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Ask the Instructor: The Mental Game

The Mental Game   The biggest obstacle I face in trying to improve my shooting performance is between my ears. My mental and visual focus seem to come and go throughout the round. Any suggestions?   As we gain experience and practice regularly, we feel we have earned the right to see our scores rise and proficiency improve. But technical proficiency alone isn’t sufficient to land us at the top of the scoreboard. A pre-shot process is also a critical element. This pre-shot process has two essential components in sporting clays: a pre-shot planning process and a pre-shot … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Ask the Instructor, Don Currie, focus, mental game, NSCA Chief instructor, Target Talk

Ask the Instructor: Long Crossers

Long Crossers   I seem to have trouble with long crossing targets. I’ve mastered most other target presentations, but the long crossers give me fits. Why are they so difficult, and what can I do about it?   There are typically two factors that cause long targets to be problematic for some shooters: 1) Insufficient database. In the absence of experience engaging targets outside of 40 yards, the typical shooter lacks the library of subconscious site pictures required to break targets at this range. 2) Measuring. Also known as shooting to a lead or shooting to a gap; a shooter … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Ask the Instructor, Don Currie, NSCA Chief instructor, Target Talk

Ask the Instructor: Lifting Your Head from the Stock

Lifting Your Head from the Stock   What is the secret to keeping one's head on the stock? When I raise my head, I miss. I can't seem to stop it, and it's very frustrating.   Shooters who have trouble with head lifting usually premount or mount to the shoulder first instead of mounting to the cheek first. The first and best thing you can do to prevent head lifting is to mount to the cheek first, instead of the shoulder. If a shooter properly mounts to the cheek first and maintains the weight of the gun in the hands throughout execution of the target pair, it is virtually … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Ask the Instructor, Don Currie, NSCA Chief instructor, Target Talk

Ask the Instructor: Barrel Draggers

Barrel Draggers   I tend to ride the target a lot. I seem to always pull the trigger later than I want to and later than I plan to. How can I fix that?   You have identified one of the key principles in successful clay target shooting: commitment to break point. A clay target changes speed and direction from the time it exits the trap to the moment it hits the ground. A quartering target, for example, undergoes significant "personality changes" throughout its flight path. A quartering target thrown from a trap located 25 yards to the right of a shooting stand and thrown at a … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Ask the Instructor, Don Currie, NSCA Chief instructor, Target Talk

Ask the Instructor: Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss   Why do the older shooters that have been shooting for a lifetime all seem to have hearing problems? Am I at risk for hearing loss?   The short answer is, yes. It is important to understand a few basic facts about hearing loss: 1) Hearing loss is cumulative. Damage to your hearing occurs over a person's lifetime. 2) Hearing loss can be somewhat hereditary. 3) Hearing protection (plugs or muffs) reduces exposure to damaging sounds from the shotgun, but no hearing protection can eliminate the risk of damage. 4) The only way to completely eliminate the risk of … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Ask the Instructor, Don Currie, NSCA Chief instructor, Target Talk

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