Physiological Diplopia and Neurological Suspension
When a new shooter says something about the confusion, someone - albeit well-intended - throws their hands up in the air and proclaims that you’re left-eye dominant. You immediately feel like damaged goods, and some well-meaning person puts tape on your non-shooting eye and the...
Blocked vs. Random Practice
In our research, we have begun to understand that there are different kinds of practice. While there are many different phases of practice, we want to deal with two of them here- “blocked’ and “random.” When a shooter goes out and shoots the same target over...
From Shooting to Building Your Own Game
When we see the obvious mistake, we know where the mistake began, and we attack the root cause which is rarely where the shooter missed the target! Remember that your skill is what you have trained the brain to fill in when it finds itself...
The Three-Bullet Drill and the Sight Picture
When shooters begin to learn to see the target behind where the barrel is pointed, they stop looking at the barrel. The barrel has a place in the picture, but it is always in the periphery. We have been using a gun mount practice to show...
You Can’t Practice Confidence
Consistency and confidence cannot be practiced; they are what is left over from practicing, which is why you must bring your practice game to higher and higher levels. There is a myth out there that you can talk yourself into becoming a better shooter. But...
No Shortcut to Proficiency in Shotgunning
One big thing we have been emphasizing is that skill resides in a person’s memory. A person cannot visualize something they have never seen, so there is no shortcut to becoming proficient with a shotgun - especially in hunting situations. In addition, our brain has...
Desirable Difficulty
In our 31 years now as professional coaches, we have seen thousands of performers who have had differing degrees of skill with a shotgun, fishing rod, golf club, tennis racket, public speaking and many more activities. The ones who eventually end up being really good...
Gun Fit: Adjustable Combs and Cheek Pressure
Gun fit is a fairly broad topic that encompasses many different facets, starting with how consistent the shooter can mount the gun. Of course, this comes from repetition, repetition, repetition. We are sure you have been told or have read that gun fit is important and...
The Sun Will Still Rise
The ability to take disappointment out of a situation is a full-time job for a coach. It also needs to be a full-time job for a competitor if they really want to be good. Our brains will take the negative road in a heartbeat. You must...
Keep Process-Oriented
The one trait that seems to be common among all successful competitors is the ability to stay calm under pressure, which leads to the ability to think clearly and act according to a plan - to stay process-oriented instead of outcome-oriented. We use the phrase “process-oriented”...