Happy New Year everyone. New Year’s resolutions are top of mind for many, which may include more consistent XXXXXs. If this is true for you, may I respectfully offer you a way to meet that goal and end inconsistent shooting? Seriously. No misleading advertising, no magic, just some common sense thinking that can literally open a whole new world in your shooting.

The first change in thinking is a major one. In the shooting box, understandably, most folks are “trying hard to break the target.” Here’s what actually puts our shotstring on (or off) the target. 

Please take a moment and consider this very carefully. Putting our attention “out there,” trying to break the bird? X or O, our control over that outcome ended the micro-second our shotstring left the muzzle. Meaning? Consider putting our attention on the ONLY thing we can control. Our swing. Every shell, every target, our goal is to focus our attention very deliberately on assembling a precise swing. The swing that guides our shotstring to the target. It’s this swing precision…under our control…that we want to repeat. It’s not hard. It isn’t. And, it’s NOT complicated! It starts with moving our attention to the shot “process,” and then assembling an X swing. That, right there, promises a very quick end to our inconsistency and stubborn score plateaus.

Letting go of two score-killing beliefs…

I am blessed to work with a great many students who arrive confused and frustrated with their inconsistent shooting. I listen carefully. Heavily contributing to their inconsistencies, here are two beliefs I hear regularly. And why, in my opinion, too much instruction in the U.S. has fallen behind and is not meeting students’ reasonable and rightful goals. As you well know…today’s targets are a lot more challenging than they’ve ever been. Target setters and their presentations have evolved. In far too many cases, however, instruction has not. 

The student asks: “How much lead do I give that target? One foot or two?” The instructor responds: “You’ll just know. TRUST YOURSELF.”

Don’t. First, sorry, you won’t know. You don’t have the instructor’s “list of leads,” he/she memorized from shooting 1.6 million rounds to learn those leads. Second, over our barrel, each and every one of us sees lead “measurement spaces” differently. Third, trying to “see a specific measurement” typically results in swing “ratcheting.” There are definitely more lost targets. There are FAR better Sporting Clays methods that stop all the missing from “measurement guessing.” By applying MUCH more dependable methods…your X count goes up TODAY! That’s a fact, proven by every one of my students, every day I teach.

Here’s another example of misleading instruction. Speaking of X’s “sometimes…”

 Your instructor says: “Focus VERY hard on the target. See the rings and edges. Ignore your muzzle, you don’t have to know where it is. That target will break.” Maybe. SOMETIMES. IF it’s close. Out past thirty-some yards…don’t bet on it!! This method promises even more inconsistency on today’s longer targets, which we face EVERYWHERE. And BTW…“muzzle awareness” (MA) in your peripheral vision…you’ll know where your shotgun is actually pointing during your swing. Lost target? Your swing mistake can be seen and corrected with the very next shell. With MA…your X swing can now be repeated. XXXXXX. Intentionally. Dependably. If you know what to see over your barrel, MA takes the mystery out of every X and O.

Asking you to blindly trust what you don’t know…be it a lead “measurement” or anything else…OR…to believe a super-hard focus on the target will break it consistently…those are two sets of instruction that should, IMHO, be banned in Sporting Clays. Wingshooting, Trap and Skeet? They’re different. In our sport, using advice that was proven outdated thirty years ago… your inconsistency can only continue. You deserve better. When shown exactly what can be trusted to work every time…student skills advance immediately. As in, right now! Along with a welcome rise in self-confidence! 

Staying with the Mental Game…

Practice is an opportunity to fail. 

Missing? We all do…too often, ending with unmet expectations and disappointment, followed by personal blame. Time out. The truth is, while unpleasant, those emotions are all good teachers. And why practice is not just about X’s. Each miss cries out for our attention. To show us what’s not working. Lost target? Our mission is to find the mistake…then correct it and reinforce.

“How we leverage our mistakes into success is a vital life lesson.”  

~Randy Lawrence

Viewed with an open mind, every miss offers us an opportunity to stop, look, and evaluate WHY we just missed. To learn. This makes every miss an asset, not a liability. It only becomes a liability when we lose control by choosing anger and self-criticism. Every single moment offers us a choice.  Consider this option. How about a highly advantageous review of what actually just happened? To improve. Yes? Choose wisely. 

Allow me one final moment on missing and practice… 

In today’s practice,

find your weaknesses,

so next month you can compete with your strengths.

