Giving 100 Percent, 100 Percent of the Time

Shooters often do not practice with intensity, which can confuse them. They go through the motions and fun, and then when they go to a tournament they try, and their brain doesn’t recognize them. They’re not relaxed or happy-go-lucky – they’re not having fun. They’re trying.

What you have to do in practice is build the habit of giving 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. This includes going to the club. When you get out, you’re all business. You have to build that into your practice, to always practice with 110 percent committed goals to make every shot stable.

I recently had a lesson with a student, and we went to a stand he had trouble with at a tournament. I had him shoot them as a true pair. It was a pretty tough true pair, because the wind was at our back and it was blowing the second target about 60 yards out there, and the first one was about 40. During the tournament, they were closer.

We started with the closer target, and he said “pull” and I pulled it. I asked if it was stable, and he said he didn’t know.

“I can’t help you if you don’t make it stable,” I told him. “If you make it stable, I can do miracles with you. But until you get stubborn enough and determined enough in your practice, that you are not going to pull the trigger ‘til you know everything is hooked up, I can’t help you and you can’t help yourself.”

I used the word “stubborn” several times.

He had just punched out of C class. And before the lesson I sent him a text asking if he was still making everything stable, and he said yes. I wrote him back telling him that I’m relieved. But on the first stand, he just didn’t make it stable. I can’t help you unless you get your fundamentals down. Do those darn gun mounts every day.