Practicing Slower Moves
I had a student who was really good out to about 30 to 35 yards, but when a target was any further than that, he wasn’t so good. “Okay, tell me what kind of targets are giving you problems,” I said. “If they're fast, I can hammer...
Assessing Your Own Performance
How far you're able to mount the gun in front of the bird is really determined by how many times you've mounted it out there. It's more determined by how many times you've mounted it out there recently, because if you lay off and don't...
Focus on Specific Targets in Practice
You have to have a goal for your practice. That comes from an assessment of what happened last year. Let's say you went to a tournament, and you realized that of the 18 birds you missed, 11 of them were right-to-lefts. What does that tell you...
Flipping Negative Thoughts
Our brains are wired to focus on the negative. This can be a major hurdle for athletes who aspire to excel in competitive environments like skeet or sporting clays. But the key lies in flipping this tendency on its head. When faced with a disappointing...
The Chains of Habit
Our study into skill building and mental processing reveals an interesting facet: our past heavily colors our perception and reaction to present experiences. Our brain develops filters based on our past, affecting how we respond to future events. This understanding is crucial in reshooting sports. The...
Finding Your Inconsistencies
Effective practice demands a higher level of engagement. You can't cram for skill-building in shotgun shooting; it's a gradual process that requires thoughtful and deliberate effort. A recent consultation with a master class shooter highlighted this point. Despite his high skill level, he struggled with...
You Need a Strategic Approach
I had a client from the Northwest who was advancing well by focusing on single targets, determining breakpoints, and testing her predictions. However, her progress derailed after taking advice from an experienced shooter at a local club. He suggested she shift her focus to the second...
Developing Constants
A common mistake among shotgunners is to mount the gun, chase the target, and hastily correct the shot at the end – often followed by a string of frustrated exclamations. However, this approach ignores a crucial aspect of learning: embracing failure. Realizing that missing the...
Turning Negatives into Positives
It's a common human tendency to remember events more negatively than they actually were. This negativity bias affects our perception in various aspects of life, including clay shooting. Surely you’ve experienced a day when everything in your game feels as chaotic as a soccer game with...
Staying Calm Under Pressure
One trait stands out amongst successful competitors: the ability to stay calm under pressure. This calmness fosters clear thinking and a focus on the process rather than just the outcome. The mental state referred to as being "process-oriented" evolves through trial and error, successes and failures,...