Sometimes it starts while you are waiting on station to begin your round. Possibly stepping into the box on the first or last field initiates it. For others, it may be constant during a tournament from start to finish.

Attending a Zone shoot one weekend, a State shoot the next—re-packing—then attending another distant tournament, I see many familiar faces. There’s something else that is very familiar at competitions, regardless of sport, location or skill level.

Body language, facial expressions and general commentary all reflect the fact that today is the day. Everyone has their game face on. This is serious. Every target counts and scores will be posted on the master score board later. For many of us, the atmosphere around us turns electric the split second our tires roll onto the tournament grounds. We are glad to be here or we wouldn’t have come. But the hard realization that our skills, patience and a host of emotions will soon be tested, often produces a well spring of palpable uneasiness.

There are multiple causes of this phenomenon, and the degree of affect it has on the individual varies from person to person. I thought we could look at some of the causes and maybe a few suggestions to manage these emotions more effectively.

First, I think it’s important we recognize that tournament conditions can have this affect on us. If we acknowledge it to ourselves, openly, this in itself begins to dismantle the tension we are building inside us. You are not alone with these feelings and thoughts. More importantly, the affects of tournament pressure do not have to be disabling.

“I’m glad no one else can hear my heart pounding when I step into the box.” Trust me, there are legions of people in sports who share the same experience. But, an increase in heart rate when you step into the tournament box is normal, not abnormal. Once you begin to believe this is normal, you’ve drastically reduced the disturbing affect it can have on you. Some competitors actually use these feelings to motivate themselves. They’re wisely turning a negative reaction into a positive one, using it to their advantage. Provided the mind isn’t going like a casino, the increase in adrenaline flow can be a real performance advantage…….

***

This Sporting Clays Article was previously published in Sporting Clays Magazine by Dan Schindler in July 2002.

The Paragon School of Sporting is now making available the remainder of this article as well as numerous others, available for download on The Paragon School of Sporting Website.

Sporting clays continues to be an elegant sport born of long tradition, fulfilling our wingshooting passion to experience the wing and shot. Feather and clay, inescapably tied, grants us so many learning opportunities to hone our skills, a path of personal growth that affords us a refreshing, unbiased look at ourselves. Time and again, my students have learned how entirely more capable they are than once thought. The American sporting clays shooter can honestly and proudly say, in a very short period, he has indeed advanced to take his rightful place among the best in the world. And, let’s not forget, no one is having more fun out here than you and I are.

The events, times, places and persons in my articles are all true. While I changed a name here and there, 100% of the information came from my experiences with you. Each tournament, each lesson, each experience with you generated the material for my work. I am grateful.

We hope you enjoyed the first part of the article and will visit us online to browse the numerous collection that is available. Until then, happy Sporting!

For More Information, Please Contact Us At:

The Paragon School of Sporting 

P. O. Box 1276

Flat Rock, NC 28731

Tel: (828) 693-6600

Order Magazine Articles Online: http://www.paragonschool.com/catalog

Publications from The Paragon School of Sporting

http://www.paragonschool.com/publications.html

  Book I — Take Your Best Shot (2nd edition)

Daniel Schindler’s first book, Take Your Best Shot, helps you get organized before and after you step into the shooter’s box. Regardless of skill level, your shot should be planned carefully before calling for the target. To finish a shot properly, it is vital that you start properly.

Using clear, plain language, this book answers your questions about equipment selection; chokes and loads; set-up in the box; strategies; shooting methods and managing your expectations. Written for the novice shooter, each shooting tip is a building block for the more advanced levels of shooting.

Good shooting starts in this very simple, easy-to-read book.

Readers have responded:

After our lesson Saturday I went home & made a page of notes – wondering as I wrote why you had not included these pearls of wisdom in Take Your Best Shot. Later that night I re-read your book & saw every one of them not only listed, but emphasized (maybe except for ‘cheek time’). It’s hard to overstate the added benefit of personal instruction & illustration compared to just reading the book.

Jim Bode

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  Book II — To The Target

Dedicated to the Intermediate to Advanced Shooter

To The Target is, in a way, a map. Using plain language, it cuts through the mystery of shooting and shows you the shortest route to breaking one target after another — from the first field to the last.

Readers have responded:

To The Target is simply the finest literary work on the subject of sporting clays shooting available today. A virtual technical manual on the art and science of shooting sporting clays, it is absolutely essential reading for any serious competitor.

David Arnold, DO Davenport, Iowa

To the Target is full of valuable information directly pertaining to the shotgun sports. An essential part of any shooter’s library, I just wish it had been around when I started.

Andy Duffy, Holder of 8 National Titles

This is going to be the bible for all wingshooters. A stylish, instructional book, To The Target covers all the questions I have been asked by my clients. For the price of 1 round of clays, you will have your answers.

M. Palmer, Owner, Lone Pine Sporting Clays.

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  Audio CD — Beyond the Target:

An Introduction to Mental Training

Beyond The Target, an audio CD, is a perceptive, engaging introduction to the mental side of sporting clays performance. Produced and narrated by Dan Schindler, it provides the listener with a refined understanding of why shooters plateau, and why continued progress in the box and on the score sheet eventually becomes difficult. It offers a fresh, enlightening perspective on why our performance in the box is so dramatically affected by our thinking, beliefs, perceptions and concentration. The encouraging dialogue answers many of the key questions we’ve been asking ourselves before we step in, and after we step out of the shooting box. Delivering more than just suggestions and information, the author’s inspiring messages stay with the listener long after narration ends.

