After Years of Inconsistency, Every Target Began Breaking
There’s a reason shooters can break targets one round and struggle the next—and it has very little to do with talent. In fact, billions of targets have been broken using natural eye-hand coordination alone… just not consistently. The moment a shooter decides they want reliability, higher scores, and repeatable performance, everything changes. Because consistency is never accidental—it’s built.
To begin, I think it’s important to say there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using our natural, hand-eye coordination to break targets. It works… until we expect it to work every time. To break targets consistently—on purpose—takes a certain amount of correctness built into each setup and swing, deliberately. None of which are required… unless you decide to seek more consistency, better shooting performances, and higher scores.
If you are one of these individuals, the basics, the fundamentals, become indispensable. Good shooters know this, which explains why their swing looks so smooth, so controlled. It would be fair to say exact. Not careful, mind you, because it’s not . . . it's unhurried and intentional. And while our shooting method ranks high in priority, our set-up before the call and our swing mechanics are far more important. Set-up and gun control come first, our strategy and shooting method second.
Here are just a few of the basics, commonly overlooked or unintentionally compromised.
Foot position should favor your Breakpoint, not the trap machine. If the foot position favors the trap machine on a crossing target, and especially a fast crosser, as the bird comes into the Breakpoint, the hips can’t turn and will lock, causing the swing to slow down dramatically (stop?). As the muzzle decelerates, the lead (forward allowance) collapses and the bird is missed behind. Unfortunately, the shooting buddy who tells you where the miss went isn’t helping you because why you missed isn’t being corrected. Thus, this same bird will likely be missed again.
In our setup, our Muzzle Hold Points (MHP) are critical to making sure the target is intercepted on time. Careless MHPs place the muzzle where it will have to chase after the target, putting the target intercept much later in the swing, or maybe not at all. This random, additional (inconsistent) movement not only compromises swing precision but takes more time, extra time that targets seldom give us. This will be costly on our score sheet. Swing precision is a key basic with a lot less room for errors than you may think. Setting up incorrectly, before the trap fires, has already compromised swing precision.
Unquestionably, excessive gun (swing) speed is the number one cause of loss of gun control. Right here is where swing consistency is lost. More often than not, the out-of-control muzzle flashes past the target in the early or middle part of the swing, where it becomes almost impossible to fix the swing before time runs out. My second book, To The Target, clearly explains this and how to avoid it. Your shooting “method” may put the target intercept slightly behind, on, or in front of the target, but compromising that consistent placement quickly leads to missing.
These are just a few of the crucial basics. Together, they are the foundation for consistency and precision in your setup and swing.
What’s important to understand is this—none of this is complicated, but it does have to be correct. And more importantly, it has to be understood in a way that allows you to repeat it… on purpose. That’s where most shooters struggle. Not because they lack ability, but because no one has ever clearly shown them what to see, what to do, and how to make the right corrections when a target is missed. That’s exactly what we focus on during a lesson—removing the guesswork, simplifying the process, and giving you a system you can trust from the very first station.
If you prefer to begin on your own, my 3 excellent books—Take Your Best Shot, To The Target, and especially Beyond The Target—lay this out step-by-step in clear, simple language. Many shooters tell me they finally understand why they miss and how to fix it after just a few chapters.
Assemble these basics correctly… and you’ll begin to break targets with purpose, not chance. This is something you can repeat—without mystery, without confusion.
If you’ve been struggling for years—or even decades—there is a better way. In our two-lesson format, we build a complete foundation on day one, along with a clear, reliable process for breaking crossing targets. Then, at the start of day two, we review everything to ensure you fully understand what you’ve learned before moving forward. From there, we expand your skills to cover additional target presentations—always building on Dan’s proven system that breaks targets when the process is implemented correctly.
That’s when everything begins to come together. You’ll understand exactly what to see, what to do, and where to place your attention before ever pulling the trigger. You’re no longer guessing… you’re following a process you can trust.
The proven Paragon Shooting System (developed by Dan Schindler) takes the mystery out of breaking targets. When the system is implemented correctly, targets break consistently.
Shooters leave knowing precisely what to see, what to do, and how to correct their misses—so the very next target breaks. More importantly, they leave with a system they can trust to shoot higher scores consistently—one that allows them to continue moving their shooting forward long after they leave, without needing an instructor standing behind them.
If you want to accelerate that understanding—and experience it firsthand—a lesson allows you to see it, feel it, and apply it immediately.
This is a proven, repeatable system that takes the mystery out of breaking targets—replacing confusion with confidence and far more broken targets.
1 Target. 1 Shell. 1 X.
If you’re ready to move forward with confidence and a proven process, contact Paragon School of Sporting to set up a complimentary call with Dan and experience your very best shooting.
Thanks again for stopping by.
Be safe, and I hope to see you out on the course.
XXXX
👤 About Dan Schindler—Trusted for over three decades
Dan Schindler is one of only 35 instructors worldwide invited into the prestigious Guild of Shooting Instructors (UK) and has held NSCA Level III Instructor status since 1995. With more than three decades of trust and proven results, Dan is widely regarded as one of the most effective shooting instructors in the world. His instruction has influenced shooters, coaches, and instructors worldwide who value systems over opinions.
He founded the Paragon School of Sporting with a clear mission: deliver the simplest, most effective, and most practical instruction for Sporting Clays and Wingshooting. Shooters travel from across the United States—and internationally—to train with Dan because his methods work fast and continue working long after the lesson ends.
At the core of Paragon is the Paragon Shooting System—a clear, step-by-step approach that teaches shooters how to see targets correctly, call and correct their own misses, and improve independently without an instructor standing behind them.
Dan helps shooters break more targets, eliminate confusion, and replace frustration with confidence — often in one lesson. His lessons are fun, enlightening, and relentlessly results-driven, offering something rare in today’s shooting world: a proven system trusted for life. Eliminate frustration. Build consistent Xs.
Many shooters first discover the Paragon Shooting System through Dan Schindler's books. They learn the principles at home—and then come to Paragon to confirm and accelerate the system in person.
📚 Dan Schindler’s Books
Recommended for shooters of all skill levels, coaches, instructors, and parents of youth shooters.
Trusted by shooters around the world, these books are a true investment in good shooting. Written in plain, uncomplicated language, they strip away the mystery and lay a rock-solid foundation for improving scores and building consistency.
Take the mystery out of missing targets and feathers with Dan’s simple, easy-to-understand books. These bestsellers are your roadmap to more Xs on your scorecard—and in the field.
⚠️ Shooters say, “If you lend these books out, you may never get them back. Some say they’d give up their spouse before giving up these books.”
- 📘 Take Your Best Shot (Book I)
THE gold standard primer used by shooters and shooting teams worldwide. Solid fundamentals that help shooters of all skill levels break more targets with less guesswork.
Testimonial: “The best clay and wingshooting primer on the market... The brilliance of its simplicity aids successful shooting for ANY shooter.” – David T. Dobson
- 📗 To The Target (Book II)
Builds on Book I and emphasizes Gun Management and developing a trustworthy swing.
Clay Shooting USA: “One of the most innovative and important books yet published on the art of shooting clay targets.”
- 📕 Beyond The Target (Book III)
Want to take Dan Schindler home with you? This third volume delivers unmatched insight, humor, and practical solutions that stick—on and off the course.
Randy Lawrence: “The second-best thing to booking a lesson with Dan Schindler. A clear and proven blueprint for breaking more targets—with great heart.”
Thousands of shooters begin with the books to build understanding—then accelerate dramatically once the system is confirmed in a lesson.