Practice

[Fuzrat]

How much do you guys practice? Been thinking about my shooting lately and I have shot at least 1 reg a weekend most 2 and I am starting to think this is a bit over the top.

I am thinking I am becoming a bit jaded in comps and not focussing as hard as I should. Looking to scale back my comps a bit, go for quality rather than quantity and put in some good practice inbetween. Good idea, or keep plugging at the comps?

Ps by practice I mean going to the range with a plan for specific targets and having a goal at the start rather than just rocking up and shooting a bunch of random targets and having a laugh

 

[GlenPresley]

Well I will be going out on the 11th March hopefully as I have some specific targets I want to practise which I struggled with on the weekend just to build confidence on them. That will be one week before my next comp.

Last comp I had nearly a month without shooting a target, although I shot reasonably well I missed some targets consistently and I need to go out and just focus on these. I also can tell I was not at my best due to the bruising I have today from bad mounts which is down to rustiness!

Be careful with practise make sure you know exactly what you want to do before you go and what you want to achieve and make sure the ground has the targets on you wish to practise. Also make sure your not going with a massive group! Two people is plenty as otherwise there is a tendancy to play around you have to take it reasonably seriously or it will be a waste of time and money. The other person you go with should be someone you trust and knows your game so if you need any help or advice it is the right advice!

I will shoot max 150 targets probably narrowed down to 3 or 4 specific types of target I want to focus on. I already have a plan in my head what i want to do and I will contact the ground the week before to ensure the targets are there which I want to practise on! I ont waste time shooting targets I hit regularly I am just interested in shooting these few specific birds over and over to ensure I am really tuned into them. Make sure you have reasonable breaks inbetween as you will get tired and you wont have a true picture of how it is going.

Glen.

 

[T.C.]

If you want some advice you might try Gil and Vicki Ash's books "If it aint broke fix it" and " You gotta be out of your mind".They talk a lot about what and how to practise.

 

[Fuzrat]

Glen, that's exactly the sort of thing I had in mind. Shoot a comp every other week and practice specific targets inbetween. As you say no point shooting 140 ex 150 targets that you can hit and calling it practice. Also not really much point in shooting comps every week and shooting 4 or 5 times at a target, missing it and never really knowing where.

Time to put the hard yards in on the practice range and let the comps look after themselves I think.

Will have a look out for those books Tony

 

[GlenPresley]

The problem you sometimes have in registered events is you can not go back to the target and practise it due to the event being ongoing so if you don't really find it properly then you are never convinced and you don't have the best opportunity to learn from your mistakes.

I struggled with a a medium ranged right to left midi and a very long looping high midi at the weekend these cost me an additional 4 on my score at the weekend. They were not what i consider hard targets but due to the fact I second barelled a couple which then led to some of them missed in the doubles, I never felt confident on them.

I guarentee I was infront of it. 9 times out of 10 i will give things more lead when I lack the confidence. However I need to revisit it as I will get that target a lot. Similar have been thrown in these comps before. I want to go back and shoot it at least 20 times or until I am hitting it consistently and then when i see a like target next time round I will not think anything of it.

Additionally there is no point shooting intense practise to early before a comp I find that never helps. Usually one week max before benefits me just really to get my confidence going.

Glen.

 

[GlenPresley]

I had a conversation yesterday about the shoot at the weekend and although I shot a good score and I was happy to win. I really felt like I had shot bad.

You should analyze the last shoot and see where the big faults were.

I have done this below as an example:-

layout 1 - First bad error I had was I missed a single rabbit which is a big no no. Not with two barrels. This was purely due to concentration as somebody spoke to me just before I was about to shoot. Therefore I took that as a positive though as I know I can come back from distarctions but I also know I still have to work a tad harder on this. Same layout I missed 2 of the long midis. I only hit one on that whole layout. All of which were missed in the doubles and my second barrel saved me on the single. Therefore I clearly identified I need to work on this type of target in practise.

Layout 2 - Was hard, i missed a tough trap bird in a double and one long crossing midi in a double, which wasn't easy so overall this layout was fine for me but again the long midi syndrome came into play again.

layout 3 - Was not a hard layout but I missed 3 midis (same target) from right to left again and the second barrel rescued me on the single.

layout 4 - i shot straight but I had numerous 2nd barrels on some of the high looping midis in the singles.

Overall i would say the combination of not being able to shoot the midi targets too well cost me another 3 tragets as my confidence went right down on these at certain points during the rounds an extra 3 is not being greedy at all. I need to get out there in a week or so time and focus on those and then I should feel like anything thrown I can kill again.

Additionally you have to take the positives from any comp for example in this case the straight at the end to finish and the fact I never missed any of the gimmes later in the round when i was struggling on the midis was a massive plus point.

Glen.

 

[Westward]

Time to put the hard yards in on the practice range and let the comps look after themselves I think.
Will have a look out for those books Tony

Fuggedabout practice and books, just get a new gun. Guaranteed fix.

 

[GlenPresley]

Guarenteed fix for 6 months then realise you messed up and end up selling it! .! No loads of people who have done that down the years!

I am on my 3rd Gun since I began clay shooting! .!

saved me a fortune!

 

[Fuzrat]

Funny you should say that, been through that cycle before this one stays til the ejit pulling the trigger sorts it out

 

[GlenPresley]

To be honest if you can not make it to the top say AA or AAA within 5 years max then your flogging a dead horse and it is not going to happen.

