A Cool Breeze a-blowin’

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 www.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!

Distractions

By: Paul Giambrone, III

Recently I was sitting with a very close friend in Katy, TX, talking about the upcoming skeet season and boy are we excited about the year!  As we were sipping on a cold one, we discussed some different things that come up throughout the event and how to stay focused.  Things like the referees we get, broken targets when they come out of the house or from the field next to us, and the dreaded random thoughts that creep into our heads when we are on the station about to shoot…  As we were talking, an article was brewing in my brain.  What a great article to write about the distractions that we face on and off the skeet field while we are competing or in practice.  I know the last part of that previous sentence is puzzling, but it’s true.  We face the same distractions in practice as we do in competition, but we either ignore them or don’t care to address them because it is “just practice.”  Well, with that attitude, when you get to a shoot and have the same distraction, your brain is going to do the same thing it does in practice and treat the distraction as if it were “just practice” and we all know the result… “Lost.”  Practice is the best place to learn to deal with distractions and address them properly.  That way when you are in a tournament, you can easily deal with the distractions.

The referee.  First of all, before you go criticizing a referee put yourself in their shoes and try to make 500 perfect pulls for 4-6 squads a day watching all of those targets in ONE DAY.  See how you feel at the end of that day, and try to get up and do it all over again the next day and the next!  Our referees are some of the best people around and instead of getting upset and yelling at them when they have a slow pull or even if they don’t see a piece, why not thank them for the wonderful job that they are doing?  When I approach a field and I see a referee that I am not familiar with, I always make a point to introduce myself and the squad and thank them for their services.  We also let them know that we go straight from station 8 to station 1 (that way we give them a break at the end and we get our job done effectively and efficiently) and we are sure to bring them some water at the start of each box.  This is the very least that we can do, as a squad, to help out our fellow skeet enthusiast.  And if you get a bad pull, maybe it was for a reason.  Maybe your mind wasn’t 100% ready and set on that particular target, but the bad pull gives you another chance to reset and clear your thoughts.  Maybe right as you called for your low 6 the last box, the guy on station 2 on the next field yells “PULL!!!” which would have broken your concentration mid-swing and cost you your first 100 straight.  If your referee hadn’t accidently fast pulled you there, you would have missed the target because of a distraction on the next field.  See what I’m saying?  It’s like an unanswered prayer.  Sometimes we may pray for things that we want, but God knows better.  So, instead of getting upset about a bad pull, look at it as an opportunity for a fresh start on a new target to get your best shot and break it!  My personal favorite is when you see a small chip and maybe one or two of your squad-mates see it too, but the referee doesn’t.  I have heard plenty of stories when that happens to a shooter they end up proceeding to shoot one of their best scores.  Why does this happen?  Well, one of my clients, who hasn’t shot a 100 straight yet, said that he had one “taken away” from him, but proceeded to shoot the rest and finished with a 99.  How can good come from this?  Maybe, if they were straight going into that last box, the nerves would have gotten to them and caused them to miss more than 1, resulting in a lower net score…  Next time, thank the referee for the wonderful job they are doing instead of getting upset with them.

What about the visual or audio distractions that we face?  Lining up for your High 2 the first round, nervous and anxious, and pieces from the other field come into your field of vision before you call pull.  What do you do?  Wait for them to clear, or completely reset from the start?  I suggest simply resetting from the top.  For example, in my normal routine is I close the gun around the area where I want to break the target, wind up to my hold point, mount the gun, shift my eyes, and then call for the target.  If anything breaks that routine, visually or if I hear something that distracts me, I simply break the gun open and close it at my break point, thus starting from the top of my routine.  Now, if something repeatedly distracts me or I get those random thoughts that come into my head, I may break it open, visualize the shot a time or two to reset, and then get back at it.  Why do I do this?  Very simple, if my mind is distracted and on something else, I can’t give 100% to the next shot.  Keep in mind, we still only have a certain allotted time on the station for each target.  My recommendation is to have your game plan put together before you get on the station that way if a distraction occurs you have the time to recover.  What about the audio distractions?  A good set of ear plugs will eliminate a lot of the audio distractions out there, but sometimes we just can’t help but hear a shooter on the field next to us yell at the top of their lungs for a target.  Nothing against them, that’s just how they like to call for the target, but if you hear this right before you call, realize your brain is distracted by that call and reset before you proceed.

