XXXXXX…Does This Mean You Are Improving?

I just got off the phone with my good friend and student, Jack Coker. Being a low handicap golfer, Jack can tell you what real improvement takes. And why we both LOL when I suggested he forget all those golf lessons and just stare at the golf ball much, much harder, believing it will always fly perfectly straight.

Let’s begin with a shooting “improvement” myth that confounds and ends up frustrating so many students.

Fred is in my corporate group today, attending what I call a Gentlemen’s Coaching session. In Gentlemen’s Coaching, the Instructor has only 2 primary obligations. The first one being safety, of course. SOP for all lessons. The second is entertainment, meaning, today, I will only place “can’t-miss” targets in front of my customers. Soft floaters, incoming and outgoing with a baby teal and slow rabbit thrown in here and there. Entertainment. Everybody breaks targets. Point and shoot, X X X X X X X. Guaranteed. All intentional. It’s the Instructor’s obligation, the purpose of this session. Fred, by the way, broke every target. Every single one. 

Thrilled about today, Fred flew home and told his wife what a surprise this morning had been. He had no idea he could shoot a shotgun so spectacularly. It was amazing.

Early next morning Fred borrows his neighbor’s shotgun and drives to the gun shop for ammunition. Next stop, his local Sporting Clays range. Cart loaded, he arrives at Station 1, disappointed because no one’s here to see the show. Unfortunately, and predictably, standing on the RED course, this will be a humbling experience for Fred. And it is. Why? First, of course, the targets are much harder. Second, Fred wasn’t taught anything yesterday. It wasn’t about his learning anything. Yesterday was all about entertainment. Only. 

Meaning? Cheryl and I frequently get a call from a shooter who is frustrated, discouraged, sometimes angry. Serious about his shooting, he tells us he’s definitely not improving. He says he’s already taken 2 lessons from Instructor # 1. Paid lessons. Trying again, he pays for a few hours with Instructor # 2. That was 6 weeks ago and yes, he has been practicing. Sort of. As in, he’s not quite sure about what he’s supposed to be practicing. Signs of improvement? NADA. Why? Because he went through Gentlemen’s Coaching. He left every lesson under the “illusion” he was getting better. Hey…what about all those Xs? Yes, he broke a LOT of targets!! The illusion of improvement. Did his shooting improve? How could it? There was no real teaching. Just a lot of X’s here, X’s there, hold the gun here, hold the gun there. Improvement? Nope. Why? Because the necessary, very specific set-up steps, fundamentals, swing basics were never taught. Was there any real, detailed instruction in all of this?? A plan…with step-by-step instructions to follow? No. Just a lot of X’s. The illusion of success. Possibly you can relate?

Which brings us here. If you seek entertainment for your corporate group, family or friends, God bless. Go and enjoy. However…if you are serious and sincere about advancing your shooting skills…measurably…then your Instructor owes you more than Gentlemen’s Coaching. A lot more.

If your goal is to improve and you decide to hire professional help, in my experienced and professional opinion, here’s what your Instructor owes you. He or she has “teaching” responsibilities, obligations to be met. You have every right to expect those obligations to be met.

After safety, your Instructor’s first obligation…to PREPARE you to continue succeeding… after you go home…at your gun club…on your own…with no Instructor standing behind you. Emphasis on the word prepare. At your home club, if you have missed the same target 3 times in a row and are lost and confused about why (let’s not talk about where the miss went, that’s too late)…your teacher dropped the ball. You were not taught how to “self-correct” the set-up and/or swing error(s). On your own. Sorry, you were NOT prepared. Because learning how to self-correct is a requirement for improving. Why you are missing is a question that deserves specific answers during your lesson. What went wrong behind the muzzle? That’s where the miss took place, not out yonder! Today’s objective is for you to learn those answers. Not only your Instructor’s obligation in today’s lesson but for you, tomorrow and every day thereafter. Preparing you. So you can continue taking real steps toward your goal when at home and the missing starts. Which it will, for everyone. An inescapable cost of improvement.

Third…self-correcting an X. Why would we correct an X? Good question. Was that X an accident or was it intentional? Your knowing the difference is critically important. If the target broke by accident, in spite of a swing error, was that a successful swing? Are you being taught to recognize if it was an accident? No? Then you’re left in the shooting box hoping for another X…open to repeating the same mistake(s) which looks like this: X O O O O. Your progress has officially ended. And when you DO know what just happened in your swing and that it was correct…X…now you can repeat that X swing. X X X X X X. On purpose. There’s your consistency. There’s your improvement. There’s the difference between an accidental X and an X on purpose, so you can continue to raise your skill level and scores at home, on your own. When you don’t hit the target and when you do.

Fourth…a written practice sheet to take home with you, listing each step you were taught today. Specifically, in detail, so you can refer back to your notes. The non-negotiable basics. Very specifically, what to practice, what not to practice, making every shell, every target count. So you can indeed move forward towards your shooting improvement goal. Predictably and on schedule. You deserve that. It’s what you asked for. And paid for.

Thanks for visiting with us. Be safe, shoot well.

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What the Head Coach at Montreat has to say...

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)