Trust What???

How can you trust 

when you don’t know what to trust? 

Fasten your seatbelts folks. For some, this may be a bumpy ride.

His name is Bill Costello and in 1984, he was the very first shooter at our club to break 30 targets out of 50…a stunning new record. The very next day the rest of us all went to Trop’s Gun Shop in Elizabethtown and bought the same gun Bill had. Unfortunately, the gun manufacturer must have had a bad run in the plant or something because not one of our guns shot as well as Bill’s.

Some folks are happy with their current performances and scores. Some are not. For those who are not…please consider the following. 

As a full-time Instructor and Coach, it always saddens me to hear my student say his previous Instructor put a lot of pressure on him to trust himself in the shooting box. Which he did…and missed…again and again…multiple times. Each time, his Instructor responded, “You’re just not trusting yourself enough. Stare at the target harder.” All the staring and trusting was then repeated. OXOOXOOX. He was again reminded, had he trusted himself more…stared at the target harder…he would have broken the targets he missed. Ladies and gentlemen…I respectfully submit…that advice is pure garbage. 

Here’s why. 

In the early 1980s when Sporting Clays landed on our shores, very, very few if any of us knew what we were doing. However, the one thing we all did have was our natural, God-given, hand-eye coordination. Sunday was always a very busy day at Hummelstown Field and Stream with a long line of shooters waiting for their turn to shoot our 50-bird course. For the first year or more, the average score was in the high teens to low twenties. That’s it. And we were proud of those scores.

Today, new shooters are frequently unhappy about only breaking 50% to 60% of their targets. Comparing their scorecards to those who’ve been doing this for a while now, breaking 80% to 90%...what the newer shooter is unaware of is this: past, present, and future, by only using hand-eye coordination as the shooting method, generally speaking, one can expect to break 50% to 60% of their targets…usually, but not always…depending on the target presentations and our shooter’s natural abilities. Yes, some can shoot a bit better than others using hand-eye coordination. But, without adding some structure to the set-up and swing, the road will be long indeed to achieve consistency and measurable improvement. That’s a fair statement, backed up by countless score cards where hand-eye coordination was the shooting method and no formal training was involved. And, by training, I mean where specific, non-negotiable basics and fundamentals have been added AND applied to the shooter’s natural coordination.

Let’s go back to trusting.

Trust is a tricky thing.

It demands reliability and rightfully so.

Remove the reliability and trust is gone.

Choose wisely what you trust. 

For the record: trusting your set-up and swing is desirable and can be a huge advantage… provided the trusting takes place in the right order. By that I mean, one cannot trust something one does not know…or has not yet learned. Trusting comes second after first learning, then applying the basics. Adding these fundamentals…AKA the “methodology”…to the natural skill level is not optional. It is required to advance a skill level…to raise one’s scoring average. This principle applies to all sports, all undeveloped skills, including ours. 

Skill advancement can be shortened by adding competent training and dedicated practice of the methodology…the fundamentals. Those who tell you otherwise are trying to sell you oceanfront property in South Dakota. Said another way, there are no magic beans. Never have been…never will be. Skip adding the basics and our shooter’s performance mediocrity will persist. Always has…always will.

And why…standing in the shooting box… you're being asked to trust something you don’t know…or haven’t learned yet…will always fall short of expectations. Understandably and predictably. If your Instructor insists you do this, ask your teacher…”Specifically, what am I supposed to be trusting??” You have every right to ask that question because your pre-shot “set-up” and “swing steps” are in fact very specific…as is the specific shooting method most advantageously applied to the target in front of you. There’s the methodology I’m speaking of here, which is not automatically included in natural hand-eye coordination. Eyes wide open, without this methodology, trusting what you don’t know, you are shooting blind.

There’s no harm, none at all, in trusting a natural, undeveloped swing…provided the shooter is happy with Xs sometimes. To create Xs consistently requires the step-by-step, ongoing process of correctly adding the fundamentals. Once the basics are in place and the shooting skill advances, “familiarity” with the process quickly becomes evident. Using that familiarity, here’s where the swing becomes reliable and can now be trusted. The very specific shooting methods…now learned and reinforced…can also be safely trusted. Scores are now up! Congratulations and well done! Anyone who follows this necessary process can do the same. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. God bless, be safe, see you again soon.

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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)