Greetings and thank you for visiting with us again. Here’s hoping most of your shooting boxes are in the shade. As I converse with each of my students in the clubhouse before we touch the gun, I respectfully ask, “Why are you here?”  Now, maybe you are thinking I ought to know that answer, considering this person has come for a lesson. Well, I do know that, but what I don’t yet know exactly is what the word success means to my student today. And that’s very important. My definition of success, and your definition, may not be their definition. From the novice opening the box with their first shotgun…or week-end warrior seeking to ...

Please be patient and bear with me as I lead into this story. I promise it will circle back around to why you stopped by here in the first place. I used to be a serious golfer, self-taught from my first swing. There was never a lack of enthusiasm or determination on my part, just the thrill of my initial gear purchases after which I showed up, gripped it and ripped it. Though I had more fun than any one person might aught to have, the problem with being self-taught is usually the teacher. A true, ”long ball hitter” in baseball, golf was definitely an adventure for me. And for those on the fairways bordering both sides of mine. My problem was never ...

There are set-up basics (pre-shot skills) – swing basics (gun management skills) – and scoring basics (performance skills). All are interlocked, very much dependent on the other in purposely building our Sporting Clays (& Trap & Skeet) game on a platform of dependability and confidence. What follows is a favorite topic of mine, previously discussed multiple times from various perspectives. It cannot be stated too many times. It’s a fundamental that can motivate a peak performance in the tournament shooting box. Shell by shell…target by target…this motivation tool is built on the range during training/practice. In my experienced opinion, grasping ...

So…how long has it been since you thought about your own shooting? 2 days ago? Yesterday? 11 seconds ago? If you chose 11 seconds…welcome to the club. We are many, and you are in a great group of kindred spirits. As shooters, we are inundated with so much information on our equipment choices… shooting methods…the mental game…I wonder if we sometimes forget what really matters. No…not just to me…definitely not…but maybe to you too? The following are a few of my thoughts…any conclusions are left up to you. From the time I was very young, being in the field taught me how little I knew. I wasn’t 10 years old yet but ...