Good Time Shooting at Our Home Base

Last weekend we had a clinic in Houston. And man, what a time everyone had.

Again, the concept of moving the same speed as the target was huge. Once accepted, it proved to be lethal for all concerned.

I gave my shooting pouch away to John Poe, aka “Cheeseburger” as he won the Louisiana State Tournament with a 96 and did well in 5-stand. He ascended into the ranks of a real competitor and I thought giving him my pouch was a just reward. I was proud of him and his accomplishments as a shooter and as a young man. I would want him on my team any time. What a joy to be around him and his mom and dad.

We had several shooters who stayed for two days. Had a father and son and a duck hunter who shot with me.

The high and thick comb problem raised its ugly head again. One shooter had a gun with a moveable cheek piece and adjustable butt plate who had adjusted it so that the gun was way too short. So we lengthened it and he shot it better. I checked his gun fit on the second day and he was never going to be able to shoot that gun. So I gave him my gun to shoot and extended the LOP to fit him. And man, what a difference.

This continues the results of shooting a gun that has lots of drop and cast. It makes a huge difference, especially at distance. I had them all back at a measured 75+ yards breaking 60 percent of the targets.

We continue to be amazed at the number of shooters who can shoot our guns better than theirs. All we do is make them the correct length and away they go.

We have switched to having our shooters use modified choke after lunch on the first day. It gives the brain better feedback, and man does it work.

I’m still amazed at what a big role attitude plays in learning. The immediate response to a miss is to emote where and why, as if scolding the brain. That, in turn, eventually shuts the brain down. If the response is how to hit the next one, it seems to leave the brain free to make the correction necessary.

Several times this past weekend when the shooter fired the correct circuit, I told them to just keep doing it that way and don’t change a thing. The result is that the brain has a constant and it will then fix the picture. It’s amazing, And it’s a brain thing. I continue to be fascinated with how quickly the brain learns once it has a constant to build on.

We have lessons through Friday and then head to Nationals on Saturday. The Coaching Hour is tonight, and we’re gonna talk about things to do and not to do going into Nationals. See you there.