By: Paul Giambrone, III

Recently I was sitting with a very close friend in Katy, TX, talking about the upcoming skeet season and boy are we excited about the year!  As we were sipping on a cold one, we discussed some different things that come up throughout the event and how to stay focused.  Things like the referees we get, broken targets when they come out of the house or from the field next to us, and the dreaded random thoughts that creep into our heads when we are on the station about to shoot…  As we were talking, an article was brewing in my brain.  What a great article to write about the distractions that we face on and off the skeet field while we are competing or in practice.  I know the last part of that previous sentence is puzzling, but it’s true.  We face the same distractions in practice as we do in competition, but we either ignore them or don’t care to address them because it is “just practice.”  Well, with that attitude, when you get to a shoot and have the same distraction, your brain is going to do the same thing it does in practice and treat the distraction as if it were “just practice” and we all know the result… “Lost.”  Practice is the best place to learn to deal with distractions and address them properly.  That way when you are in a tournament, you can easily deal with the distractions.

The referee.  First of all, before you go criticizing a referee put yourself in their shoes and try to make 500 perfect pulls for 4-6 squads a day watching all of those targets in ONE DAY.  See how you feel at the end of that day, and try to get up and do it all over again the next day and the next!  Our referees are some of the best people around and instead of getting upset and yelling at them when they have a slow pull or even if they don’t see a piece, why not thank them for the wonderful job that they are doing?  When I approach a field and I see a referee that I am not familiar with, I always make a point to introduce myself and the squad and thank them for their services.  We also let them know that we go straight from station 8 to station 1 (that way we give them a break at the end and we get our job done effectively and efficiently) and we are sure to bring them some water at the start of each box.  This is the very least that we can do, as a squad, to help out our fellow skeet enthusiast.  And if you get a bad pull, maybe it was for a reason.  Maybe your mind wasn’t 100% ready and set on that particular target, but the bad pull gives you another chance to reset and clear your thoughts.  Maybe right as you called for your low 6 the last box, the guy on station 2 on the next field yells “PULL!!!” which would have broken your concentration mid-swing and cost you your first 100 straight.  If your referee hadn’t accidently fast pulled you there, you would have missed the target because of a distraction on the next field.  See what I’m saying?  It’s like an unanswered prayer.  Sometimes we may pray for things that we want, but God knows better.  So, instead of getting upset about a bad pull, look at it as an opportunity for a fresh start on a new target to get your best shot and break it!  My personal favorite is when you see a small chip and maybe one or two of your squad-mates see it too, but the referee doesn’t.  I have heard plenty of stories when that happens to a shooter they end up proceeding to shoot one of their best scores.  Why does this happen?  Well, one of my clients, who hasn’t shot a 100 straight yet, said that he had one “taken away” from him, but proceeded to shoot the rest and finished with a 99.  How can good come from this?  Maybe, if they were straight going into that last box, the nerves would have gotten to them and caused them to miss more than 1, resulting in a lower net score…  Next time, thank the referee for the wonderful job they are doing instead of getting upset with them.

What about the visual or audio distractions that we face?  Lining up for your High 2 the first round, nervous and anxious, and pieces from the other field come into your field of vision before you call pull.  What do you do?  Wait for them to clear, or completely reset from the start?  I suggest simply resetting from the top.  For example, in my normal routine is I close the gun around the area where I want to break the target, wind up to my hold point, mount the gun, shift my eyes, and then call for the target.  If anything breaks that routine, visually or if I hear something that distracts me, I simply break the gun open and close it at my break point, thus starting from the top of my routine.  Now, if something repeatedly distracts me or I get those random thoughts that come into my head, I may break it open, visualize the shot a time or two to reset, and then get back at it.  Why do I do this?  Very simple, if my mind is distracted and on something else, I can’t give 100% to the next shot.  Keep in mind, we still only have a certain allotted time on the station for each target.  My recommendation is to have your game plan put together before you get on the station that way if a distraction occurs you have the time to recover.  What about the audio distractions?  A good set of ear plugs will eliminate a lot of the audio distractions out there, but sometimes we just can’t help but hear a shooter on the field next to us yell at the top of their lungs for a target.  Nothing against them, that’s just how they like to call for the target, but if you hear this right before you call, realize your brain is distracted by that call and reset before you proceed.

As usual, I try to save the best for last and that is the distractions off of the field.  First off, I know most shooters have families and/or work to worry about when they are at a tournament.  Let me put this as simply as I can put it: If you want to shoot at your best, you need to leave all of those potential distractions at home.  If you can’t put the upcoming business meeting behind you when you walk on the field for the next hour and a half, save your shells, or accept that you are not going to perform at your best.  Am I saying that skeet should be the most important thing in your life?  Absolutely not!  However, if you want to shoot at your best, skeet should be the most important thing for the next hour and a half.  God, my wife, my family, and my friends are all things that are more important to me than skeet and that will always be.  But if I want to perform at my best for those 100 targets, the most important thing to me at that time is the next target and nothing else.  I know this may sound a little extreme, but if you want to perform at your best, you better bring you’re A-game, because when it comes to shooting that Low 6 in the last round, you better believe it’s going to give you it’s A-game…

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 the 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 scheduled clinics during the second half of April include Ashland, KY April 14-16.  Following this clinic, Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware, OH will host another clinic April 17-20.  Dallas Gun club will also host a clinic April 23-25, followed by Ark Valley Gun Club in Wichita, KS April 27-29.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:            Distractions will come and go throughout the day or event.  Keep in mind, deal with the distractions as they arise, do not look for the distractions to come to you.  Stay focused on your game and what you are trying to accomplish and if a distraction happens to FIND YOU, deal with it at that time—DO NOT LOOK FOR A DISTRACTION!