The Unwanted Choke

Sometimes it starts while you are waiting on the station to begin your round. Possibly stepping into the box on the first or last field initiates it. For others, it may be constant during a tournament from start to finish.

Body language, facial expressions and general commentary all reflect the fact that today is THE day. Everyone has their game face on. This is serious. Every target counts and scores will be posted on the master scoreboard later. For many of us, the atmosphere around us turns electric the split second our tires roll onto the tournament grounds. We are glad to be here or we wouldn’t have come. But the hard realization that our skills, patience and a host of emotions will soon be tested, often steals our best performance.

I thought we could look at some of the causes and maybe a few suggestions to manage these emotions more effectively.

If we acknowledge it to ourselves, openly, this in itself begins to dismantle the tension we are building inside ourselves. You are not alone with these feelings and thoughts. “I’m glad no one else can hear my heart pounding when I step into the box.” Trust me, there are legions of people in sports who share the same experience. But, an increase in heart rate when you step into the tournament box is normal, not abnormal. Once you accept this, you’ve drastically reduced the disturbing affect it can have on you. Some competitors actually use these feelings to motivate themselves. They’re wisely turning a negative reaction into a positive one, using it to their advantage. Provided the mind isn’t going like a casino, the increase in adrenaline flow can be a real performance advantage. Understanding that it is common and very normal, and realizing that it doesn’t have to be harmful to your shooting, will allow you to move through the experience more easily.

The next common trait that undermines performance is expectations. Tournaments are fertile ground for expectations. Like it or not, intentional or not, we bring our expectations with us to the shooting grounds. It’s our nature. As a society, we are “outcome” based. It is a competitive world we live in and this environment understandably produces personal expectations, realistic or otherwise. Winning is important to us, and I’m not saying that it shouldn’t be. But expectations don’t always reconcile with skill levels and performances and here’s what can happen.

Wanting to break the target is fine. Once that wish intensifies into your “needing” to break a target, you’ve placed an expectation on it. When the target is missed, we have an unmet expectation. Now we take the miss personally. Too often, some of us inappropriately and incorrectly judge ourselves. Self-criticism follows.  All this internal, sometimes verbal faultfinding is taking you further and further away from the next X.

When your goal in the box is “to win,” your focus is on winning, not performing. And the damage doesn’t end there. Discouraged and frustrated with the missing, we make the decision to “be more careful” on the next station. Opposite that strategy, we vow to “try much harder.” These and other similar strategies are recipes for disaster. Each one creates an unsuccessful swing very different from the one you have practiced and trust.

A good shooter is an objective shooter, mentally detaching from expectations. This is a skill that requires patience and training to develop, and is time well spent.

Physical tension in the box can be the result of many things. It’s usually some external factor where the mind has created an emotion that the body must now deal with—mostly unsuccessfully.

For example, in 1979 I was having a difficult practice one morning on the archery range. The PA State shoot was less than a month away. My arrows were clustered everywhere but in the bullseye. My friend and coach, Ron Dixon, asked me, “What are you trying to do?” Looking downrange, I thought that would be obvious to anyone not wearing a blindfold. I released another arrow. He asked the question again.

Pointing at the target I said, “Trying to get the arrow into the bullseye.”

Ron replied, “That’s your problem.” He then asked me how much control I had over the arrow after it cleared the arrow rest.

“None,” I said.

“Then why are you paying more attention to where the arrow lands than to what you are doing?”

I was placing expectations on every arrow launched. The tension and misses were inevitable. By shifting my attention back to good form and release, each arrow found its mark—that morning—and for the State tournament win.

Your primary mission on the firing line is gun management. Your skills are intact, regardless of what pressures or emotions you feel. Though your body may suggest otherwise, your target-breaking skills have not abandoned you.

The more intense the pressure, the more likely one is to choke and stumble in their performance. This is where choking short circuits our normal swing and changes our move to the target. OXXOOX.

Patience and more attention on what you can control is the fastest way to bring your best game back. Putting your attention on what you do best is a strong, positive affirmation that you can handle the target in front of you.

Tension and choking are common, natural reactions. It’s natural for us to look at our racing heart and tensed muscles as the problem. Actually, they’re the symptom. The real problem is the mind which is creating a host of complications, doubts and fears. We naturally react to that by trying to exert control over what we can’t control. Unfortunately, the shackle we attempt to put on the target usually lands on ourselves.  Our intent is on track but the method we use might need a little adjustment.

"There are no performance limits. There are only

temporary plateaus that you can quickly overcome with

a better understanding of the basics and time spent in the

shooting box."

- Dan Schindler

Excerpt from Beyond the Target

At Paragon…we believe that fundamentals are the core, the framework that ultimately encompasses all that is required for success. Because everything is built on basics. Truth be known, there are no advanced techniques. The alleged 'advanced' shooter merely executes the basics smoother, more efficiently and faster than others. If a shooter wants to improve his shooting, he can do so by understanding and repeating the basics, consistently, at a more proficient level.

If you're a clay target instructor and want to help your students quickly move their shooting to a higher level and consistently break more targets, the Paragon School of Sporting's Instructor Certification course will definitely be your silver bullet. Our July class is full and the dates for our fall class will be announced soon.

Stay cool and I hope to see you out on the course.

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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 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)