is racing up to the face. The fore-end hand isn't doing much of anything except supporting the gun. Now -- and here's the important part -- still in that 1st second -- with the trigger hand coming up quickly -- the muzzle can only go one way: down. While that barrel is going down -- the bird is going somewhere else -- isn't it? It didn't go down. It went up -- or across -- or away from us. Everywhere but down. In slow motion now -- the stock is now on your cheek but your muzzle took a dirt dive! I call that right hand upward snap "the jerk!"

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Where do our shooting skills come from? How are they developed and acquired?

With each trip to the course, each of us is building an inventory, or database, of muscle movements and sight pictures necessary to successfully complete a particular shot. At Paragon we call that,.....Familiarity. It is a mental inventory or database of sight pictures and swing movements - based on the target presentation in front of us. A presentation we will see again. And again.

Building this critically important Familiarity requires training and repetition. Have you considered how you approach building this Familiarity, i.e., target inventory?

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It's not uncommon to load up our gear, head to the range, stand in the first box and ask ourselves, "What do I want to work on today?" Consider a more productive approach.

To get us on the same page - 2 definitions: "Practice" is more about reinforcing and strengthening a skill already learned.  "Training" is all about learning and building an undeveloped skill.

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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?

Let's do the exercise again. This time paddling downstream. No worries, just go with the flow................. The cabin is about 5 miles from where you sit, paddle's at your feet, just gliding, no worries, no falls in sight. Much better,.........yes?

Which one best describes how you feel in the box on tournament day? 1 or 2?

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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.....

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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.

No doubt, shotgun shooting is an art, not a science. Swing pace and rhythm, timing of the trigger pull, eye-hand coordination, triangulating compound leads, these would indeed be hard to measure and quantify. Logic does not always apply and slide rule calculations to explain what happened will likely be impossible.

All of that said, certain part of the shooting equation can be articulated with specifics. For example, this particular part of the shooting equation must be clearly understood to gain any real consistency in Sporting Clays.

First, let me say that I don't like missing a target any more than you do. Watching a target sail to it's final resting place intact and untouched is always a bit unnerving and too often gives rise to thoughts of some personal shortcoming. Not my idea of fun and I doubt yours as well.

Most commonly, I see this phenomenon when I am teaching. Missed targets are the catalyst for a host of negative emotions and reactions from my student, none of which by the way are conducive to breaking the next target.

The key problem here is that we judge each success—or failure (a word I don't like)—by whether the bird breaks or not. That's understandable but counterproductive and completely missing the point in terms of building skills.