As usual, I try to save the best for last and that is the distractions off of the field.  First off, I know most shooters have families and/or work to worry about when they are at a tournament.  Let me put this as simply as I can put it: If you want to shoot at your best, you need to leave all of those potential distractions at home.  If you can’t put the upcoming business meeting behind you when you walk on the field for the next hour and a half, save your shells, or accept that you are not going to perform at your best.  Am I saying that skeet should be the most important thing in your life?  Absolutely not!  However, if you want to shoot at your best, skeet should be the most important thing for the next hour and a half.  God, my wife, my family, and my friends are all things that are more important to me than skeet and that will always be.  But if I want to perform at my best for those 100 targets, the most important thing to me at that time is the next target and nothing else.  I know this may sound a little extreme, but if you want to perform at your best, you better bring you’re A-game, because when it comes to shooting that Low 6 in the last round, you better believe it’s going to give you it’s A-game…

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 and keep in mind that GSC has completed the move to Arlington, TX!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!  The scheduled clinics during the second half of April include Ashland, KY April 14-16.  Following this clinic, Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware, OH will host another clinic April 17-20.  Dallas Gun club will also host a clinic April 23-25, followed by Ark Valley Gun Club in Wichita, KS April 27-29.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:            Distractions will come and go throughout the day or event.  Keep in mind, deal with the distractions as they arise, do not look for the distractions to come to you.  Stay focused on your game and what you are trying to accomplish and if a distraction happens to FIND YOU, deal with it at that time—DO NOT LOOK FOR A DISTRACTION!

Expectations

By: Paul Giambrone, III

Recently, I was teaching in Miami, FL, and we were sitting down at dinner one night talking about, well you guessed it, skeet shooting.  We were discussing the many different types of shooters out there.  There are competitive shooters, recreational shooters, and some shooters who just like to sharpen up those wing shooting skills.  At the competitive shooter level, there are also different types of shooters: from those who strive to win their league at their local club to those who battle it out at the major shoots throughout the summer wanting to be the best in the world.  Nothing is wrong with any one of these shooters, so where do you fall?  What are some of your personal shooting expectations?  Think about it for a moment.  Most shooters expect to hit every single target they shoot at.  Even the shooters who think they may not have this expectation, probably do.  When I see a lot of shooters miss a target or two, their entire body language changes.  They are upset over one or two missed targets, telling me their expectation is to never miss.  So, I’ll ask again: where are your expectations?

I come across all kinds of different shooters in my travels and some want to get to a certain class or shoot consistently within a range of scores.  I hear things like “I just want to be a solid B class shooter” or “I want to get to where my scores are consistently in the mid 90s” or “I want to make this All-American team.”  Let me tell you, as humans, once you achieve these goals, you’ll want more or you will start to think that is all you can accomplish, leaving you short of your potential.  Going back to my early days, I always said that I just wanted to get to that next class or break through the current plateau and get to the next…  Once I got to the next level, I always wanted more.  Let me ask you, what do you think shooters in my position would have for their expectations?  Never miss?  Win 80% of the shoots they attend?  Get high average leader in a gun or two?  I can only speak for myself, but none of these are expectations I set for myself.  My expectation of myself is to give each and every target that I shoot 100%; basically give each target my best shot.  That is all, nothing more.  Now do I have goals?  Sure, but I am not talking about goals.  I am talking about what I expect out of myself when I get on the skeet field to shoot.  I simply want to prepare and execute each shot on the field individually to the best of my ability.

Why don’t I set goals at individual shoots or to get to a class or keep my scores in a certain range?  When you do this, you are putting more pressure on yourself than necessary.  Goals are good, but when I was young, one of my coaches said it best: “Write your goals down on a piece of paper well before the season starts and store it away until the season is completed.”  It is good to have goals and have the desire to achieve those goals, but when you constantly remind yourself of those goals you are adding more and more pressure on yourself to try to achieve them rather than just letting it happen.  In other words, if you just focus on giving each target your best shot, and you do that perfectly, how can you be disappointed?  If you gave each target your 100% best shot, that means your did your job perfectly and could not have done it any better no matter what your “score” is.  Now, if you are giving it everything you have and you are consistently having issues with certain targets, there is a good chance that you are doing something wrong in your fundamentals.  That is where having a solid coach comes into play.

