I published this on Shotgun World and thought you should read it: We find the biggest single factor in missing targets and perceived eye problems is the shooter mounting the gun too close to the target. This causes a reaction to the target. On the surface, I’m sure you would say “And what’s the point??” Well, on the […]
If you are going to ever shoot a shotgun at any level of consistency, you are going to have to learn to move and mount the gun. I’m still amazed at the number of shooters who think they will be able to shoot at consistently high levels without learning to mount the gun. Our research […]
I shot with a father and son who both had been closing an eye and aiming the shotgun. The son was getting into SCTP and his father asked our advice about guns and what to do to give him an edge. I suggested the Knowledge Vault and to come out and shoot with me for an […]
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 […]
Just had to share this email from Doug Mellen. This stuff is really amazing. *** Gil, Just thought I would drop you a line to relate a story that is too true to pass up. You spent a couple of days here last month and had several good sessions. The best session may have been […]
We’re on our way back from Live Oaks Sportsman’s Club in South Carolina. During our last visit, we shot with the manager Steve Bolt, who listened to the introduction of the sight pictures and watched our animations and ShotKam shots on birds and clays. Steve was a one-eyed pull-away mounted gun shooter and rarely shot. But he became […]
Knowledge Vault Updates Well, it’s about time for us to be able to add more material to the Knowledge Vault. We do apologize for not adding video material, but the web designer we recently fired did not want us to add anything for some unknown reason. Man, are we glad to see him in our […]
I shot today in Grants Pass, Oregon, and was amazed again at how lethal it is to move the same speed as the bird. It’s not so much the shooter’s ability to get the gun in front on long crossers, but the ability of the shooter to see the bird farther and farther behind the barrel and see it come […]
Last week I shot in both Beaumont and Houston with several different shooters, and most of them were confused and trying not to see the barrel. It’s becoming more and more evident to me that trying not to see the barrel on the surface seems like something you can do, but the reality is that it’s impossible for any […]
“You won’t win a golf tournament on Thursdays. But you can lose it on Thursdays. Therefore, the first three holes are not about score. They are about establishing the rhythm of your routine with a conservative strategy.” This quote is from “Golf Flow” and was sent to me by Jeff Wolfe. Have you ever paid […]
Well, we are leaving the Iowa training session. And what a great session it was. We had 12 shooters and 12 observers. The first afternoon was in the classroom. We went over the basic toolbox animations, as we always do. We got the usual strange looks about seeing the bird behind the barrel, and the same doubts about “same speed […]
Lessons from Lehigh Valley Over the four days in Lehigh Valley, I never stopped being amazed at how many shooters, despite how many times we write about not looking down the barrel, are still doing it. Even though it does not make any logical sense when we propose the reality of it, they still are doing it. […]
I had a shooter with a new Krieghoff that was fit by the factory. It was 1 and 5/8″ too short with cast on for a right-handed shooter. He had a violent slash at the end of his shots and did not realize it. I had to shoot a video of it to show him what he was doing. This also happened the week […]
Although time moves slowly, when you’re in flow it moves fast at the same time. So time is relative. Bored and slow involved, and it’s over almost just after it began. When you are in flow, however, everything seems slow from the perspective of having plenty of time to get things done. Decisions seem more obvious. There is a […]
Just how important is the move and mount in sporting clays? Well, in the beginning, it is everything. But unfortunately, that’s where many shooters get stuck in a rut and never get out. They are so hung up on lead and swing technique and what the end of the muzzle is doing that they end […]
Thanks to Jeff Wolfe for sending this to me after we talked about writers and other instructors blatantly stealing our words and phrases: “It’s like any other knowledge you don’t work to obtain. Just because you have it, that doesn’t mean you really understand it, or know how to apply it properly. Actually, that’s true of […]
We’re returning from South Dakota from teaching at Hunters Pointe near Sioux Falls, and renewing our friendship with Tony Bour and his family. What a relief to have cooler weather: highs of 85 instead of a heat index of 107 in Houston. And we’re planning to return once and maybe twice next year. Teaching Swing-Through Pheasant Hunters […]
Just finished reading “Golf Flow,” and I recommend all 608 pages. After reviewing my highlighted passages and all past performances, I realized that when I really performed well, I was in flow. The short definition is that when you are in flow, your mental process is in sync with your physical process. In other words, you are […]
Thanks, Jeff, for passing this along to me… Saw this on a message board today: “Confidence isn’t walking into a room with your nose in the air and thinking you are better than everyone else. It’s walking into a room and not having to compare yourself to anyone else in the first place.”