By this you need to be out shooting a registered at least every other weekend and some practise in between.

I say 5 years because some out there would come into it from complete scratch those who come into from a shooting background ie rough shooting somebody in the family they have had to follow about as youngster etc should be able to make it quicker although it depends on the level of the shooters you hang out with.

Sorry to say this but if you hang out in a group of around the same ability then you all just end up trying to beat each other and you performance will stagnate. You need to be shooting with somebody who is better than you and believe me this helps.

Glen.

 

[GlenPresley]

when I was younger I had the likes of Mick Stone, My Dad and Matt Hance to watch and shoot with so I was lucky to get that exposure and I guess if you take what you see and learn then it can help you.

 

[Clynt]

To be honest if you can not make it to the top say AA or AAA within 5 years max then your flogging a dead horse and it is not going to happen.

By this you need to be out shooting a registered at least every other weekend and some practise in between.

I say 5 years because some out there would come into it from complete scratch those who come into from a shooting background ie rough shooting somebody in the family they have had to follow about as youngster etc should be able to make it quicker although it depends on the level of the shooters you hang out with.

Sorry to say this but if you hang out in a group of around the same ability then you all just end up trying to beat each other and you performance will stagnate. You need to be shooting with somebody who is better than you and believe me this helps.

Glen.

best and most accurate post ever put on here........very good Glen I would also add if you try and shoot with a gun that does not fit,( and your gun feeling OK is NOT good enough) lessons are pointless, a ill fitting gun will lead to all sorts of dilemmas. I was told many moons ago your gun must shoot where you are looking instinctively and if not you will never achieve any consistency, once you have consistency this will build confidence which in-turn builds your ability and this will bring better scores......

 

[Will Hewland]

To be honest if you can not make it to the top say AA or AAA within 5 years max then your flogging a dead horse and it is not going to happen.

Glen.

This is probably true, which is deeply sad.. I have been at it for six years now and have really plateaued out.. I feel that I am a better shot than before, but just can't nail those AA scores often enough. I really don't think it is my style or method which is holding me back, just lack of robotic consistency. On too many stands I just miss a few that I shouldn't. It just knocks 5 or 6 off my score to keep me in the middle of A class.

I keep meaning to shoot a round with Carl Bloxham so he can see what to work on with me. Then I have a good patch and don't bother.

Ho hum..

CSC3

 

[Fletch]

Don't give up CSC3. A lot of success comes from confidence and positive focus once you have that correct gun fit.

Not that i feel qualified to give advise. I made it to AA in 5years(just) but back down to A-class now, "I will be back"!

 

[GlenPresley]

Don't take my word for it lets be realistic here, there are not that many who average 90+ and it takes exceptional talent. If you can average 85 at sporting over a 1000 or so targets at a few varied grounds then you are pretty much there and you should consider yourself a handy shot. We all have our bad periods and good ones. When it comes down to it when you get to a good consistent level I always feel that something big could happen score wise but doing it is another thing altogether. The standards are extremely high and the rewards very little. For me i could honestly say that any lessons or mental training really is not going to benefit myself unless I am going to get some extra confidence from it. My performance is based on confidence everytime. At the moment I think I am shooting pretty well over here, maybe it is due to the fact I don't know anybody here so I have nothing to fear. The real test will be to see how far I have come since shooting more regular again, when the likes of some of the top Dutch shooters turn out then I will really see if I can cut it.

At the moment these monthly events are just preparation ready for the National Championships and Grand Prix events. So far so good but I am not stupid enough to start thinking to far ahead it could all change. At the moment you can only beat who is there and I intend to keep winning! That's the plan! Plus I need the cash to pay for my entries! .!

 

[Will Hewland]

Cheers.

I'll keep slogging on!

CSC3

 

[ELVIS]

Din't do my bank balance any harm ether?.But very true what Glen said.I thinke the best bit of kit for any shooter is a mate with a video you never get to see yourself shoot.It can tell you so much, i did this with Glen in the early days.The camera never lies i thinke Carl is the only person to use this?.Mates saying it needs 2 gates lead tells you diddly.My view.I'll get my coat.

 

[ROBERT6500]

Glens right, Make sure you practice those targets you don't like preferably with someone who does like them.

Practice should be taken just as seriously as the Competitions and not just as a meet with mates for a play.

Quality practice is worth it's weight in gold so to speak.

I've seen very good shots come back to Wylye after a competition and shoot those targets they had trouble with at the registered shoot the weekend before and only those targets as they are left there for a week specifically for that purpose.

True I often have to go out with them and put them on the right track but then I leave them to get on with it and shoot them consistently.

Don't be afraid to drop a couple of reg shoots for a couple of quality days of practice. It will pay off.

And I'm sorry to say Glens right again when he says about going with a big group. Go with a mate that wants the same as you and help each other. A big group will kill your concentration, focus and routine.

 

[GlenPresley]

I think it all depends what you want, if you want to progress quickly and to the best of your ability then if you look at the top shots the majority go round in a small group or their own and if they do have somebody with them then they are of a pretty good standard as well.

This can be tough when you enjoy the social side but there is fine line between having fun and competing seriously and the two are extremely hard to mix,

Glen.