Every shooting error we find and correct, our game instantly becomes stronger and stronger. The stronger our game becomes, the more confident we are in the box. The more confident we are…

Trust me…regardless of your age, gender or skill level…unquestionably…you do have the ability to adjust and build better swings. Consistently. There’s a truth. With my students, as class opens, what’s absent for them is not knowing how to mentally approach and take advantage of what’s not working. Shown specifically how…that, right there, is the profound revelation, the right now turnaround from inconsistency to consistency. It immediately uncomplicates everything and expedites shooting progress in minutes, not hours or days.

With attention in the right place, we identify and replace what’s not working…with what will work…today and tomorrow. Mental changes first. Adding the required shooting Fundamentals second. Together…purposefully planned and executed…right on schedule…XXXXXXXX.

“May the Force be with you…”

I look forward to our next discussion. Again, and always, we’ll uncomplicate what truly matters, in and out of the shooting box.

As we explore breaking more targets and shooting consistently, Dan Schindler's trilogy—Take Your Best Shot, To The Target and Beyond The Target—offer invaluable insights, serving as a roadmap for shooters of all levels. Available on the Paragon School of Sporting website, along with a wealth of blog posts, these 3 books greatly simplify and uncomplicate shooting, providing a foundation for consistently higher scores.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Thanks for visiting. See you again soon.

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XXXX

About Dan Schindler

Tired of being frustrated over missing targets or birds?

Ready to move your shooting forward and shoot consistently higher scores?

Shoot better than you ever imagined.

Schedule a lesson with the esteemed Dan Schindler. As one of the exclusive 44 worldwide members of the Guild of Shooting Instructors (UK), Dan stands as a beacon of expertise in Sporting Clays Skeet, Trap and Wingshooting Instruction in the US.

Embark on a transformative journey with Dan, an NSCA Level III Instructor since 1995 and the visionary founder of the Paragon School of Sporting. His singular goal is to provide ultra simple, step-by-step, Premier  Instruction, Coaching, and Mental Training for enthusiasts of Sporting Clays, Skeet, Trap, and Wingshooting of all skill levels.

Dan Schindler is a maestro at alleviating the frustrations that haunt shooters. By unraveling the mysteries of breaking targets, enabling self-awareness in calling misses, and empowering individuals to make their corrections, Dan ensures that lessons are not only enlightening but also immensely enjoyable. Clients at Paragon School of Sporting witness significant improvements in their shooting skills within minutes.

Bid farewell to the vexation of missed targets and soar towards consistent excellence in shooting. Whether you're an advanced competitor or an entry-level enthusiast, Dan Schindler's wealth of experience spanning over three decades has empowered thousands of shooters to propel their game forward.

Having certified over 274 instructors, authored three exceptional books, and contributed to numerous articles and blog posts, Dan Schindler is a luminary in the field. In your very FIRST lesson with Dan, you will unlock the secrets of the Paragon System, ensuring that you break targets consistently, confidently call your misses, and adeptly make corrections, setting the stage for a remarkable journey of shooting mastery. Contact Dan Schindler now and witness the transformative power of his expertise in action.

In your very FIRST lesson with Dan Schindler, you'll learn the Paragon System so YOU can break targets consistently, call your misses & make corrections so your next target breaks!

"Folks fly from around the world to take lessons with Schindler at River Bend Sportsman’s Resort, his home course in Inman, South Carolina. Clients have included Bush staffers to NASCAR drivers to the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. The approachable teacher has spent 25 years on “gentleman’s coaching” (with social and corporate shooters) and formal instruction (with individuals, groups, and competitors). Schindler has even certified more than 230 instructors using his handcrafted curriculum—a system that signaled his qualification as the first American admitted to the British Guild of Shooting Instructors... “Shooting, like golf, or anything like that, is a mental sport, and he has the mental game down so well.” To find out how he calibrated mind with metal, we head to Japan."

Dan Schindler's Books

"Recommended for shooters of all skill levels, Coaches, Instructors

and parents of youth shooters."

Take Your Best Shot (Book I), 3rd Edition is THE Gold Standard Primer It's all about the fundamentals, a requirement for good shooting. This book is used by high school and college shooting teams, recreational and competitive shooters from around the world. Solid, valuable, concise information that has helped thousands of shooters shoot more consistently with higher scores.

To The Target (Book II) Builds on the steps outlined in Book I. Emphasises Gun Management skills when the trap fires, creating a consistent, reliable, trustworthy swing.

Beyond the Target (Book III) is for shooters of all levels, filled with valuable information, clay target truths. Entertaining and a culmination of 3 decades of Dan's life's work as a teacher, competitor, published writer, and much more.

Here's what Shooters, Coaches and Clay Shooting USA saying...

Take Your Best Shot (Book I), 3rd Edition

THE TRUSTED PRIMER

To The Target (Book II)

Beyond The Target (Book III)