Many shooters struggle with inconsistent scores — up one day, down the next.
The real problem isn’t talent. It’s that most shooters have never been taught a dependable shooting system.
In this true story, one frustrated shooter travels hundreds of miles searching for answers… and discovers a competent instructor and the shooting method that finally brings consistency and confidence.
Having had the privilege of working with thousands of students — both genders, all ages, all skill levels — I share with you a true story filled with revelations, joy and sadness — what it takes for a shooter to climb a steep hill of misconceptions, to overcome inconsistent shooting habits.
Cautiously optimistic, Ed drove south from upstate New York for two days of Skeet lessons with me. Three years into it, he was beyond tired and discouraged, everyone offering advice on what to do, but never why. Confusion reigned. Back home, inconsistency was his middle name — a few 23s and a 25 on Friday – high teens on Saturday. Why? Unknown. His reason for making the drive? Hope.
Day one, singles only, we began.
Station 3, Low House warm up. Four targets in, Ed showed a very impressive swing — graceful an understatement. X. X. X. X. His method was Maintained Lead (ML), meaning he kept a fixed gap between the muzzle and the target throughout the swing. Said he’d been talked into it. From decades of experience, I saw something else: uncertainty in his swing and body movements, subtle but there.
What now? I took a moment. Coaches must be careful about changing what’s working — I didn’t need reminding.
In Skeet, there are two other methods that can effectively produce results: Pull Away (PA), where the shooter starts on the target and pulls the muzzle ahead of it, and Swing Through (ST), where the muzzle starts behind the target and accelerates past it before the trigger is pulled. My gut said to introduce Pull Away and see where it took us. We could always come back if it didn’t fit. Anxious, Ed agreed. I walked him through the swing changes. X. X. X. X. X. X. 6 straight! Surprised and smiling, he said he liked it better. A few more Xs reinforced our mutual confidence. Testing Pull Away had been a good idea.
But I saw something else too. It pulled at me hard, telling me it was right.
Same agreement as before, I asked Ed to try Swing Through. ST carries real risk — demanding excellent timing of muzzle movement and trigger pull. But ST’s advantages can be deeply rewarding for the right shooter. I walked him through the swing changes ST required. I knew the method would work. I had a strong feeling.
No shell, just a few practice swings. Time to go.
X after X. Count’em, 8. Ed’s expression told the story. And it wasn’t just the Xs — a natural-born Swing Through shooter, he loved the movements. Embraced them completely. For him, it was pure magic. ST fit him completely — physically and emotionally.
A quick note on methods. Across Sporting Clays, Trap and Skeet, the methods I recommend are each held to a single high standard: consistent, 100% dependability. Swing Through meets that standard, provided the shooter uses it correctly, as do Pull Away and Maintained Lead. For genuine consistency, swing precision and method dependability cannot be compromised — not even slightly.
Adding a whole new level of grace, Ed looked like a machine, shell after shell, black puffs of smoke where the target used to be. Equally, if not more importantly, Ed now understood what he was doing and why. Foot positions, Muzzle Hold Points, target intercept points, sight pictures over the barrel, Break Points before the stake — all of it understood. For Ed, a long thirst finally quenched. Confusion? Gone. A shooting “system” learned. For Ed and every student I work with, understanding “your” system makes progress repeatable at home, without a coach standing beside you.
Swing Through on every target? No. Certain stations call for a different set-up and swing adjustments. X. X. XX. On time. Predictably. Same in Sporting Clays — where habit persuades and then disappoints – different presentations require changes in method.
We finished well ahead of schedule.
Ed had finally discovered something most shooters never fully understand — a dependable shooting system.
For more than three decades, Dan Schindler has helped shooters discover dependable shooting systems through the Paragon Shooting System. His Paragon Shooting System has helped thousands of shooters break more clays with confidence.
In Part Two, we’ll follow Ed through his second day — expectations met on Doubles and how that came to be. It’s a human, deeply personal skill-building story. I believe the instruction woven through it will be useful to you wherever you are in your own shooting journey. I’m confident you’ll want to be here.
I hope you’ll join me next time as we continue refining your understanding of a truly dependable, proven shooting system for breaking more clays. XXXX
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👤 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.