The Key to Relaxation

By: Paul Giambrone, III

During the 2012 season, I had very little expectations as my year began.  My wife and I had just gotten married and moved to the DFW area, I was completely done with my graduate school, and my business was just starting to really thrive.  Needless to say, I had a lot on my plate and was not really focused much on my shooting at the time.  I started my practice routine a little later in the season than normal, but I still had time to get ready for my opening shoot Memorial Day weekend.  I found my mechanics to be good, but my mind was fighting itself.  I was struggling because I was trying to be a coach and be a shooter at the same time.  The two were trying to break targets and it just wasn’t working.  I was trying to coach myself as I was shooting and this caused a lot of struggles.  I got on the phone with Bob Palmer, my mental training coach, and he suggested an exercise that enabled me to separate the shooter from the coach and the coach from the shooter.  This put me at ease, I relaxed, regained my confidence and in just two weeks, I shot a 398 at my opening shoot which landed me 4th place HOA.  Not a bad start, and it only got better from there.  That year was my best statistical year in shooting which included four 400X400s (including one with the .410). I was high average leader in all guns except one and I was only 2 targets away from breaking the highest HOA average ever recorded.  Somewhere in there, my wife and I decided to purchase our first home in the middle of the season too!  The key was keeping my expectations in check, focusing on my process, and enjoying the confidence that I had in my shooting (not over-confidence though).

Fast forward to the 2013 and 2014 seasons where expectations had gone way up from 2012 and I did not even come close to having the statistical year that I had in 2012.  You would think, oh, well, why not just lower expectations and just RELAX and shoot?  It is much easier said than done.  I was outcome driven and not process driven which led to just “average” years for my standards.  I was trying to be too perfect during the shot, almost coaching myself again during those seasons, until it finally clicked again at the 2014 World Shoot.  Sure, I had glimpses of success, but nothing consistent like 2012 where weekend after weekend I pounded those little orange ^$#&e%&!  During my off season this past year, I analyzed closely what happened at the Mini World & Main World in 2014.  After struggling through the Mini World Doubles, 12 and 28 gauge, I found myself working on a 100 in the 20 gauge.  Still not comfortable, but I was breaking the targets and that’s what my confidence was clinging to.  The targets were breaking, until the inevitable.  I missed late in the 3rd box.  Disgusted with myself, I went to quickly load the next shell and fire away at my option and then it clicked… “You are trying too hard.  Relax, let this target out and nail it.”  I shot the smoothest shot I had fired all weekend on that next target.  I proceeded to clean the rest of that round and the last round with ease.  It finally felt right.  I looked at my mother when I was leaving the field and she looked back with a state of confusion and worry (her son was already down a few targets for the weekend with no titles on hand and we still had to shoot the .410) and I said “Don’t worry, I am going to shoot really well this afternoon and will continue to shoot well the rest of the week.  I found my zone again.”  Those are bold statements given the numbers I was posting, but I knew I would be ok because my CONFIDENCE was back!  I was process driven again and focused on just my process and my routine instead of the outcome or winning championships or literally anything else.  I was back in my zone.

What I finally learned (again Fred) was that trying too hard is more of a common problem with competitors than not trying hard enough.  I preach this to my students and yet I was struggling with it myself, until now.  My mind had finally switched back to focusing on the process.  In order to be focused on the process, you must first have a process.  Let’s take a peek at what my exact mental process is for each shot:

Step 1- Have a solid game plan of each shot before stepping on the station (foot position, hold point, look point, break point, sight picture)

Step 2- When walking on the station, step to the correct foot position, mount the gun correctly at the desired hold point, shift my eyes to the correct look point and put them in a soft focus to catch the flash or streak

Step 3- Once I am set and ready from step 2, I will call for the target and react to the flash or streak by matching my gun speed with the speed of the streak

Step 4- I will acquire a hard focus on the target in my desired break point

Keep in mind, this process is action driven, not thought driven.  While doing all of these things, there are no thoughts, only actions.  The largest problem we face when working our mental process is we try to think during the shot, rather than doing all of the thinking and visualizing before the shot takes place, before you even walk on the station!  When I work this process for each and every shot, I know without a doubt that I will shoot the best possible score for that day, even if it isn’t a 100 straight.  What more could I ask out of myself than to give it all I have for each shot?  I can’t ask anymore than that and neither should you.  If you stick with your process, even when adversity strikes, the damage will be minimal.  For example, I was 400 straight going into the .410 this year at the Mid-America and I missed in the first round.  The floodgates of negative thoughts and wonders started right away.  This will be difficult to finish… can anyone else now tie me?  Will I keep it together or shoot a 95 and everyone laugh at me?  Silly stuff like that does go through my head, but it is quickly dismissed by working the process above, thus minimizing the damage.  Since I stuck to the plan, I was able to finish with the 99 and win the shoot.  All due to me sticking with my process and having confidence in that process.  The two feed on each other!  If you have confidence in your process, working your process flawlessly will build confidence.

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.  Keep in mind that GSC is now in the New Orleans, LA area and will be for the foreseeable future.  GSC is available to teach in the New Orleans area all year-round and is now offering ALL INCLUSIVE lesson packages for shooters that would like to travel to me.  Please call or email today for lesson availability.

Tip of the month:  Think about all of the professional athletes out there.  They train hard on their mechanics outside of competition which is what we should do.  They don’t think about their mechanics as they are swinging at the baseball about to knock it out of the park, they are focused on the ball and working their process!  We should work our mechanics with our coach and during training.  Once you are confident in your mechanics, you must focus hard on your mental game and process to become consistent.  Focus on your process during your next practice session, no matter what, and enjoy the results.  You will find yourself more and more relaxed if you have solid mechanics along with a mental routine to follow and follow it no matter what.