By: Paul Giambrone, III

It is Sunday afternoon and you are about to shoot the .410.  Picture a beautiful afternoon with clear blue skies, warm weather, and a nice breeze across your face that feels oh so good.  In most cases, we enjoy a little breeze to keep the heat from getting to us and it certainly does help in the middle of the summer at most of the places that I shoot.  Most of the tournaments are going to have hot weather, some extreme heat.  However, it never fails, the wind always blows when you have to shoot and it generally blows even harder when we step on the field about to set the targets, especially during the .410.  So what does one do?  Pretty simple actually.  Our squad has a normal routine that we go through and I have some of my own things that I do to help prepare myself during windy conditions.  So, sit back, hold tight and enjoy!

First things first, set the targets as best as you can.  I am not saying to get them to hit the distance stake, but try your best to get them flying over the stake (don’t concern yourself with what it does after the stake), and set them at a decent height to satisfy yourself and your squad-mates.  Why am I not concerned about what the targets do after the stake?  Number one, you don’t shoot many targets past the stake, or at least you shouldn’t, and number two, the wind is blowing!  Of course the targets are going to be affected by the wind, but remember, we are shooting shotguns.  Even if the target is diving or curving in or out after the stake, we have a nice, wide, pattern of shot eager to break the target working in our favor.  Do not be concerned with what the target COULD DO.  Be concerned with taking your best shot.  Also, keep in mind that you are on a time schedule when taking the field.  Get the targets set to the best of your ability, but do so in a timely manner.  Remember, there is a tournament going on and shoot management has enough challenges that it faces during the weekend.  We don’t need to add to their list of challenges by creating delays on the field.

In the previous paragraph, I mentioned “taking your best shot” and I mean exactly that.    Tell me, have you ever broken a target in windy conditions?  Have you ever posted a good score or had a good performance in windy conditions?  I thought you have, so what is the big deal?  The biggest problem shooters face in the wind is that they anticipate what the target is going to do, and then when the target does the opposite, they panic.  News flash, the targets are not going to be set “on a string” in the wind, so feel free to move the gun to the target!  Let’s examine the time(s) you shot well in the wind.  Were you worried about if the target would go up or down, left or right?  Were you worried that it might dip below you at the last second?  Were you worried about whether or not we really landed men on the moon?  Didn’t think so.  What you were is completely focused on the targets and just slaughtering them.  I watched a guy in a lesson recently break a high 5 about 3 feet off the center stake.  Tell me, do you think he anticipated that?  Do you think he had to “measure” out the lead and figure out what exact rate the target was dropping?  The answer is no.  What he did have was good solid fundamentals and form while keeping his eyes glued on the target.  He made the shot look extremely easy.  The answer to shooting in the wind is having good solid fundamentals, trusting your eyes to do the work for you, and not anticipating where the target is going to go, but simply reacting to the target that is thrown and taking your best shot.

Now, there are several things I do to prepare myself to shoot during windy conditions.  First, if I see a low target or a target that dives, I will lower my hold points and be sure that I am well below the flight path of the target.  My hold points are fairly low already; the main thing is that the target is always in my sight, without the gun barrel getting in the way.  Next, I make it a point to stare even harder at the targets when I am tracking the birds across the field.  This helps ensure that my hands and body will follow the target no matter where it goes because my eyes are locked on the target.  Some things I do not change include my foot positions, and my pre-station routine.  I will shoot the targets in my dedicated break zone (or slightly after if the target does something crazy) and I continue to go over my same routine.  My routine does not include going over what I think the target will do or anticipating what it will do.  I rely on my eyes and my fundamentals to do the work for me.  Lastly, if I make a good move, stare hard at the target, and it jumps or dives right as I pull the trigger causing a miss, I still will not change anything.  I took my best shot and that is all that I can ask for.  I do not panic or start changing things because that was just the luck of the draw and it didn’t work out in my favor.  If you can look at yourself in the mirror and say I did everything I could, but it just didn’t break, then you took your best shot and there is absolutely no reason for your confidence in yourself to change.

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 is now in the DFW area!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!

Tip of the month:     Next time you are about to shoot and it is windy outside, try this little exercise:  If you find yourself worrying about what the targets are going to do and start having doubts, I want you to think of a time when you shot well in the wind.  I want you to really think hard and visualize that event and tell me how you feel.  If necessary, visualize more than just one event to help calm your nerves.  What you are doing is gaining confidence and proving to yourself that you can shoot in the wind.  Give it a try next time you go practice and see how it works!