I wish you could see the moment a shooter realizes their swing finally makes sense. One clean move, the target breaks… then another… and right about then they stop, look at me, and say, “How have I been missing this long?” It’s a fair question. Most shooters have been trying to solve the wrong problem with the wrong information—sometimes for years. When they experience a clear, simple system built specifically around how they see, move, and think, something changes. They start breaking targets with purpose instead of hope, and that’s when the real fun begins.
Here’s a common sense hit list of exactly what puts more O’s and more Xs on a scorecard.
First is the question I hear most often—"Why am I so inconsistent?” Well, it could be any one of a few dozen reasons. On the very same target, common sense tells us, if the swing is not the same every time, OXXOOXOX. Until the inconsistencies are identified and corrected, there can be no X consistency.
Second—and I almost made this # 1 because of its importance—is the shooter’s total mental focus on shot outcomes and expectations. Which are understandable. Look hard, shoot and hope. Yes? Unfortunately, when all the mental attention is way out there at the target—who’s guiding the gun? And therein lies the problem. Someone must create the correct bird / barrel relationship—then pull the trigger at the right time. Attention in the right place will show you very specifically what went right in the swing or didn’t—and what the next swing must do for an X. Provided you see it.
Be very careful about being told to “Just swing and trust your instincts.” Bad idea, unless you’ve FIRST learned the skill. If you don’t know how to execute the swing correctly—consistently—trusting your instincts is a method that inevitably leads to missing and disappointment.
Third is excessive gun speed. Understandably, this barrel speed comes from placing all attention on “breaking the target”—instead of consciously guiding the gun. Excessive gun speed is the underlying cause of so many unintentional swing inconsistencies / errors. The resulting RGM (Random Gun Movement) costs you on your scorecard. Missing is predictable and inevitable. Slower, smoother works.
Fourth, after being tested in the clubhouse, my student was definitely LEFT-eye dominant and right-handed. Frustrated, he’d tried one suggested change after another, including moving to his left shoulder. We discussed his options. In the clubhouse, no final decision was made on making any adjustment. Here’s why.
1) Proven time and again in my lessons, not all mind you, but some cross-dominant shooters CAN break targets consistently with both eyes open. 2) Contrary to what some will tell you, NOT all can. Point being? First learn whether or not you can point accurately—break targets with NO adjustments whatsoever. If you are one who can, great. If not, there are multiple correction options that work nicely. If you are a cross-dominant shooter who CAN shoot successfully with both eyes open, closing an eye or installing a patch would be a regrettable mistake.
To summarize—we can spend days discussing target presentations, chokes, loads, which gun to use, shooting methods, hand-eye coordination and instinct—but it’s all moot if no one is guiding the gun. Gun control is King. Step-by-step, target after target, steadily reducing RGM in your swing looks like this: XXXXXXXX. That, you can count on.
Daniel L. Schindler's 3-Book Collection offers excellent advice, field-tested teachings, and tips for sporting clays, skeet, trap, wingshooters, and coaches from all walks of life and skill levels. Schindler's books provide the clearest and most dependable system for building shooting excellence. Extremely valuable for SCTP and ACUI Shooters and Coaches. (Shipped to 27 countries). Shooters rave about these books!
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👤 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.”
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