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 ...

I can’t quite remember the year but the memory is crystal clear. For those of you who might not know the name, it’s Lefty Kreh. He’s a legend and deservedly so, an author, teacher and all around nice guy. Smitten by the lure of fly-fishing, I walked into the Boiling Springs Fly Shop, just outside Carlisle Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has some incredible trout streams and I was re-stocking my supply of artificial terrestrials, also known as ants, beetles, crickets and such. This Spring morning was busy hosting a fly-casting school. Lo and behold, there sat Mr. Kreh at a table having a sandwich. By reputation and pictures, I knew who he was so I walked up and humbly ...

There have been endless discussions and debates over what you should see when looking down your barrel. Some say you should see the target…and only the target. I call this the “total focus on the target” method. For reasons that follow, I’ve found this method creates missing in our day-to-day clay target shooting.  True…looking at the target with your primary vision is required. However, also seeing your muzzle in your peripheral vision (muzzle awareness) will allow you to confirm the actual spatial relationship between your target and the muzzle of your gun. Your muzzle is pointed where you think it is because you have visually confirmed it is. The ...

As you know, changing chokes from field to field is very common. And it can be to our advantage, depending on the reasons for changing and how the choke is being used.         For example, a few years back in a match, I observed an elderly gentleman prepare for a crossing target under his feet, inbound across a ravine. The common breakpoint on this A target was under 25 yards. Visibly anxious, he was vacillating, unsure of what choke to put in. He stepped into the box less than confident. I was on deck behind him. He very clearly shot behind the first two A birds, stopping his gun each time because he incorrectly thought he was too far in front. He ...