Off-Season Checklist
By: Paul Giambrone, III
Now that another skeet season is officially in the books, there are several things that each shooter is going to face in the off season. Everything from taking a break, to getting a lesson, doing practice drills, or maybe even buying some new equipment, and most importantly, planning out next season. This is the time of year where it is important to evaluate your game closely, check out your goals and expectations and start getting ready for next season. I know this is the time of year where there are plenty of holidays, so be sure to spend some time with friends and family as well…
This is a good time to possibly take some time away from the skeet field, or at least lower the intensity level when going out to the gun club. I know if you are like me, about 95% of your friends are from shooting so it is hard to cut it completely out, but it is a good idea to “chill” a little. This will help prevent you from getting burnt out. In my younger years, I would basically shoot year round and my father and I would constantly try to improve our games. We were hungry for getting success in this sport! However, after about 5 years of doing that, shooting 30-40 rounds of practice every week 10 of the 12 months out of the year, and making 14-18 shoots, we found ourselves getting burnt out to the point where we didn’t have the motivation to shoot. So this is one way to battle against that, take a little time off or just reduce the amount of shooting for a couple of months. Once you find yourself in the new year, then let’s step it up a notch.
During this period of rest, it is a good idea to examine your shooting equipment and see if it is time to upgrade or at least maintain what you have. When you get into new equipment, especially a new gun, it takes a good 3-6 months of solid practice (minimum of 15-20 boxes of practice a week) to get fully used to it. That is why it is a good idea to get into a new one now, several months before your first tournament next year. This will give you time to get it dialed in, fitted properly, and a good amount of time to get used to the gun. Shooting glasses also make a big impact on your shooting. A couple of years ago, I switched to the Pilla frames with the Zeiss lenses and WOW is all I can say. I was very surprised with the clarity they provided, but also the added peripheral vision! Believe it or not, they improved my vision so much it actually took a few weeks to get used to them. I was picking up targets faster and acquiring them faster, which caused a few hiccups in my game, but was able to work through them by adjusting my look points. Another factor to consider in equipment is confidence. You need to have full confidence in your equipment. If you don’t, you need to examine why you don’t have the confidence and get it fixed ASAP. I have seen way too many targets lost over equipment and do not wish to go down that road. It never leads to a good ending. I shoot a Kolar gun because of the balance, it feels incredible and is easy to swing, it is reliable and it is backed by awesome a service department. I shoot with my Pilla glasses for similar reasons. The product is superior to all others on the market, they take very good care of me and my clients and I see much better with them in all of the conditions. The same can be said about my choke selection and my ammo. I shoot the chokes that give me the confidence I need and I trust Remington STS target loads over all other brands. One of the off seasons, many years ago, my father and I tested out multiple chokes and all of the ammo brands. This is the time to figure out what works for you.
Once you are settled in on all of your equipment needs, let’s discuss your game. Your game can be broken down into 2 phases mental and physical. I feel that a shooter must have solid mechanics in order to get the consistency they want and must have a strong mental game to go with it. I have a practice routine that I follow in order to get myself ready for each season. Once I get fired up in late January or early February, I usually work my mechanics and gun fit first. Yes, I do examine my gun fit each and every year because slight weight changes can cause the gun to not fit you properly anymore or your hand and eye coordination may have changed a little. You may end up doing subtle things (like cant the gun) unintentionally to make the gun fit you so that is why I stay on top of it. Once I am satisfied with my equipment and my gun fit, it is time to take the field.
When I start my training, I start with the basics first. I shoot Low 7 first to make sure my stance and balance are good, that I am staying in the gun firmly, and absolutely destroying the target. If I am not, I will need to adjust the gun to manipulate the pattern to get it to shoot where my eyes are looking (this is why the adjustable high rib guns are so nice). Once that is completed, I will work my rotation (turn) to make sure my shoulders are staying level, that I am staying balanced, keeping my head firmly in the gun, following through and seeing the targets exactly the way I want to see them. I will work this on all high house targets first starting on Station 7 and working my way backwards to Station 1. I do this to build my foundation on my incomers and gradually work my way to the outgoing shots. I believe if you lay a solid foundation on your incomers, it makes your outgoing shots that much easier because you have built in solid fundamentals on the incomers. When doing this, I like to play a little game. My goal is to complete 2 perfect sets of 3 shots at the station I am on before moving to the next. Breaking the targets doesn’t make it a “perfect” shot either… A perfect shot is setting up correctly, matching gun speed and target speed on the flash, acquiring your hard focus on the target as you shoot while keeping your mechanics in check. Once I complete all of the perfect sets of high houses, then I do the same thing for the low houses. If I happen to mess up a set, I give myself a letter until I spell out the word SKEET. If I spell it out completely, I penalize myself a couple of stations (it’s kind of like playing HORSE in basketball). Question, what if the guys you are shooting with won’t allow you to do this routine? Find new friends. Just kidding!!!! No problem, you can just shoot 3 incomers at stations 2, 3, 5 & 6 and shoot 2 of each baseline shots (Stations 1, 7 & 8). This will give you the solid foundation that you need before starting to work those outgoing shots. Lastly, once I am happy with all of my shots, that’s when I am ready to start shooting regular rounds. This way, there is no doubt in my mind about the setups, my turn/rotation, and I am seeing targets exactly like I want to see them. That’s when I start to work my mental routine and execution…
If you have any questions or comments, please email me directly at info@gsclinics.com and visit www.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 DFW area and will be for the foreseeable future. GSC is available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round and is now offering ALL INCLUSIVE lesson packages in the DFW area. Please call or email today for lesson availability.
Tip of the month: Remember from a previous article what the 4 mental steps are in preparing and executing a shot:
- Have a game plan BEFORE stepping on the station
- Setup the shot with the proper foot position, hold point & look point
- Match gun speed with target speed on the flash or the streak
- Acquire your hard focus while in your break zone and shoot