Sporting Clays and Wingshooting Tips
Perception Versus Reality
01/24/2020
Perception Versus Reality

When an entry-level shooter decides to work with me, I can almost always count on his or her open mind and eagerness to listen. That's because from their perspective of "why did that just happen," they have little or no experience to fall back on. X's and 0's are a complete mystery. That's OK of course, and very much understandable. Underway enthusiastically, instruction is received and implemented with little if any resistance. Predictably, student comprehension and progress accelerate rapidly. Here's a common, subtle difference with a more experienced shooter in a lesson. XXXXXX. We're off to a good start, yes? My student's thinking, "Darn right we are! I smoked those targets!" ...

Shooter: X Bully: 0
05/04/2019
Perception Versus Reality

Humbled by the scores of teaching opportunities presented to me over the decades, I’ve come to realize how a few simple solutions answer so many student questions. By simple, I’m not implying the solutions are easy. I am saying, the solutions are not complicated and don’t need to be. Here’s a good example.Problems typically arise when we attempt to use our skills under pressure. Once distracted – the bully has come into the box with us, a.k.a. fear. A trillion words have been written on how to manage pressure so let’s take a look at the cliff notesA few words on fear…Every time a shooter faces fear – what he/she is really facing are the ...

You Don't Need Luck!
03/23/2019
Perception Versus Reality

Did you know that each leaf of the four leaf clover has a meaning? Hope, Faith, Love and Luck. Our granddaughter, Samantha, has an incredible knack for finding them in our Flat Rock yard that sometimes is more clover than grass in spite of spending a small fortune on landscaping.  Fortunately, you don’t need a four leaf clover to be “lucky.” What you need is desire, an open mind and willingness to learn...not reinvent the wheel. Successful shooters follow a system they've learned that is dependable and provides a solid foundation that allows them to shoot consistently. When you follow a proven system, no luck is needed. We know this 1st hand because ...

Drive-By Shooting
03/09/2019
Perception Versus Reality

  “Learning the art of the swing is the difference between X0X00XX0 and XXXXXXXX.”A drive-by shooting looks like this: X00XX0. And yet, many are still trying to break the target.Please consider: once the shot string leaves our muzzle by 1/1,000th of an inch, how much control do we have over that shot string now? Actually, none. Zero. The one and only thing we have any control over is the movement of our gun and the timing of the trigger pull. What we are doing with that movement – and that moment – will decide X or 0. Because ours is a game of precision. And that non-negotiable precision rests squarely in our hands – inside the shooting box – which ...

Dirt, Steel & Clay
02/09/2019
Perception Versus Reality

It’s a given, we all want to break targets and especially in competition with a scorekeeper behind us. That keeping score part very understandably introduces all kinds of distractions, stress and unwanted thoughts. I thought we might look at this scene of disruption from a different perspective, one that asks us to move our attention to a more productive place.It was a very long time ago, so here it is as best as I can remember.It was late Sunday morning, the final round in a golf Major. Jack Nicklaus, arguably the best golfer who ever played the game, was in contention at the top of the leader board. Literally millions of fans including me were watching, anxious for play to begin. ...