In late August of 2005, I was living in Louisiana and, as most of you know, Hurricane Katrina devastated my home state and the area where I lived.  Not to mention, I had suffered an ankle injury shortly after Katrina during the massive cleanup that had to take place.  So my family and I had a decision to make, were we going to go to the World Shoot or not that year?  We decided that we were going to go and just shoot and have no expectations.  However, that particular year I was straight in the 28 gauge at 900 and wanted to finish the year perfect.  So there was a small expectation that slipped its way in:  shoot 100s in the 28 gauge at the Mini and Main events.  With the exception of this, there were zero other expectations.  If you had to choose a gauge in which I was most nervous, which one would you pick?  Yes, the 28 gauge in both the Mini and Main World.  Why?  Because I set the expectation of finishing the year perfectly; this caused me to shoot nervous.  I did finish the year perfectly in the 28 gauge, but it wasn’t pretty.  All of the other gauges, I was as calm and relaxed as I could be because all I wanted to do was shoot to the best of my ability.  I wasn’t worried about championships, scores, nothing.  I just wanted to shoot my best.  That year, I shot a 400X400 at the Mini and a 549X550 at the World, and won both HOAs.  I truly believe that the success that I had at this particular shoot and all of the other shoots that I have been able to do well at is because I go to the shoots with no expectations, except to give each target everything I have got…

What is the moral of the story?  I am trying to get you to focus on each individual target that you are going to shoot and nothing else, especially score!  Once shooters become focused on their scores, they are no longer focused on the next target.  They are now focused on their score or the outcome.  Let me tell you this, your performance has absolutely nothing to do with your score.  I know you are in shock, so I am going to say it again.  Your performance has absolutely nothing to do with your score!  How is that possible?  Your performance should be based on whether you gave each and every target 100% of your attention and everything you had.  If you don’t give a shot 100%, then those are the shots you can improve on.  If you gave 100% on the shot and still missed it, how could you have done anything better?  I understand that most shooters have fundamentals they need to work on, but you are missing the point if you are thinking about fundamentals.  What I am getting at is this: you gave it the best you could have possibly given it at that time with your current setup and equipment, so how could you ask for anything better at that time?  Simply: you can’t.  So, base your performance on how well you prepared and executed each shot, not on your score.  Give each and every target all that you have got and make that your expectation for 2012…

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 and keep in mind that GSC has completed its move to Arlington, TX!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!  Tulsa Gun Club will host a clinic following its St. Patrick’s Day shoot March 19-20 in Tulsa, OK.  Blue Rock Gun Club in Little Rock, AR will host a clinic March 21-23 and Greater Houston Gun Club will host another clinic March 27-30 in Houston, TX.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:           When you go practice, it is OK to have certain things you want to work on to improve your game.  However, it should never be to shoot a certain score.  If you are going to practice 50 or 100 targets simulating a tournament, simply focus on giving each and every shot 100% of your attention.   Put your emphasis on giving each and every shot 100% and work on doing that each and every time.  Forget about your score.  If your performance is not where you would like, it might be time for a tune up from your coach.

The X Factor

By: Paul Giambrone, III

There is a common X factor amongst all shooters, and I mean ALL SHOOTERS.  No one is exempt from this factor and this factor alone is one of the main things that separate the good shooters from the great shooters.  This factor alone just about dictates how well or how poorly we will shoot in a given event, on a given day, or even the entire weekend or year.  It is something that all shooters, businessmen, athletes, and your everyday Joe have.  They may not have it all in the same area, but in some area of our lives we all have this X factor and it is one of the most important things you must possess to be successful in anything you do in life, especially on a skeet field.  This is the factor that makes certain shooters step out on the field knowing they are about to perform to their best and no one can stop them, except themselves.  Ok, I know I am dragging it out, but I want to make sure you understand the importance of this trait.  Actually, speaking of trait, most people are just naturally born with this trait in some area of their lives, but fail to carry it over to other areas.  This factor is called CONFIDENCE which can put you in your zone to perform at your best.

