In the third and final part of this three-part series, Don chronicles a sporting clays lesson with one of his students. Don discusses the mental game and the importance of allowing the subconscious, rather than the conscious mind, to establish lead…………………………
(Appeared in the March/April Issue of Clay Shooting USA)
By Don Currie
Daryl had made significant progress over the last few months but Rome wasn’t built in a day. (See Parts I and II of this series in the previous issues or at www.DonCurrie.com). Learning to be a competitive shot is analogous to pealing an onion. There are many layers, and some are thicker than others. In the beginning, it can seem like the layers are too numerous and the task insurmountable. Anyone who has attempted to master golf has similarly found himself overwhelmed by the endless variables. The key to steady progress, however, is to take one layer at a time, perfecting, practicing and relegating each element to the subconscious, before moving on to the next. If approached in this way and practiced under the watchful eye of a qualified coach, conscious effort gives way to subconscious execution. Eventually it seems as though overhauls are a thing of the past and adjustments are all that are required.
In our previous lessons, Daryl had successfully moved through a number of critical layers. For the most part, he had abandoned his need to start his gun from a pre-mounted position. He had also eliminated his tendency to line up his eye with the rib of his shotgun just prior to calling for the target. As a result, there had been vast improvement in his ability to visually acquire targets and instinctively engage them with no perception of the barrel-target relationship. These strides were not easy but the more success that he met with, the stronger his faith grew in his natural and instinctive ability to intercept targets without aiming. Progress became easier and his scores climbed higher.
It had been a while since our last lesson so I was curious to see how Daryl had progressed. As we ventured out onto the red course that day and I observed him shooting the first few stations, I observed a couple of the same flaws I had seen in our last lesson yet there was something different about the way Daryl addressed the targets. He was noticeably tentative in his approach and seemed to be reverting back to his more cautious risk-averse style. He seemed tighter and to be trying harder. It seemed to me that, instead of brimming with confidence in his ability to conquer the targets, he was instead trying to prevent a miss, thereby exhibiting less faith in his natural instinctive abilities.
The mental game in sporting clays is more deserving of a book or chapter of a book. I have read extensively on the subject of the mental game in self-timed sports, sports psychology, the role of brain-wave activity and biofeedback…but I am far from an authority on the subject. Much of my accumulated knowledge comes from authorities like Lanny Basham, Henry Hopking and various other resources. With the help of a sports psychologist, I have also tried any number of different pre-shot routines in an attempt to find the right balance. To the uninitiated, this may seem like a bunch of mumbo jumbo and for the shooter whose only goal is to go out and have fun at the local sporting clays course that’s all it is.
For many competitive Type A personalities (myself included) there comes a time when fun just isn’t enough. We want to win. As with any individual self-timed sport like sporting clays, trap, skeet, golf, shot-put, etc., the newcomer’s primary concern is the physical aspect of execution. Every movement seems conscious and perfecting the style and technique are the primary focus. As we progress in our skill, however, the physical execution begins to seep into the subconscious. Eventually, the experienced shooter doesn’t even remember when he didn’t know how to instinctively execute the mount of his shotgun. It becomes as natural as putting one foot in front of the other. That’s when the sport becomes “90% mental”, in the infamous words of Yogi Berra. In applying sports psychology and neurofeedback theory to sporting clays specifically, I believe the following to be the critical elements of a sound mental game execution:
Confidence – The shooter has to have complete faith, as he arrives at a competition, steps into each station and calls for each pair, that his training, equipment and subconscious mind are more than enough to get him to connect with the targets. Qualitative expectations or autopsies of your performance are forbidden in competition, and should be used sparingly in practice.
Prep Routine – The shooter must conduct the very same analysis of the targets, terrain, trap locations, target lines, break points, hold-points and visual pick-up points at each and every station. Also critical is the use of mental dry runs or visualizations of the timing and physical/visual execution required to break each unique pair. The key during the prep routine is to occupy the conscious mind with the process you are preparing to execute.
Pre-shot routine – This is the mental program you will run each and every time you prepare to shoot a pair of targets after stepping into the station. A critical element of the pre-shot routine is one final mental visualization of the timing and physical/visual execution (the same that you practiced during your prep routine). As you visualize, take one or two deep breaths to load the body with oxygen, allowing the pulse to slow and brain-wave activity to approach an optimal level. The last element of the pre-shot routine, immediately prior to calling for the targets, is a simple mental cue, just one or two words like “focus” or “focus hard”, to summon the conscious mind just prior to calling for the target.
Post Shot routine – this final phase is primarily about closing the book on the last pair or station. You must mentally purge yourself of any aspect of your performance that fell short of your expectations and renew your confidence to crush the next pair. As hard as this may be to do, strive not to carry negativity with you from one station or one pair to the next.
The root of all of Robert Churchill’s theories (The Churchill Method) of instinctive shooting is that the subconscious must be allowed to apply the forward allowance necessary to break the target, with the eyes exclusively on the target (not the barrel). Boosting Daryl’s confidence and directing him to execute these mental processes took Daryl’s mind off of his performance, lowered his performance anxiety and focused him back on the process. In so doing, his body and mind were more relaxed and he was less concerned about jumping on the target, quickly getting his gun to his cheek or visually “checking” the barrel-target relationship. As Lanny Basham points out, the conscious mind can interfere with good performance because it tries to control the outcome. In focusing the conscious mind on the right things, a shooter is less likely to occupy the conscious mind with thoughts that will interfere with subconscious execution.
Daryl did well at Nationals but he didn’t win his class as he had hoped. He got a bit frustrated by his performance in the side-by-side event. After seeing that he had only missed a first place finish by seven targets, his realization of an opportunity missed was enough to reinforce his determination to work on his mental game in the coming year. The months prior to Nationals were a period of growth for Daryl and he is drawing ever nearer to that point where his performance is “90% mental”.
With improved visual focus, solid mount mechanics and greater faith in his subconscious mind, his conscious thoughts now turn to 2011.
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Don Currie is a certified NSCA Level III Instructor, Associate of the Institute of Clay Target Instructors, former US Army Infantry School and Ranger School Instructor, Master Class sporting clays competitor and an NSCA National Delegate. He is an instructor at the Orvis Wing Shooting School, is an avid upland bird hunter and is passionate about shooting and outdoor sports. He lives and works in Central Florida with his wife and three children and instructs clay target sports throughout the state of Florida. To learn more about the Focus-Movement-Faith System or the mental game, go to www.DonCurrie.com, contact Don at HERE or connect with him on Facebook.
© 2011 – Don Currie – All rights reserved.