Inconsistent scores, up one day, down the next on the same targets? Lesson paid for, shake hands with your instructor.Chambers loaded, gun up, targets are breaking station after station. You’re asked to hold the gun here, see this over the barrel. With your instructor correcting each miss, you understandably feel a sense of accomplishment with each X that follows. A sense reinforced many times throughout the lesson. Walking back to your truck, no doubt, you improved today. Look at all the targets you broke. Back in the shooting box at your home club, OXOOXOOO. Lost and confused, what’s this all about? What do you correct to stop the missing? Good question with no answers. ...

She came to River Bend with a large group of friends, maybe fifteen ladies, most of whom had never touched a firearm. Surrounded by their anxious looks, I expressed comfort in each handshake. The atmosphere softened as smiles began to replace looks of concern.Seating them around a large conference table, I opened by explaining that anyone who did not want to shoot today didn’t have to. A rush of relief went across many faces, knowing they didn’t have to touch a gun. I did, however, ask them to come and watch, to support their friends in the shooting box. Everyone agreed, anticipation replacing fears.Eye-dominance checks and adjustments completed, eye and ear protection in hand, ...

“All the measuring in the world is uselessif it doesn’t match the target data.”In Sporting Clays, measuring leads causes missing. Period.This example illustrates why measuring works in Trap and Skeet but not Sporting. Lisa, a 13-year-old Novice, has retained some help to improve her shooting. Instructor behind her, it’s her first time on a Skeet range. At each individual Station – the targets and their individual leads always being “known” – she’s shown lead measurements of 1 foot, 2 feet, etc. This makes her learning easier and clays are breaking. As the days turn into months of practice, target by known target, she’s ...

Let’s talk about what it really takes to generate more broken birds: Gun Control. Every inch movement of our gun muzzle will decide what happens out at the target, making swing precision non-negotiable.  This is not my opinion; the math says so. Please read those sentences again. For every shooter, no exceptions, swing mistakes promise a lost target.  With the emphasis on controlling our movements, here’s where we begin.  With consistency and improvement priorities, our “set up” steps ask for our undivided attention. Each step is intended to build critical swing precision, before and during the swing. In order, ...