A Parachute Swing

“Trust…but verify.”

Ronald Reagan

Yes…wise words from President Reagan. However, it’s all that “verifying” that gets us shooters in trouble.

Helping my students develop consistently good shooting “form” is my trade. As I’m privileged to study and improve hundreds of students each year, I’m able to see the slightest mistakes in their set-up and swing. It is these errors that contribute to shooter inconsistencies… OXOXXO…hence their importance to both shooter and instructor alike. 

A day in my office is to spend time with RGM (random gun movement). RGM is the silent enemy. My goal with my student is to replace that randomness with consistency, making each X a lot more predictable. On schedule, performance consistency gets real traction and their X count goes steadily up. Time together reinforces a shooting system that can be trusted. Proven and confirmed countless times in my lessons.

Which brings us to the point of this article. Envision a situation where the results of our shooter’s next swing have become painfully important. Right now, the next target MUST break.  

Pull. Lost target.

OK, time out. Yes, there are others, but let’s break down two of the very common reasons why folks miss.  Number One:

“When you start thinking of pressure…

it’s because you’ve started to think about failing.”

Tommy Lasorda

Whether in a shoot-off for a World title…or a simple social situation…our shooter truly, truly, DOES NOT WANT TO MISS. Understandably now…our shooter believes…a miss will be embarrassing…disappointing parents…the Coach…the team…friends…and, of course, themselves. Folks, that’s a lot of “self-induced” pressure…all to not fail. Especially in the tournament box. Where is the attention? On “not” missing…” not” letting everyone down. Target in the air, say hello to the “be careful, don’t miss swing.”

Picture this: as the gun moves, it’s as if a parachute snaps open, dragging against the flow of the swing. The gun speeds up and steadily slows to a crawl. The lead slips away and the target is missed. Being careful, we replaced the practiced swing that worked earlier with the “parachute swing.”

To better understand the parachute swing…consider moving some of our attention away from what we “see” during the swing. Yes, of course, our eyes have to guide the gun. Here…I’m asking us to move some of our attention inward to what our swing “feels” like. Feeling the movement of the gun…speeding up…slowing down.

Let’s watch a parachute swing occur from behind our stressed shooter, setting up on a common, left-to-right, medium-fast target. At the call, the swing builds speed and momentum. So far, so good. Here comes the caution, the mistake. About mid-swing, we clearly see the gun begin to decelerate, as in, stop accelerating. For one elongated second, the gun is very noticeably slowing down. The “lead” on the target? Collapsing. Follow through? Maybe some…but with the brakes on! Lost target. While pressure in the box is totally understandable, the cautious swing effectively reduced critical gun speed, predictably causing a miss behind.

Typically hiding from the shooter, this is how a parachute swing actually feels. 

Imagine our gun starts up against and will be swinging into a vertical rubber band. As our swing begins, all seems OK. But, about mid-swing, we feel our gun slowing down from the increasing rubber band resistance. Yes? This is our body following instructions to be careful, to “not miss.” Take a moment to check if your swing is parachuting. If you feel it and missed…now you know why.

A cautious swing takes a bit of work to overcome. However, after a while of giving it our attention…and a few lost targets… we now know why. The parachute swing feels the exact opposite of releasing the swing.

Reason Number Two for a parachute swing:

Purposely measuring a lead. How much? 1 foot? 3 feet? More? Not too much now!! Bless each and every one, said respectfully, my classes are full of good souls who want to measure the lead in front of the target. Makes perfect sense, yes? Well…long coaching experience has shown, all that measuring typically results in a parachute swing. Being careful. To get the lead “exactly” right. To not miss. Unbeknownst to our shooter, while the measuring is taking place in the swing, the gun is slowing down, and the lead is collapsing. Time and time again, measuring leads has proven to be a significant contributor to swing inconsistency and lost targets. There are far better shooting methods we can trust to break targets on time, consistently and dependably.

Good shooters are aware of this and won’t allow tension or caution to interfere with their swing. Free and unencumbered, their swing and follow-through are trusted. Completely. No parachute. Again and again, XXXXXXXX.

In closing, the common words for correctly releasing a swing are “follow through.” Thankfully, it is impossible to parachute a swing and release it at the same time. Can’t be done. Pick one. When the time comes to release your swing, your body will feel one of two sensations, release or hold. Only one gets the X!

Chambers loaded, every time, trust releasing your swing and let the X come to you. No micromanaging. No parachutes. Release your swing and follow through.

Here’s to the many blessings of this great land we love, the United States of America, and to the camaraderie of clay target sports that unite shooters from around the world. May God bless us all as we continue to pray for peace in our world and in our hearts. Thank you for spending time with Cheryl and I. I look forward to the day we meet out on the course and share some time together.

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XXXX

About Dan Schindler

Dan Schindler is one of only 60 worldwide members of the Guild of Shooting Instructors (UK) and is one of the most highly respected Sporting Clays and Wingshooting Instructors in the US. Dan is an NSCA Level III Instructor (since 1995) and founded the Paragon School of Sporting with one goal in mind. Whether it be for the advanced competitor or providing the basics to the entry-level shooter, Paragon provides the simplest, most practical and most effective Instruction, Coaching and Mental Training for the Sporting Clays & Wingshooting enthusiast. Dan Schindler helps shooters alleviate a lot of their frustration by taking the mystery out of breaking targets, calling their own misses, and make their own corrections. Lessons are fun, enlightening and our clients learn to shoot better in minutes!  

Dan Schindler's Books

"Recommended for shooters of all skill levels, Coaches, Instructors

and parents of youth shooters."

Take Your Best Shot (Book I), 3rd Edition is THE Gold Standard Primer It's all about the fundamentals, a requirement for good shooting. This book is used by high school and college shooting teams, recreational and competitive shooters from around the world. Solid, valuable, concise information that has helped thousands of shooters shoot more consistently with higher scores.

To The Target (Book II) Builds on the steps outlined in Book I. Emphasises Gun Management skills when the trap fires, creating a consistent, reliable, trustworthy swing.

Beyond the Target (Book III) is for shooters of all levels. It is filled with valuable information and clay target truths. It is entertaining and a culmination of three decades of Dan's life's work as a teacher, competitor, published writer, and much more.

Here's what Shooters, Coaches and Clay Shooting USA saying...

 Take Your Best Shot (Book I), 3rd Edition

To The Target (Book II)

Beyond The Target (Book III)    Currently Out of Stock