The Lost Target

Nothing is more expensive 

than a lost opportunity. 

Yes, you have come to a shooting blog. Hang with me here while I first tell this seemingly unrelated story. I respectfully offer this to all my students and especially all the younger shooters out there, their parents and instructors.

It was 1964. Our new general manager’s name was Nick Raptapolus, and we did not like him. A very big restaurant, all of us liked doing things our way, not his way. Nick’s gone now and I wish I could shake his hand for two reasons. First, very quickly, we all learned that he knew what he was doing. We employees went from disliking him to total respect. A taskmaster, he worked tirelessly to make us a team. Thanks to him, we all prospered. Secondly, one of his early lessons changed my life.

Just coming out of high school, I was tired. Tired of him. On this extremely busy Saturday morning, Mr. Nick asked me to do something. I said I was tired and needed a break, maybe a few hours. He said, and I quote, “OK. Go upstairs and take a nap, Danny. I need you back here in ten minutes.” I stood where I was and asked him what he wanted me to do. The right answer. That moment was a wake-up call – one small step into adulthood. A better understanding of what devotion to “work” really meant – what it takes to reach one’s goals. A life lesson.

Over the decades I’ve had the privilege of working with many hundreds of young shooters – all ages, both genders, all the skill levels from perfectly acceptable to wow!! When I asked each and everyone why he/she was standing in front of me, they all said they wanted to be better shooters. Tired of their scores going up and down, they wanted to become more consistent. Note that both of their goals contain the word “want.” Which – don’t get me wrong now – is always a good thing. And, thank goodness, the parents have been there, proving their real support, sharing that same want. So, we’re all off to a good start.

Preliminaries finished – check eye dominance, gun fit, etc. – let’s go to the range. Understandably, student expectations are high. They’re hopeful, and not in a small way either. This is important to them. Already stated, they want to succeed. Anxious – what’s not said is – they don’t want to fail. They really, really don’t want to fail and especially in front of their parents and/or friends. I am powerfully aware of this.

With the correct, carefully chosen target presentations, right on schedule, targets are breaking. We have traction in our lesson. Shooter confidence is rising. However, there’s more to be learned today and it’s not all going to be easy. The test is coming and it’s not about shooting.

And now, targets are being missed. As in, they aren’t breaking. Naturally, shooter confidence is shaken. This is the test. A few more misses and student disappointment and frustration appear. No joy or X’s are anywhere in sight. Instead of just cheerleading, real instructor competence and guidance are very much needed at this moment.

“Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.”

– Sun Tzu

There are now two lessons on the table, waiting to be learned. First, teaching our young students how to successfully cope, how to accept missing as inevitable,  a perfectly understandable part of learning and shooting development. When the missing starts, patience and self-forgiveness to the front, please. Standing in front of us is the ladder to the next skill level. To go UP, rest assured, there will be more missing ahead. What our young student does not yet understand is: this is the hill everyone must climb to advance their skill level. There is no other way. There are no exceptions. Once again, understandably, this is not an easy lesson to learn. Our student has come to a T in the road. The decision on which turn to take may indeed have life-long implications. The second is to teach the basics, what they are, how to execute each one. 

In my experience, some discover they are unable to deal with OOXOXOOOO. For personal reasons, changing old habits to new methods is just too hard. A delicate moment where student choices are being made. Personal decisions, not to be judged. What must be remembered though, is this. If the challenges and difficulties of real improvement are not met head-on, real improvement simply won’t take place. Ultimately, the student will decide.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

- Winston Churchill

If, on the other hand, our student takes that step forward and learns how to accept their personal, unintentional errors – forgiving his/her set-up and swing mistakes – a step up the ladder has been made to discover the happiness and reward: self-improvement. One small step, by one small step, by one small step – this is how everyone improves. And not just in sports, but in music, the arts, business, and everywhere else. This is life. The work must come before the prize. While not always acknowledged, a universal truth.

It is with great pride that I am allowed to share these experiences with my students. Because it is not all about shooting. Guns, ammunition and targets – they are just the tools. Together now – with emphasis on student growth, self-esteem and self-image – test after test, what are the instructor and student creating with these tools? The clay target disciplines – like all sports – provide wonderful learning opportunities far beyond X’s and winning.

“Most people miss Opportunity

because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

– Thomas A. Edison

When those opportunities appear – every student deserves to be shown “the way.” Not just how to improve their score, but how to create a more resilient, more promising future for themselves. By learning how to be patient – to forgive their errors – to persevere – to learn tenacity – to overcome “temporary” difficulties and hardships. These are invaluable life lessons that can be learned on the Skeet, Trap and Sporting Clays range. The clay shooting sports provide these precious opportunities – to be handled accordingly – so those very brief opportunities are not lost.

In closing, please consider. It is human for us to judge a result as good or bad – instead of accepting something that has just happened, be it an X or O. And nothing more. Because it’s when we assign personal meaning to the result, too often that meaning creates disappointment, frustration, even anger, which are all unnecessary and counterproductive to reaching our goals. If our student can learn to step out from under the burden of stress and distractions – by accepting whatever takes place – he/she can simply stop, breathe, see what happened, move forward. This process takes practice. And, this you can be sure of, it will not only expedite progress but be profoundly productive, in and outside of the shooting box.

Thanks for visiting. We always appreciate your being here. Be well and may an opportunity rise to meet you on the course today.

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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 ,Skeet, Trap 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, filled with valuable information, clay target truths. Entertaining and a culmination of 3 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)