Most shooters struggle with inconsistency—not because they lack talent, but because they lack a dependable shooting system. Practice becomes guesswork, misses feel random, and improvement stalls. This article addresses the moment that truly determines X or O once the target is airborne—and why method dependability, not instinct, is the key to consistent success in Sporting Clays and Wingshooting.
Welcome back. With setup and swing precision now in place, the next Truth addresses what ultimately determines X or O once the target is airborne. If consistency and XXXXXXXX are a priority in your clays game, the following Truths can keep you on the road to those two goals.
In Part I and II, we’ve discussed how to set up and maintain the required precision in our movements and how to make our time spent practicing create visible improvement.
Target in the air, Part III discusses the all-important techniques or shooting “methods.”
Being 2026 and not 1995, we’ve come light-years beyond trusting basic hand-eye coordination. Hold onto that as outdated methods are still being promoted and taught—those methods repeatedly failing—and will continue to fail to produce real, measurable improvement.
As shown in Part II, even the slightest amount of Random Gun Movement (RGM) causes missing, and why pre-shot setup and swing errors look like this: OOXOOXXO. The level of our reduction of RGM will decide the level of improvement. Making method dependability mandatory. Sometimes, just won’t cut it.
When executed as prescribed, there are shooting methods that minimize RGM and promise you an X. Consistently. Not just sometimes, all the time. And by that I mean, dependably on targets that are close and far, slow and fast, incoming and outgoing, and presented in all three of our target presentations, crossing, quartering and chandelles. On any course, execute the method that matches the presentation: XXXXXX. Without fail!
Any “conditions” on my statements above? On the methods? No. None. The only condition is the correct use of the method. The methods themselves are 100% dependable and available to anyone who chooses to learn them. They will earn your trust.
For those who are considering going to school and taking instruction—to learn what to do, how, and where—know up front, you have every right to expect your instructor’s methods and recommendations to work consistently. As in every time, dependably. When you look over your gun and see the method being executed the way your instructor has spelled out, expect an X and not just sometimes. When paying for learning, make sure your instructors’ methods work. Never compromise on that.
All too often, during lessons, students mistakenly judge their progress by the number of targets they break. While understandable, X’s aren’t the goal in school. Learning is. Learning, specifically, WHAT to do on each target and HOW. So, when executed correctly, he/she can expect the target to break and the X swing can be repeated. Again and again, on purpose. On a miss, one must be shown why. Specifically, the swing error, not where the miss went. So, with the very next shell, the mistake is corrected: X. On purpose.
Without this knowledge, the student goes home totally unprepared, lost and confused in the box on how to evaluate and correct a miss. Unprepared on how to repeat an X swing on your own with no instructor behind you. Which is to say, choose your schooling carefully.
The hard Truth is—there are shooting methods today that can be separated by sometimes results from guaranteed. Paragon methods are guaranteed dependable. Execute the method—XX—reliably. To raise your skill level, purposeful practice must include both method knowledge AND method dependability.
For shooters who want a clear system—not opinions—the Three Excellent Books Collection provides clarity and structure, while a lesson brings the entire system together—often in a single session—by showing exactly what to see and how to execute it.
For reference:
Book One—Take Your Best Shot—the Required Basics.
Book Two – To The Target – FITASC, Sporting Clays, International Skeet & Wingshooters:
Book Three – Beyond The Target – Methods and The Mental Game
Hope you will join me next time as we continue to build a truly dependable, trustworthy shooting system.
XXXX
👤 About Dan Schindler
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 just minutes. His lessons are fun, enlightening, and relentlessly results-driven, giving shooters something rare in today’s shooting world: a system they can trust and use for life.
📚 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.