Ask The Instructor: The Fundamentals

Question: I’m a beginner at this sport. I’m taking lessons from a local instructor and every time I miss, he just tells me to focus harder. What should I do if I am focusing on the target but still missing? Is the problem always focus?

Answer: There is a lot to “unpack” in your question, so my answer will be in very broad terms. First of all, your instructor is correct in emphasizing visual focus. It is often difficult for new shooters to understand and, more importantly, physically reproduce the intensity of focus required to break a clay target. In fact, the most important concept for an instructor to convey to a new shooter is how to focus on the target. Rather than a diffused focus, as is used in rifle and pistol shooting, the shooter must use singular and acute focus on the target. While other fundamentals are also critical, insufficient visual concentration is more often the culprit behind a miss. If you are applying acute visual focus to the target just prior to and through the breakpoint, then the search for a cause will extend to other fundamentals critical to good shooting performance: Ready position and movement (the physical move of the body and gun to the target). A solid preshot planning process should result in an appropriate stance and ready position, with the feet and body oriented to the planned breakpoints. If not, you may find yourself with an excess of physical tension at the breakpoints. The five elements of movement are also essential: 1) Weight of the gun in the hands, lead with the front hand, 2) Head still (aligned with the gun/target), 3) Move at a comfortable pace, 4) Mount to the cheek, not the shoulder, 5) Commit to the finish. The first three movement fundamentals apply to the manner in which the body and gun should move to the target. Efficient and fluid mount and movement to the breakpoints will also facilitate optimal visual focus. Mounting to the shoulder and then lowering the head to the comb is not recommended. And finally, commitment to breakpoint is essential. I don’t recommend a “break zone” but rather a breakpoint. Shooting a given target of a pair in the same location fosters consistency.