While actual danger can be real, fear is not real. Last I heard, no one is in any danger on a Sporting Clays course. Those annoying negative thoughts…fear is a belief we create… nothing more. It’s our moving our attention to what we fear happening, or not happening in the tournament, that causes all of our apprehension. Worrying about what we do or don’t want, our long list of expectations, we create the doubts, the fear, then respond by letting the physical tension disrupt swing after swing in a downward spiral on our scorecard. Again and again, anxious about what our score will be on this field and the next, OO…lost a pair. Yes,…our physical ...
Common, I see this in lessons, competition, and while watching social shooters. Like leaving the house with the hot coffee pot still plugged in, it’s that important message in the shooting box we shouldn’t, but do forget. We step off the cart and Earl steps into the box. I’m holding the controller, my thumb on the button. Earl looks serious today as he evaluates the A and B trap, 2 challenging target presentations. After the show birds, preparation in place, he asks for the A trap and begins by only shooting singles. Earl shoots very well on the A trap. 5 singles = XXXXX. 5 good breaks. He then asks me for singles again, off trap B, which is another crafty ...
It’s been said…”When the stock touches your cheek…pull the trigger.” From first-hand experience, I’ve learned where that works, and where it doesn’t. If I may, here is a second opinion on this topic. Each of us has a natural, inborn talent, our ability to point at an object. The Churchill shooting method capitalizes on this natural instinct and quite effectively. Here’s an example. A covey of quail burst from the thicket. Time to shoot is short. When the eyes lock on 1 quail…point and shoot. When the stock reaches your cheek…fire. Let your instincts work. Because they will work. It’s reliable. You can trust it, the ...
New shooters coming into our sport are often discouraged by their early scores on a Sporting Clays range. While out and about, I see and hear this many times. Our shooter is “only” breaking about 50% of his or her targets, maybe a few more, but always well below their expectations. This, of course, is completely understandable because they are comparing their scores to others who just shot in the 80’s or possibly a 90 something. What the heck is going on? Here’s the example of what’s going on. Hummelstown Field & Stream is a small gun club just minutes outside of downtown Hershey PA. I was there in the 1980’s when Sporting Clays was ...
Target setters are a devious bunch and, have no doubt, we’re all the better for it. This particular true pair presentation can be shot either way and has us wondering which bird first, the A or B trap? Watching some of the shooters ahead of us hasn’t helped since there are just as many shooting the A trap first as there are shooting the B trap first and few are running this station. Choosing which bird first isn’t obvious but there is a way to untangle this and put the odds in our favor. At the call, as a true pair, watch both birds carefully as they come into their last half or last third of their flight. Which bird do you ...