Well…maybe not exactly easy…but, here is a down and dirty, common sense hit list of exactly what puts more Xs on a scorecard.

FWIW…my understanding of the science behind excellent shooting has come from my respected mentors. But, the art of my successful teaching has come from my thousands of students.

Here are 4 cliffs notes on the process of putting more Xs on a scorecard.

Step 1, is the word…or the question I hear most often… ”Why am I so inconsistent?” Well, it could be any of a few dozen commonplace reasons, but this we can count on: the swing being observed, on the very same target, typically, is not the same every time. It’s changing. Logic tells us, X or 0, if the swing were the same, the results would be the same…consistently. Common sense then says, until the inconsistencies are identified and corrected, it will be impossible to create the more dependable swing, predictably giving us more Xs. This is the swing we can trust to actually work…and not just sometimes…or there goes any improvement.

Our skills with a shotgun can only move-up when our set-up and swing becomes more efficient (a good word btw)…by eliminating those score-reducing errors. That improvement process begins when the shooter steps back and decides to uncover why his/her swing isn’t working…exposing what is actually happening…and, specifically, fine-tuning the swing.

Step 2…and I almost made this # 1 because of its importance…is the shooter’s total, mental focus on shot outcomes and expectations. Which are understandable. Yes, visual focus has to be on the target. Unfortunately, all the mental attention is also way out there at the target…not back here behind the muzzle. And therein lies the problem. Because someone has to guide the gun. Someone has to watch and create the correct bird/barrel relationship…then pull the trigger at the right time. This seeing…this guiding the gun…will show us what went right in the swing…or didn’t. That last X or 0…what was seen during that swing…will now tell us precisely what to do with the next shell in the chamber on that bird. Unless we don’t know what happened during that swing…before the trigger pull? Because the nanosecond after the shot string exits the muzzle…our role in the shot is over! New shell in the chamber, now what?

And why, during training/practice, our attention is on the target-by-target process of developing increasingly better form…guiding the gun…executing the method properly…eliminating our mistakes…repeating the successful swing…all on purpose. Executing that “process” will create more Xs on your score card. It’s because top shooters make the fewest swing mistakes that they break the most targets. The path to more Xs may not be easy…but it is indeed simple…and beyond any doubt, not mysterious.

Step 3, is excessive gun speed…a swing always in a rush. Where’d that miss go…not why. Please understand…this is not a criticism mind you but an ongoing, common observation. Much of this barrel speed occurs because of Step 2…placing all attention on “breaking the target”…instead of focusing on the swing steps, the process. Again, while totally understandable…this excessive speed is the underlying cause of so many unintentional swing changes, errors, and inconsistencies. Step 1.

Let’s talk about this random movement, albeit unintentional. Irrefutable math doesn’t lie. As little as 1…2 or 3 inches of misdirected movement “at the muzzle”…can easily move our shot string off the target by 3 to 6 feet and more. Any random movement at the muzzle will be costly on the score card and that uncontrolled gun speed will hugely magnify swing errors. Missing is predictable and inevitable.

Step 4, last week I worked with Doug, an executive from Illinois. After being tested multiple times in the clubhouse, Doug was definitely LEFT eye dominant and RIGHT handed. He’d previously been told what to do about this, trying one suggested change after another, all the usual adjustments including moving to his left shoulder. Frustrated over missing targets, he wanted to know how much this eye issue was affecting his shooting. So, we discussed all his options…his shooting goals…his preferences. But, in the clubhouse, no final decision was made on making an adjustment. Here’s why.

As I teach Paragon C.I.S. Instructors, it is so very important we be careful about recommending any eye “adjustments” until it is first learned what can or cannot be done with both eyes open. With an empty gun, keeping both eyes open please, I asked Doug for a specific sight picture (bird/barrel relationship). He called for the target and delivered that sight picture perfectly. Multiple times. I changed target directions and sight picture requests…all of which each swing lined up correctly. Every single target. The correlation between his missing and eye dominance? There was none!  Yes, we had pre-shot set up and swing work to do but the eye dominance question was finally answered.

So, can every individual with eye issues shoot with both eyes open? From long experience, I can honestly tell you that I’ve worked with many who simply cannot…despite strenuous efforts. Some, however, can shoot with both eyes open…and very, very well thank you. Ask Doug. All to say, walk cautiously and patiently through eye issues, before making changes. Making a premature, “unnecessary” change like closing an eye or installing a patch, would be a dreadful mistake.

To summarize…we can spend days discussing target presentations, chokes, loads, which gun to use, shooting methods, hand-eye coordination, and instinct…but it’s all pretty much moot if no one is guiding the gun. Gun control is King.

The path to higher scores is simply a matter of learning and then executing the right steps. Know the basics. Step-by-step, target after target, steadily reducing the random gun movement will get you there! An oversimplification? Actually not. Top shooters and those who are advancing are following that exact formula.

Be safe and thanks for being here. I hope to see you out on the course.

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About Daniel Schindler

Dan Schindler has been a full-time, professional Sporting Clays and Wingshooting Instructor since 1990, and is a master instructor, competitor, and Coach. Dan has continuously refined his shooting program to competently help shooters of all levels - regardless of their shooting issues - accelerating their skill advancement. Steadily, by building solid fundamentals and properly executing the process, shooters learn how to implement the best shooting methods for each of the various target presentations. Then learn how to correct their own misses and how to repeat the successful swing. In simple, logical steps, Dan takes the mystery out of your shooting, thus, predictably raising your X count. 

Dan Schindler's Books 

Take Your Best Shot (Book I) is all about the fundamentals, a requirement for good shooting.

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' life's work as a teacher, competitor, published writer and much more.