Learning to shoot is about learning to control the target from in front and break it ten times in a row. Learning to perform is about learning how to think, learn from failure, and control fear. Fear is necessary. Without it, there would be no courage. Too much fear and you go conscious and shoot not […]
Every phone call I receive from shooters all over the world now deeply embeds the idea that accessing the right brain is the key to the zone experience. And the preload being vivid and clear is the key to opening the door. I have had so many zone experiences with a shotgun and I am […]
“I got your card today. Thanks for the follow-up. I have nearly finished reading ‘The Talent Code.’ I am doing my three-bullet drill until my shoulders tire, rest, and then repeat. After reading ‘The Talent Code,’ I apply my interpretation of deep training to the drill. It is a much slower gun movement and a […]
Being calm under pressure comes from being under pressure. Skill is the ability to anticipate farther and farther ahead of what is going on in a pressure situation. Take into account what is going on and react calmly. So, skill is the ability to anticipate. Why, then, do so many shooters set themselves up to […]
“The amount of muzzle awareness in the shot will always be equal to or greater than the amount of muzzle awareness in the setup!”
Greetings from the OSP trail across the country. I’m looking forward to sharing some things I have learned from biting deep in my zone while teaching. I had a lesson with Robert McClenagan and said something I have never said before. Robert was having trouble with mounting his gun softly to his shoulder, learning to let the bird […]
Never be defined by your last shot. Always be defined by your next shot. When you look at things as going bad, that’s where you lose it. Never evaluate the score until the last shot is fired. That is a mindset, not a trick or technique. Eventually, you will find yourself in a position to […]
“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” – Abraham Lincoln
Why do you not see more side-by-sides in Sporting Clays? John Payne, Houston, TX. *** Sporting clays, trap, and skeet are clay target games. The over and under (o/u) target gun has evolved over the years as the gun of choice for most target shooters for one main reason: weight. A heavy gun does not […]
When programming pictures on a skeet field, especially the across the gun shot, stop trying to program. The targets are too fast! Program on a big looping incoming crosser. Give the brain time to see what you want it to see and see it develop slowly. Remember, you are programming, not reacting. When you react, you will always get […]
A good way to practice your game is to go and shoot singles at five different stands at your course or from four different places on a skeet field. Find the spot where it’s sweet to break the target and break it there 10 times. Then move the breakpoint to a different spot and break it […]
When I go back to practice, or especially when I shoot a tournament, I promptly forget all of your teaching and revert to my bad habits. What accounts for this phenomenon? Is it the stress of competition or do I need more practice? *** The answer is a combination of “yes” – it is the […]
Gun fit is different for each person, and it is an ongoing process – a journey. It’s not something you can go out and do just once. As you improve your gun mount so will your gun fit change. We have gone through more stocks than most people have guns because we were on a […]
I got an interesting phone call the other day from a man named Larry. He asked if I had a try gun. When I confirmed the rumor, he asked if I did stock fits and I said yes. He then proceeded to tell me that 15 years ago he shot both skeet and sporting competitively. […]
Here’s a story about a wonderful lady that came to us for lessons before she made her first trip to Argentina. It was a family trip, and it would be the first time she got to hunt. She wanted to do well. The mother and father-in-law and her husband had all been shooting forever and were very […]
Dear Gil and Vicki, I have been getting a lot of good information from the Knowledge Vault. I have listened to all the Coaching Hours back to Jan. 2013 and looked at the videos and animations. The ShotKam videos are incredible and the ShotKam Kill Shot Review is an incredible tool to really understand what […]
Join us in Argentina! John Wiles will be coordinating the wingshooting odyssey for us in August 2014. Click on the link to find out the trip details on the Knowledge Vault. You don’t want to miss this one. You can contact John at 443-624-8719 or john@bestwingshooting.com if you have any specific questions.
