Coaching Hour – Gun Mount Practice in a Mirror – Feb 2003

Coaching Hour – Feb 2003 – EXCERPT

We’ve said it many times over the years: you’ll never shoot as well as your basic move and mount. Our gun mount drills have revolutionized shotgun sports training for thousands of shooters across the world. And in this excerpt from the February 2003 Coaching Hour, members talk about variations on gun mount practice, and how they can apply to both wingsports and clay target shooting.

 

Don: I’ve been practicing my mount, instead of moving along a line in the ceiling or across a bookcase; I’ve been practicing it in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror on my wardrobe. I took a broad marking pen and put a horizontal line about five feet high and focused only on the mirror image. And I saw some pretty ugly things that I wasn’t aware of, mostly posture and movement and rolling with the mount. Very easy to correct and as I corrected it, it generated better feel. I will continue to practice that way as opposed to not having a reflected image. I felt more productive time wise.

 

Gil: Good! The only thing I would caution you, when you look in a mirror and practice your gun mount, be aware that you have a tendency eventually to look at the gun. Just be aware of that. And what do you focus on when you’re doing that, Don?

 

Don: I’m focusing on the line.

 

Gil: On the line that is on the mirror.

 

Don: Right, and trying to get a feel. I use a low gun mount, almost a FITASC mount, and try to get a two-hand feel, both hands moving together. Two hands moving together and trying to move along that line coming up to my face and keeping my eyes focused on that mirror. Not on my gun, certainly.

 

Gil: Good. Just be aware you need to put something on the mirror, like that straight line, so that it holds your focus on that. Otherwise you’ll have a tendency to look at that gun. Be careful of it.

 

John: Gil, you made a comment about that hunting part and developing a bad gun mount, my question is: why should you do that? I hunt a lot of quail, and I use the same move on quail that I use on clays and it’s just like, it’s not even fair anymore.

 

Gil: I agree.

 

John: With the muzzle moving to the bird before the gun ever comes up is so unbelievable.

 

Gil: Yes sir. I agree 100 percent. And I do too. I will tell you though, there was an afternoon in Mexico two weeks ago where I shot 22 or 23 boxes in about an hour and 45 minutes.

 

John: That would be a little different.

 

Gil: And John Martin, it was a little bit different. Triples were the order of the day you understand. I felt like I was defending the ground. [Laughter] But no, I agree with you. Typically, and on ducks too, it works on ducks too, but typically people hunt ducks from a blind and they’re with somebody and they want to get up quick. I’m just telling you, what we find in most people when we have a lesson with them, is their timing hand is too fast.

And it comes from hunting, getting that gun up. You get the gun up, you’re about ready to make a move and the bird makes a move, and you’ve got to leave the gun in your face and shoulder and go down with the bird, that kind of thing. It just makes your timing hand a little bit ahead of your pointing hand, so just be aware of that.

The more that you visualized last year and the better you were able to visualize, the easier it’s going to be for you to get back this year.

Remember in your first few practice sessions that you’re looking for what it feels like. Don’t try to remember what it felt like before; look for what it feels like now. Go back to tempo. Go back to focus. Go back to smooth, getting both hands with that bird. Play breakpoints. Break birds in different spots, because ultimately that is where you’ve got to go. After the first or second session, pattern your gun for fit. You haven’t had it in your face for a while.

 

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