Let’s take a look at one of your best performances on the skeet field and analyze what happened that day.  First off, you probably woke up in the zone that day or at least walked out onto the skeet field in your zone and knew you were going to shoot well.  If you happened to miss one, you probably knew you were going to miss it due to some kind of mental distraction, or you flat out missed the shot because you are human.  The point that I am trying to make is that you had all of the confidence in the world before, during, and after the performance.  Think about that day.  I want you to visualize it, breath it, feel it, smell it, put yourself in your shoes on that day and think about how you feel.  You just put yourself in your zone, so why not try to do that all of the time?  Why not walk out onto the skeet field EVERY time with this confidence?  Only thing stopping you, is you.  What about the time when nothing felt right and the wheels fell off along with the transmission?  What happened on that day?  Well, for starters, you were clearly out of your zone and did nothing to try and find your zone.  Instead, you figured out just about every way possible to stay out of your zone by worrying about every little thing.  Does that sound about right?  I know I have had plenty of experiences like this in my 20 years of shooting and, at times, still have some here and there today.  However, I know how to battle against these negative thoughts because I have faced this battle many of times.  What do I do?  It is quite simple.  I find my zone and get my confidence back where it should be and battle through the rest of the event.

This may seem quite complicated, but it is really very simple.  All of you have been in the zone before at some point and time in your life (didn’t even have to be in skeet shooting).  My point is that when you enter your zone, you have all of the confidence in the world and nothing can stop you.  So why not try to get there every time you shoot?  What is stopping you?  Trust me, I understand how our conscious mind can work against us and try to think of every possible way to keep us out of our zone and cause us to perform poorly.  What helps me stay in my zone the best is having confidence in my routine.  I have a routine that I go over each and every time and this routine is basically my “game plan” of what I want to get done on the station that I am about to shoot.  The importance of having a game plan is to prepare yourself for what you are about to do.  How successful would a lawyer be if he walked into a courtroom unprepared?  What about a pilot with no flight plan or a shooter with no idea what he wants to do once he is on the station besides hear the gun go BANG?  None of them would be very successful in what they are about to do because they don’t know what they want to accomplish!

The key is having a game plan of what you want to get done when stepping on the skeet field.  Well Paul, what if I don’t have confidence in my game plan?  What if I am doing the wrong things?  That is where having a great instructor comes into play.  There are plenty of competent instructors, great DVDs and books to help as well.  Even if you don’t have someone at this very moment to help you along, stepping on the station with some kind of a game plan is better than stepping up there with no game plan at all.  For example, I have seen shooters step up and go to a random hold point, call “pull,” miss, then realize they weren’t even close to the hold point in which they wanted.  How does this happen?  Stepping on the station without going over your game plan or having no game plan at all to follow is a good way to lead to missing a target(s).  What is considered a good game plan?  Well, each shooter is different, but I recommend knowing where your foot position should be, your hold point, your look point, and your break point.  Also, it is a good idea to visualize the shot you are about to take to help you remember your sight picture for that particular target.  All of these are good places to start, and I recommend something that is simple and easy for you to remember and something that you can do each and every time and have confidence in this plan.  Remember, the most important thing of all once you have your game plan and are on the station is to stare a hole right through that target…

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 and keep in mind that GSC has completed its move to Arlington, TX!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!  The next scheduled clinic is in Fort Worth, TX at the Fort Worth Skeet and Trap club February 16-19.  In March, GSC will be serving the San Antonio, TX area March 1-4 at Comel Shooting Center.  Later in March, Tulsa Gun Club will host a clinic following its St. Patrick’s Day shoot March 19-21 in Tulsa, OK.  Blue Rock Gun Club in Little Rock, AR will host a clinic March 22-24 and Greater Houston Gun Club will host another clinic March 27-30 in Houston, TX.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:            Find your zone before stepping onto the skeet field and gain your confidence each and every time before you shoot.  Work on it in practice that way when you get to a tournament or your league night, you are fully prepared.  You may not break them all, but you will break more targets this way than any other way.

By: Paul Giambrone, III

Greetings everyone!

Wow, another year has flown by and we are already in 2012! I want to first thank all of my clients and supporters for all of their help over the years and helping 2011 be the best year that Giambrone Shooting Clinics could possibly have had. As most of you know, 2011 was a busy year for me. I finished college (for good this time), recently married, and my wife Suzanne and I just moved to the Dallas area! Whew! Our new address is:

1705 Woodstock Blvd
Apt #106
Arlington, TX 76006

We have been married just over a month now and moved to Arlington just a couple of weeks ago. Before we know it, another great skeet season will be in full swing! Thank you again to all of my supporters, friends, and family! We are looking forward to another fabulous year!

