Most shooters struggle with inconsistency—not because they lack talent, but because they lack a dependable shooting system. Practice becomes guesswork, misses feel random, and improvement stalls. This article addresses the moment that truly determines X or O once the target is airborne—and why method dependability, not instinct, is the key to consistent success in Sporting Clays and Wingshooting.Welcome back. With setup and swing precision now in place, the next Truth addresses what ultimately determines X or O once the target is airborne. If consistency and XXXXXXXX are a priority in your clays game, the following Truths can keep you on the road to those two goals.In Part ...
The following Truths offer you consistency in the shooting box and more Xs on your score card.It’s early 2026, and Part One was our first step into building a foundation under a performance we know we can count on. That first step being practice restructured to include specific, necessary changes for measurable improvement.Let’s talk about a few of those changes.First up is a basic understanding. That understanding being: if X consistency is the goal, swing precision is not optional. Every mistake—every single error in swing precision—assures a miss. Which is why our natural instinctive (inconsistent) swing just can’t cut it on today’s evolving, ...
“Consistent shooting isn’t built by doing more—it’s built by doing less, on purpose.” Part OneThe New Year is already well on its way. If your clay shooting is for fun, grab your gun and let’s go. Thanks for the invite. If you’re here thinking about improving your shooting, spend a few minutes with me. Part One and those that follow will help you build a solid foundation under your entire game, providing shooting basics that look like this: XXXXXXXX—consistently. In the beginning, the more we added in terms of swing mechanics, target strategies, shooting methods and equipment, the more complicated this whole thing became. I promise ...
"The weak link in being self-taught is the teacher."It’s not that we men aren’t smart—because we are. After all, if you’ve been bringing home pheasants, quail, and ducks for years, good shooting feels like a given. So when faced with your first clay bird, the response is predictable: “Yeah, throw me a target. Watch this.”It’s a bit of jock mentality. We may be washer-and-dryer challenged, but we can shoot a shotgun.A while back, if it had feathers, you could count on me to fill the game bag—usually accompanied by modest tales of extraordinary shooting prowess. Back then, I didn’t have the first clue how I dispatched pheasants so quickly ...
The Missing Link in Peak PerformanceConsistency is what every shooter wants—and what almost no one can explain. One round everything clicks. The next, it’s gone. Most shooters assume the answer lies in better mechanics, more practice, or different equipment. But after more than three decades of teaching shooters at every level, Dan Schindler discovered something surprising: inconsistency isn’t caused by a lack of skill. It’s caused by something far more subtle—and far more powerful.Competitive sporting clays is a demanding sport. Targets are fast, presentations change from station to station, and decisions must be made under real pressure. At first glance, it ...