The subject of perceived lead continues to come up in the forums we post to. This is my most recent post and encompasses personal experiences with longer barrels. I thought you might enjoy the perspective and the analogies. It is what it is. It becomes what you make it. When switching to shorter barrels for […]
Seeing the Bird Behind the Barrel at Camanche Hills Another great clinic at Camanche Hills in Ione, California, with four days of great weather and great shooters of all abilities. An incredible blue sky dominated the weather. While it was a little cooler than normal for that time of year, all in all, it was a great time. The […]
Getting out of Your Comfort Zone Well, another successful clinic at our field in Houston at American Shooting Centers. I realized yet another answer to another mystery (or maybe just said it another way) this last weekend. Have you ever stepped up to a station and without thought, called for the bird and smashed it? Then all […]
Well, three classes at 74 Ranch and one to go. I am more convinced that seeing the bird behind the barrel is a concept that mainlines to the right brain and is less confusing than focusing on the target and getting the gun in front. The circuit we are accessing is the anticipation circuit in […]
Coming home from the second Advance School. We had great weather. There was a little mist yesterday, but all in all, it was a great time. Lethal Moves What a great format for learning. Man, when shooters finally get the picture of the target coming to the lead after the gun is mounted and stabilizing the picture, it is an incredible thing. […]
When expectation is equal to your ability, great things happen! That would be where confidence comes from. The predecessor of confidence is competence. These things are why the preload is so important, especially in practice. That is where it starts, and when it’s there on every shot in practice, eventually it shows up on game day and turns […]
Returning from Phoenix and what a great time was had by all. Dan Twitchell at Ben Avery runs a first-class operation and we had a ball shooting both of his courses and teaching 29 shooters. Eleven of them came for two days over four days… Without exception, the ones who could afford it and came for two […]
What another great four days at Ben Avery Shooting Sports in Phoenix, Arizona. The weather was perfect—a little cool in the mornings and thank goodness for the overcast skies in the afternoons. We had 38 out of 40 slots full and 11 students came for two days. We were so glad they did, as they realized how […]
Determining Muzzle Length I got an email from Grant Lewis this week asking about how we determine the best muzzle length for shooters. He mentioned that some of the better shooters have gone to 34 instead of 32. Well, I called him and he was shocked when he answered the phone and it was me. […]
“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” – Albert Einstein We’re just now leaving the Safari Convention. We had two great seminars and the completion of a new video by Mitch of clay kill shots that are about 10 minutes long. It will be up on the Knowledge Vault next week, as we […]
Successes in Training Hunter Ed Specialists We just got back from Florida, teaching Florida, Georgia, and Iowa DNR hunter ed specialists for two and a half days, then at OK Corral with 10 students a day for three days. What a week, and man, we are tired. Now we’re on the way to our bay house to drain it […]
Just wanted to add to all of your thought processes these comments we received from Jeff after we talked about his zone experiences on the Coaching Hour: Hey Gil, I’ve been considering the recent conversations we’ve had on “systems” and how different shooters actually perceive what they’re shooting at. I think much of the confusion […]
In our travels shooting, coaching, and speaking about our passion for the smoothbore, we still are amazed at the perceptions that each shooter brings to what they do when they shoot a shotgun. We’ve spent most of the last 30 years of our lives confused, constantly searching for a deeper understanding of how talent and […]
We are in Dallas at the Dallas Safari Club convention. We will be doing two seminars this year. One on Friday from 2-3 and 3:30-4:30, then again on Saturday at 2 PM. If you are around Dallas come by the convention center and look us up. I’m reading a great book called “The Power Of Habit.” It […]
Well, the new year is here and we will be blogging on a more frequent basis. We are in Dallas to do seminars at the Dallas Safari show. And we’re also meeting with Texas Parks and Wildlife hunter education specialists to give them a peek at what we will be doing for all DNRs: upgrading their shotgun […]
The following is an answer to a question from a student after the U.S. Open. He noticed that a lot of the top shooters had the gun “mounted and their face down” for a lot longer than he did or longer than he felt we taught. They understand the picture and where their eyes must […]
How men and women record things in their diaries…… Wife’s Diary: Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but […]
The second Advance School is behind us, and man, what a great two weeks. Many things came to the top during our stay at the ranch. One of the biggest things is the realization that the course at the 74 Ranch is unparalleled in its diversity. Stabilizing the Shot The corrections we see are not […]
Teaching the Kick-Ash Method in Florida Coming back from OK Corral in sunny Florida where it was anything but warm. We just about froze to death on Sunday and there was a ton of rain on Thursday and Friday morning. We shot those 7/8 oz 1200 fps Rio shells all weekend and continue to be impressed with how effective those […]
We’re returning from Ben Avery Shooting Center in Phoenix, sitting in the United club thinking of several things. The animations were great and Dan Twitchell was very impressed with us and our way of teaching. He was double impressed with the reaction to our teaching from all clients. When he saw the animations and the monitor we now […]
The importance of the three-bullet drill was emphasized again in an overwhelming way. There is a thought process out there that if you are right-eyed and right-handed, you can look down the barrel and get the lead and shoot the target. I had two students who looked straight down the barrel at the bead sight every time they mounted the […]
The rollout of the new website and animations was a success. We showed a room full of writers the Knowledge Vault concept and they were blown away, not only with the amount of information that was searchable but the animations as well as the kill shots on doves from Argentina. Our PR agency, Media Direct, […]