As we enter into 2012, I know that most shooters are very anxious for the tournaments to get here or for the spring time leagues to start… Keep in mind, patience is a virtue. Especially for the shooters who got a brand new shotgun for Christmas. I know that when we get something new, we want to go try it out right away! Patience. The worst thing a shooter can do when getting a new gun is to go straight out to the field before setting it up properly. What will generally happen is the gun will not be fit to them correctly, then they will shoot it poorly or not up to the expectations they had in mind. Why is that a big deal? Confidence. If you go out to the field without setting up the gun properly and have a poor day with the new gun, your confidence will be shaken up. All too often, we see shooters with a new gun go out to the field and leave the gun club with disappointment because of the score they posted or their performance in general was not up to par. If you take the time to setup the gun properly or have someone who is qualified set it up for you before going to the field for the first time, the results will be much better and will give you accurate feedback. Why is the feedback important? Well, if it you do not shoot it well, you may question the equipment. When in fact, most of the time, the equipment is not at fault; the equipment just isn’t setup properly. However, if it is setup properly, then you may have some form issues that might need to be addressed. Either way, it is a necessity to have the equipment setup properly to send you in the correct direction.

What about the shooters that have the same gun, but it’s been a while since they have shot with that particular gun? Or perhaps they had a couple of months off and took a break? First things first, always make sure that the gun still fits you properly. Starting to sound like a broken record, right? If your weight or physique has changed during the time, there is a good possibility the gun does not fit you the same. A good way to test if it still fits you properly is to pattern the gun and shoot some basic targets first such as low 7, and incomers on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. If you are not centering these targets, your gun may not fit you properly. Sure, there could be a problem in the fundamentals as well, but let’s assume your fundamentals have not changed. So let me ask you, if you aren’t centering these targets, how do you think you will do on high 2 or 3? What about Low 5 and 6 or station 4? I don’t think things will work out too well or if you actually hit them, they may not be solid breaks. There are enough problems with these targets, we don’t need to make it any harder on ourselves and lose even more confidence. This is another reason why working the baseline and incoming targets are so important (Station 1, Low 2, Low 3, High 5, High 6, Station 7, Station 8). I am a firm believer in shooting these targets and getting very comfortable with these targets before practicing full rounds of skeet. It is what I do before shooting regular rounds at the beginning of the season. It is great walking onto the skeet field and having complete confidence in your ability to break these targets. Did you know that these targets represent 16-17 (depending on where you take your option) shots out of the 25? Almost 2/3 of the round is baseline and incoming shots!

The overall message here is to start slow and build confidence! That way by the time you are fully ready to get into a solid practice routine, your confidence is there to carry you a long way. A phrase that I have heard recently and really like is “start fast, finish strong.” If you can get off to a fast start in your overall skeet game by getting confidence built early, that will help you finish strong and help make your skeet year better. The start fast does not mean jump right into full rounds of skeet after taking some time off either… It means build that confidence early and often to carry you through the season.

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 and keep in mind that we have completed our move to Arlington, TX! GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area year round! Please call for lesson availability today! The first clinic of the 2012 season will be held in Winter Haven, FL followed by another clinic in Miami, FL (both are completely full). Next stop will be in Jacksonville, FL February 7-11 at the Jacksonville skeet and trap club. Also, the Fort Worth Skeet and Trap club will host a clinic February 16-19 in Fort Worth, TX. Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month: Remember, when in doubt, always have patience and go back to the fundamentals. We did not go from crawling to a full sprint in one day so take it slow. If you try to rush, you’ll end up taking steps backwards instead of progressing forward. Practice those incoming and baseline targets and get your confidence up before moving to the more advanced shots on the field.

By: Paul Giambrone, III

Now that we are officially in the off season and the 2011 skeet season is in the books, I can bring up a very controversial subject—the .410. In my travels, I find shooters that either love it or hate it. Most of them, the latter. So what makes some shooters love the .410? Well for starters, if they have confidence in the .410, they generally have confidence in their other guns. This does make some sense because if they can break targets with a smaller pattern, they should be able to break targets with a larger pattern. These shooters also do not let the “idea” of the .410 get in their heads… they shoot it just like they would any other gauge. The key is to just shoot skeet, not the .410. Shooters that think about shooting the .410 rather than focusing on their skeet game will cause them to miss targets because they are distracted. Their mind is preoccupied with shooting the .410 rather than simply focusing on the next target… The shooters that shoot skeet across the board and not individual gauges are the ones who will shoot to the best of their ability, especially in the .410.

