By: Paul Giambrone, III

There is a common X factor amongst all shooters, and I mean ALL SHOOTERS.  No one is exempt from this factor and this factor alone is one of the main things that separate the good shooters from the great shooters.  This factor alone just about dictates how well or how poorly we will shoot in a given event, on a given day, or even the entire weekend or year.  It is something that all shooters, businessmen, athletes, and your everyday Joe have.  They may not have it all in the same area, but in some area of our lives we all have this X factor and it is one of the most important things you must possess to be successful in anything you do in life, especially on a skeet field.  This is the factor that makes certain shooters step out on the field knowing they are about to perform to their best and no one can stop them, except themselves.  Ok, I know I am dragging it out, but I want to make sure you understand the importance of this trait.  Actually, speaking of trait, most people are just naturally born with this trait in some area of their lives, but fail to carry it over to other areas.  This factor is called CONFIDENCE which can put you in your zone to perform at your best.

Let’s take a look at one of your best performances on the skeet field and analyze what happened that day.  First off, you probably woke up in the zone that day or at least walked out onto the skeet field in your zone and knew you were going to shoot well.  If you happened to miss one, you probably knew you were going to miss it due to some kind of mental distraction, or you flat out missed the shot because you are human.  The point that I am trying to make is that you had all of the confidence in the world before, during, and after the performance.  Think about that day.  I want you to visualize it, breath it, feel it, smell it, put yourself in your shoes on that day and think about how you feel.  You just put yourself in your zone, so why not try to do that all of the time?  Why not walk out onto the skeet field EVERY time with this confidence?  Only thing stopping you, is you.  What about the time when nothing felt right and the wheels fell off along with the transmission?  What happened on that day?  Well, for starters, you were clearly out of your zone and did nothing to try and find your zone.  Instead, you figured out just about every way possible to stay out of your zone by worrying about every little thing.  Does that sound about right?  I know I have had plenty of experiences like this in my 20 years of shooting and, at times, still have some here and there today.  However, I know how to battle against these negative thoughts because I have faced this battle many of times.  What do I do?  It is quite simple.  I find my zone and get my confidence back where it should be and battle through the rest of the event.

This may seem quite complicated, but it is really very simple.  All of you have been in the zone before at some point and time in your life (didn’t even have to be in skeet shooting).  My point is that when you enter your zone, you have all of the confidence in the world and nothing can stop you.  So why not try to get there every time you shoot?  What is stopping you?  Trust me, I understand how our conscious mind can work against us and try to think of every possible way to keep us out of our zone and cause us to perform poorly.  What helps me stay in my zone the best is having confidence in my routine.  I have a routine that I go over each and every time and this routine is basically my “game plan” of what I want to get done on the station that I am about to shoot.  The importance of having a game plan is to prepare yourself for what you are about to do.  How successful would a lawyer be if he walked into a courtroom unprepared?  What about a pilot with no flight plan or a shooter with no idea what he wants to do once he is on the station besides hear the gun go BANG?  None of them would be very successful in what they are about to do because they don’t know what they want to accomplish!

The key is having a game plan of what you want to get done when stepping on the skeet field.  Well Paul, what if I don’t have confidence in my game plan?  What if I am doing the wrong things?  That is where having a great instructor comes into play.  There are plenty of competent instructors, great DVDs and books to help as well.  Even if you don’t have someone at this very moment to help you along, stepping on the station with some kind of a game plan is better than stepping up there with no game plan at all.  For example, I have seen shooters step up and go to a random hold point, call “pull,” miss, then realize they weren’t even close to the hold point in which they wanted.  How does this happen?  Stepping on the station without going over your game plan or having no game plan at all to follow is a good way to lead to missing a target(s).  What is considered a good game plan?  Well, each shooter is different, but I recommend knowing where your foot position should be, your hold point, your look point, and your break point.  Also, it is a good idea to visualize the shot you are about to take to help you remember your sight picture for that particular target.  All of these are good places to start, and I recommend something that is simple and easy for you to remember and something that you can do each and every time and have confidence in this plan.  Remember, the most important thing of all once you have your game plan and are on the station is to stare a hole right through that target…

If you have any questions or comments, please email me directly at info@gsclinics.com and visit breakmoretargets.com for more information!  Please check the website for upcoming tournaments and clinics in your area and keep in mind that GSC has completed its move to Arlington, TX!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!  The next scheduled clinic is in Fort Worth, TX at the Fort Worth Skeet and Trap club February 16-19.  In March, GSC will be serving the San Antonio, TX area March 1-4 at Comel Shooting Center.  Later in March, Tulsa Gun Club will host a clinic following its St. Patrick’s Day shoot March 19-21 in Tulsa, OK.  Blue Rock Gun Club in Little Rock, AR will host a clinic March 22-24 and Greater Houston Gun Club will host another clinic March 27-30 in Houston, TX.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:            Find your zone before stepping onto the skeet field and gain your confidence each and every time before you shoot.  Work on it in practice that way when you get to a tournament or your league night, you are fully prepared.  You may not break them all, but you will break more targets this way than any other way.