The following Truths offer you consistency in the shooting box and more Xs on your score card.
It’s early 2026, and Part One was our first step into building a foundation under a performance we know we can count on. That first step being practice restructured to include specific, necessary changes for measurable improvement.
Let’s talk about a few of those changes.
First up is a basic understanding. That understanding being: if X consistency is the goal, swing precision is not optional. Every mistake—every single error in swing precision—assures a miss. Which is why our natural instinctive (inconsistent) swing just can’t cut it on today’s evolving, ever-challenging targets. Not consistently. What’s missing in the swing is a precise, step-by-step, trustworthy setup and shooting method that promises an X. Yes, promises. Confirmed time and again, consistently, X’s on purpose.
**This principle—swing precision as a requirement, not an option—is one of the foundations explained in my first book, Take Your Best Shot, Book I (3rd Edition)
Take Your Best Shot, To The Target and Beyond the Target each contain a term I call Random Gun Movement (RGM). RGM creates the mistakes, the hidden inconsistencies, and the unforgiving swing errors I’m speaking of. Measurable shooting improvement, i.e., more consistent shooting performance, comes directly from our intentional reduction of RGM.
How?
To reduce / eliminate RGM, unfortunately, most underestimate the importance of preparing a planned pre-shot setup. Those setup steps include 1) Choosing a break point; 2) a correct foot position; 3) a correct MHP (Muzzle Hold Point); and 4) a good (visual) focal point. Each is discussed in Take Your Best Shot, Book I:
These four steps form the foundation of the Paragon Shooting System and are taught in detail in my books and reinforced during lessons.
Of those four steps, #3, our MHP, is especially important. Here’s why. From launch to landing, every target gives us a fixed amount of “flight time” to shoot it and no more. When the trap fires, how efficiently we manage that time will decide X or O. We’re efficient when—at our MHP—our muzzle punctually intercepts that target. Result? No wasted, time-consuming movements. No RGM. Precision. Not for a sometimes X. For XXXXXXXX.
Here are a few RGM examples found in my student’s Workbook.
Fact:
At a common 40 yards – a mere 1” of RGM at the muzzle puts us 3 feet off the target.
At a common 30 yards – only 2” of RGM at the muzzle puts us 4 feet off the target.
At a common 40 yards – only 2” of RGM at the muzzle puts us 5 1/2 feet off the target.
The complete Random Gun Movement chart and explanations behind these numbers are included in my Paragon School of Sporting Shooters workbook (included with two-day lessons) and expanded on in Take Your Best Shot.
The complete chart in the Workbook reveals even more unsettling information on why RGM is so costly. And why, for XXXXXX consistency, swing precision is required.
NOTE: None of the above infers or recommends any aiming or measuring. Executed correctly, certain shooting methods do indeed create and keep swing precision with no math or measurements required. On purpose, dependably—near and far, slow and fast, crossing, incoming, outgoing and chandelles—X’s are assured with these methods.
If you look closely at Parts One and Two, you’ll see us building a shooting “system.” A system easily followed, creating our precision and consistency. The home address of skill advancement.
For many shooters, the 3-book 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 Two – To The Target – FITASC, Sporting Clays & Wingshooters:
Book Three – Beyond The Target – Methods and The Mental Game:
Part Three will add another building block to this system. I hope you will join me here.
XXXX
👤 About Dan Schindler
Dan Schindler is one of only 35 worldwide members of the Guild of Shooting Instructors (UK) and an NSCA Level III Instructor since 1995. He founded the Paragon School of Sporting with a mission: deliver the simplest, most effective, and practical instruction for Sporting Clays and Wingshooting.
Dan helps shooters break more targets, call and correct their own misses, and replace frustration with confidence—all in just minutes. Lessons are fun, enlightening, and results-driven.
📚 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.”