The Value of Practice

The most unused technique in this game is quality practice with a purpose and goal.

Our research shows that the reason is that people don’t understand what practice is for. This is why they don’t understand how to practice.

Your ability to hit a moving target successfully and consistently without thinking is tied directly to how many times you have done it without thinking about the mechanics of the shot. Hitting a moving target is about developing the skill of anticipation where it will be in the future. The greater your skip, the farther in front you can anticipate in front and the easier it becomes for you to be consistent. And the more consistent you become, the more confident you become.

You develop this skill of anticipation in two places: first on the practice field and then in the game.

Martina Navratilova said, “Every great shot you hit in a match must have been hit in practice hundreds of times.”

Tiger Woods said, “My opponents may outscore me but they will never outwork me.”

Wayne Gretzky said, “We are will creatures of habit. The better your habits are, the better they hold up under pressure.”

It’s not about whether or not you know the lead or the right choke or cartridges… even if you study how it all works and have a deep understanding of everything about shooting moving targets! It’s about one thing and one thing only: how many times you’ve done it in practice and then how many times you’ve done it in the game!

It’s not about how much you want it, or how many times you have visualized yourself doing it, or whether or not you think you deserve it!