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setting goals for the upcoming clay shooting season

1/31/2010

Ok Folks,
Do you have this season's goals set? Often I hear that a student's goal is to move up in class....fair enough, I can see that......but realize, if that is the case, you need to plan your calender accordingly. If your goal is to move up, you have to not only improve your shooting ability [and of course yourcompeting ability], you have to go to where the punches can be earned. Drives me nuts when shooters go on and on about wanting to move up in class, but wonder why its not happening fast enough when they never go to any shoots of any size. The more shooters, the more punches available.

There is a whole world of sporting clays out there folks.....they don't just throw them at your home club. They even throw them in other states. Plan some trips....test yourself against new courses. To me, that is the real challenge in our sport.

Best Regards,

Will

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variables...so many variables

1/28/2010

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Yesterday, the weather broke and I decided to take advantage of the warm[er] temps and get in some practice. The club was short of trappers, so I joined a couple of guys that had a cart and were shooting the course[one of then take an occasional lesson from me]. They mentioned that the targets on station #6 have been giving them fits, and they would like to see me shoot them [no pressure here!].

Well, it turned out to be a true pair- first bird was fast 90mm crosser[edgy] @ about 30-35 yards, and the second bird that you engaged was a much slower curling downhill quartering bird[showing plenty of dome] at about 30 yards. Menu called for 4 pairs. Ok, this pair should have your full attention, but lets not freak out.....we should be able to count on the second bird of the pair, every time, as long as we keep our wits about us.....and we should get our fair share of the harder bird. I managed 7 out of 8, dropping the first bird of the 3 pair- hey, it January OK?

So, my new squadmates are grumbling about being old, and not as fast as they used to be.....about how when they were my age, they could move that fast, and about how they can't see them well enough. OK, so guys what part of the clay are you looking at? I get a half hearted answer about seeing the leading edge. REALLY? Let's look at it again......how about how the sun, which is behind the target...see how it lights up the back corners of the bird? Yeah, yeah we see that now, they respond.....so now trying the target again, they begin to hit it with at least with some regularity.

But they are still struggling.....they are inconsistent.....they are engaging the targets at various places in the flight....sometimes very late, costing them the precious time they need to ensure kills on the second, easier bird. So, I'm hearing things like "........ just can't see the bird as fast as you do Will", and "....I'm not sure where to break it...". So I ask where they are seeing the bird best, and where they are seeing it first?

With regard to where they see it best, I get all kinds of answers about where they should kill the bird, not where they can focus on the bird the best. We should do everything we can to kill the bird where we can focus on the bird the best. Ok, now that is settled.....how about where you see the bird first? I get all kinds of answers, mostly about not seeing it well until later in its flight......that is fine, because that is where we are going to kill it.....but what I want now is where do you see the flash of the clay FIRST. That is where you need to have your eyes, in soft focus, when you call for the target. Get your hands moving when you first see the flash, giving yourself the maximum time to kill the bird.

Suddenly, the shot didn't seem so fast.....the guys realized that they had more time than they realized. Because they were looking for the bird earlier, they were seeing it earlier. It was something they had to work at, but they could do it. They weren't as old as they thought.

And mainly they realized that they were focused on the wrong problems, the wrong variables in the shot. It really comes back to basics....things they already knew. But it is sooooo easy to come the conclusion that there must be some other problem than me, the shooter, not doing the work to apply the basics.

Guys and Gals, its all basics. Good shooting is generally just doing a good job of applying the basics. This time of year is a good time to make sure you have your basic shooting squared away.

I think that I'm going back to the range today to make sure of that for myself.

Best,

Will

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sporting clay instruction...slow down!

1/10/2010

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I worked with a squad of great young men today during the SCTP practice session, and it reminded me of the most important observations I've made over the years of instruction. It is very rare that I have to ask a shooter to move their hands faster. Ninety-nine shooters out of one hundred will be moving their hands WAY too fast. Once I got these guys to slow down and get in harmony with the bird, they were amazed how much slower the target looked, how much time they really had to kill the birds, and most importantly, how much BETTER they could SEE THE TARGETS.

After that, it was a pleasure to watch them shoot!

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i'm ready for warm weather...

1/3/2010

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OK gang,
This cold weather has got to go! Shooting this weekend, all bundled up in too many clothes, was not fun. Its time for warm weather. In the mean time, to improve your performance, remember, sweaters are better than parkas, and try to either not wear a glove on your firing hand, or at least, wear gloves that expose's your trigger finger[ I saw shooter after shooter "trap the trigger" on the second shot because they couldn't feel the trigger through their thick gloves]. If you are practicing, you have to be realistic with yourself about your performance......don''t beat yourself up if you are not shooting as well as you think you should....it just might have something to do with the weather and wearing sooooo many clothes.

Best,

Will

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setting goals for the upcoming clay shooting season

variables...so many variables

sporting clay instruction...slow down!

i'm ready for warm weather...

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