——————————————————————————————————————–

For More Information, Please Contact Us At:

The Paragon School of Sporting

P. O. Box 1276

Flat Rock, NC 28731

Tel: (828) 693-6600

E-Mail: paragonschool@aol.com

Web: http://www.paragonschool.com

Online Ordering: http://www.paragonschool.com/catalog

Any of this sound familiar? You lifted your head. You should be shooting a tighter choke. Less choke. You missed behind. Over. Too much in front. You haven’t been practicing enough. You should have shot #8’s here. You need to slow down. Swing faster. You need to trust yourself more. Give the target more. Less. And the list goes on.

I respectfully propose to you that the above suspected reasons—likely didn’t cause the miss. I ask you to consider that your swing–from the first 3 inches of muzzle movement went unseen in an errant direction. Muzzle chasing or hunting for the target—in the time you have left before the trigger pull–it will be difficult if not impossible to get the muzzle into the right place. Lost bird, and the inconsistency on your score sheet–X0X0000X.

A swing you are not watching–did not see–can not be counted on to put the muzzle into the right place consistently. After 1 shot, a competent shooting instructor will help you see that swing error. See it clearly–precisely. Not where you missed–but why. Adjust that, 1 shot, 2 shots, 3 shots, 4 shots, XXXX.

Here’s an interesting question: did you just break that target–or did you break it on purpose? Advanced shooters very deliberately duplicate the correct swing. Guiding their gun precisely–they see–exactly what is happening on the other side of their muzzle, shot after shot. The result is not only consistent but predictable.

In order to find the real inconsistency in your swing–precisely–you must first see it–clearly–then adjust it accordingly. The key to improving is seeing–knowing–duplicating a swing that starts and finishes correctly.  If you’re not sure about this and have questions, consider consulting with a certified Paragon instructor.

To review the full article please visit:  http://www.paragonschool.com/sporting-clays-tip-08-2009.html

 View The Sporting Clays Tips Index

I’ve just come home from the outstanding NC State shoot at Hunters Pointe where Chuck Frazier perpetrated on us some of his best, most well thought out target presentations. Standing in the box, I distinctly remember telling myself not to shoot that target right there. Did I remember to follow those instructions? Actually, to tell you the truth, well, I just forgot. It looked so good right there I couldn’t help myself. See, here’s what happened. After stomping the first bird, I moved the gun to intercept the second bird. And there it was, right on schedule. So I mosey up to it with my “never-fail” move and watched myself shoot right over the top of it! Chuck ambushed me. Twice! X0X0. It’s enough to make a person feel daffy. I did adjust the last 2 pairs, XXXX. Couldn’t get those lost birds back though.

And that’s what I want to take a look at, minimizing our misses.

In my opinion, sporting clays competition has become a precision sport. Never before have so many demands been placed on the competitor’s shoulders to guide the gun properly. Mistakes in the swing are rarely forgiven by today’s more creative and deceptive match presentations. While ours is not a game of perfect, scores are climbing. That’s why knowing where we missed and why is so critical. As scores continue to climb, there is less and less margin for missing, putting the emphasis squarely on better strategies and error free swing execution. Miss management.

Top shooters have good form. While their shooting styles may differ, the style each one uses is consistent, making it dependable, at the target and on the score sheet. But there’s more going on there than meets the eye.

Let’s start with a target presentation you like, a favorite of yours. Maybe it’s a left to right crossing target, medium speed at about 25 yards. This is a target that you rarely miss. Confidence on this bird is very high as you walk into the shooting box. Why? Because you know this shot. From the set up through the break you know every aspect of this shot cold. Swing feel and sight pictures are very familiar to you. I’m not inferring you can take the target for granted. I am saying you feel very secure, putting a lot of trust in your move on this bird. You know how to break it and it will break. So it’s safe to say you have this shot, any time, anywhere.

Now stand beside me at Hunters Pointe on Sunday at the state shoot, 15 yards to the left and under the 60 foot tower. Both traps are on the top. True pairs, the birds leave from behind us, on our right, overhead and away. The first thing we notice is the line on each bird is somewhat awkward, so putting the gun on the line will be touchy. To compound matters, the targets are fast, meaning time is limited and we’ll have to make good use of the time we have. The margin for swing errors is small indeed and swing mistakes, careless or otherwise, won’t be forgiven here. Like so many of Chuck’s well thought out presentations, precision will be at a premium……

***

This Sporting Clays Article was previously published in Sporting Clays Magazine by Dan Schindler in January 2006.

The Paragon School of Sporting is now making available the remainder of this article as well as numerous others, available for download on The Paragon School of Sporting Website.

Sporting clays continues to be an elegant sport born of long tradition, fulfilling our wingshooting passion to experience the wing and shot. Feather and clay, inescapably tied, grants us so many learning opportunities to hone our skills, a path of personal growth that affords us a refreshing, unbiased look at ourselves. Time and again, my students have learned how entirely more capable they are than once thought. The American sporting clays shooter can honestly and proudly say, in a very short period, he has indeed advanced to take his rightful place among the best in the world. And, let’s not forget, no one is having more fun out here than you and I are.

The events, times, places and persons in my articles are all true. While I changed a name here and there, 100% of the information came from my experiences with you. Each tournament, each lesson, each experience with you generated the material for my work. I am grateful.

We hope you enjoyed the first part of the article and will visit us online to browse the numerous collection that is available. Until then, happy Sporting!

http://www.paragonschool.com

Order Magazine Articles Online: http://www.paragonschool.com/catalog