Missing   Is missing a frustrating and aggravating experience? Of course it is.   When we miss, we feel let down, wonder what happened, and sometimes go so far as to dislike a particular target because we miss it frequently. Missing is a fact of life - even the greatest shooters miss occasionally. They just don't dwell on the miss while still competing but wait for the proper time to analyze and fix whatever the problem may be. Sometimes they seek help from other skilled shooters and/or instructors. You can easily look at missing as a bad thing; after all, you may not … [Read more...]

One Person Almost everyone at the range is more than happy to show or tell you how to shoot a particular shot. Most of these shooters want to help others learn our sport.   Whether it's shooting, cooking or riding a bicycle we all need someone to help get us to where we can do those things. With shooting, as with anything else, you can get opinions from almost anyone. While these are sometimes helpful they are sometimes way off target. One person may tell you to shoot a target a certain way and another person will tell you to shoot it a different way and a third may tell you … [Read more...]

Shot Plan Have a ‘shot plan.’   It’s been proven that shooters with a shot plan actually achieve better scores than those that don't have one. A shot plan includes a few steps that work for you to get you focused on the task at hand—your next shot and only your next shot. In skeet shooting, your shot plan starts before you get on the station. That’s where you should be looking at how the targets are flying; thinking about your hold point, look point, kill zone, and foot position; and keeping positive thoughts about your shooting. When it’s your turn to get on the station, … [Read more...]

John Doe   Are you shooting as well as 'John Doe'?   Are the people you shoot with shooting as well as 'John Doe'? Do you want to improve your shooting, or are you just out for the social aspects? The social aspects of shooting are there, and they're one of the reasons we like to shoot. Being around people with similar likes and dislikes makes the sport more enjoyable. But, if you want to shoot higher scores and have more satisfaction with your shooting, you may have to start shooting with different people—those that are shooting at a higher level, trying to improve, … [Read more...]

Journal   Have you ever wondered why you can shoot well at one event and not at another? You can shoot a competition every week and not perform at each shoot as you think you should.   Your practice seems up to par, but for some strange reason you can't seem to be consistently competitive at your shoots. One of the things that I tell new shooters that show an aptitude for competition is to keep a journal or, as some call it, a diary. Whatever you call it, it will help you to know why you shoot well at one venue and not at another, or at one time and not at another. There … [Read more...]