Inconsistency   One thing that drives me crazy on any clays course is the inconsistency of my shooting. I never know how I am going to shoot until I begin shooting. I practice as much as I can afford, but I can’t seem to break the cycle or whatever you would call it.   We all have our great days and our not-so-great days. With that said, inconsistency in performance is often tied to inconsistency in process. Misses typically fall into one of three categories: technical misses, planning misses and mental misses. A technical miss occurs when a target is beyond your technical … [Read more...]

Flinching   I’m a C-class shooter and shoot regularly. Periodically, I’ll flinch on a shot and have no idea why. While I can’t detect a pattern, it tends to happen more often on the first target of a pair. Do you know of any research on why we flinch, and do you have any suggestions on ways to eliminate it?   There is no mistaking a flinch — that momentary “hiccup” as you are about to pull the trigger of your shotgun. The most commonly held misconception is that a flinch is an anticipation of recoil caused by shooting heavy loads. It has been my experience that this is rarely … [Read more...]

Technical Targets   In sporting clays, I often hear the term “technical targets.” What does this mean?   A “technical target” refers to the way in which a target is presented or thrown and is characterized by inconsistent speed or line through the natural break area. A skeet or trap target would not be considered a technical target, as the speed and line are fairly consistent through the break area. With a technical target, the target’s line and speed are less well defined and often deceptive with subtle changes in line and speed through the area where most shooters would … [Read more...]

Occlusion   I’m having a terrible time with transitioning targets that are falling or descending at the break point. I feel like I am seeing the barrel. Do you have a suggestion of how to remove the barrel from the sight picture and improve the focus on the target?   A very common cause of a miss is “spoiling the line” — when the shooter’s gun gets between the shooting eye and the target. In these cases, the gun blocks, or occludes, the shooter’s view of the target through the break point. This can easily happen with a target that is transitioning (changing speed and/or … [Read more...]

The Best Instructors   Who’s better, pro instructors or certified instructors?   Making general statements about either group is a bit dangerous, as there is a variety of experience and skill among instructors in both camps. There are also a number of great shots who are certified instructors. With that said, pro shooters who instruct have a great deal of shooting and competitive experience and bring that experience to their teaching. Pro shooters who instruct also tend to teach a single technique that has proven most effective for them in competition. Most of the pro … [Read more...]