There are very FEW shooters and I stress the word FEW have complete confidence in the .410. I know some of you think you love the .410, but when the dust settles, very few love it. I find that the majority of the shooters that think they “love” shooting the .410 generally still “measure” or “double-check” their leads (looking at the gun instead of keeping their hard focus on the target) rather than trusting what they see. Hey, it happens to the best of us, but what you don’t realize is how badly this affects the rest of your game. For starters, if you “bead check” or “measure” for your leads, you are taking your attention off of the target, which should be your ultimate goal (getting a good look at the target). So, the .410 causes more shooters, in general, to “measure” and if this is all you practice or practice the .410 a good bit, you are sub-consciously training yourself to “measure” more often, which will lead to you “measure” in the other gauges as well. This is very bad for your shooting and will cause you to miss unnecessary targets because you are basically training your sub-conscious mind to “measure” so much in practice, it is going to carry over to the other gauges. Yes, I know that I just said the same thing two times, but I am trying to get this type of shooter to understand how bad it is to shoot .410 all of the time! My advice on practicing with the .410 is basically shoot it as little as possible, but enough to keep your confidence up. Personally, I practice the .410 the least. I generally shoot mostly 20 and 28 gauge, when I actually have the time to practice. I want to shoot the larger guns to reinforce the correct habits (such as looking at the target instead of measuring) that way these habits carry over to my .410.

In addition to shooting the correct amount of practice with the .410, you should have the correct equipment setup with your .410. One of the most common questions I hear is “what chokes do you use in the .410?” Well, what works for me, works for me. I do not recommend shooters to shoot as tight of a choke as I do…what I do recommend is for you to shoot a choke that you have CONFIDENCE in. If that means it is a cylinder choke and you have a wide open pattern, go for it! If you prefer to have a tighter choke and get some smoke, I am all for it as well. The key is to have a pattern that is consistent with the rest of your gauges (meaning you want all of the gauges shooting in the same spot). Also, you want to be sure you have a tight enough pattern where you do not leave holes that are big enough for a target to slip through. The main factor is to have a choke that you have confidence in, but I also want to make another point about your .410 patterns. In general, going from a 20 gauge to a .410 makes shooters think they have a much smaller pattern. On average, at 20 yards a 20 gauge might be able to produce a pattern that is around 4” larger in diameter than the .410, give or take an inch or two. When shooters miss with a .410, it is not by 4-6 inches; it is generally by a couple of feet which probably resulted from a “bead check.” So my argument is that most of the time when we miss with the .410 it is not the result of equipment failure, but human error like measuring and taking our eyes off the target.

To close, I do have a couple of different techniques that I personally use when I shoot the .410. For starters, I try to be even more RELAXED when shooting the .410 than the bigger guns. I want to be completely relaxed so I make smooth, consistent moves, and so I can feel the recoil of the .410. When you are relaxed and feel the recoil, this may give you the feeling that you are shooter a larger gauge! I know for me, this has worked really well. When I am totally relaxed, I feel like I am shooting a larger gauge which will boost my confidence right away. Also, I try to stand slightly more upright when I shoot the .410 to help with the recoil point as well. When you stand slightly more upright, you will feel more of the recoil giving me the sense that I am shooting a larger gauge than the .410. Overall, I recommend that you shoot the .410 in practice just enough to keep your confidence up. Practicing too much with the .410 can do far more harm than good. Also, find a set of chokes that you are comfortable with and STICK WITH THEM!

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… Next scheduled clinic will be in Stockton, CA November 12-14 at the Stockton Gun Club. Then the next stop will be in Houston, TX December 13-16 at Greater Houston Gun Club. To kick off the 2012 season, GSC will be moving to the Dallas area! Please call for lesson availability today! Also, the Trail Trap and Skeet club in Miami, FL will host the first clinic of the 2012 season January 18-22. Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month: Remember, there are more gauges to put your focus on besides the .410. Michael Jordon didn’t just practice three-pointers; he practiced every shot that he could possibly think of in all situations. So in your quest to master the game of skeet, remember that we have multiple gauges to shoot. Practice the ones that give you the most confidence…carry that confidence over to the .410 and watch the results.

By: Paul Giambrone, III

Perfection. That is what this sport is all about, right? I mean, if you do not post a perfect score, make perfect shots, and do everything perfectly, you can’t win, right? Those guys at the top of the sport never make mistakes! Isn’t this the case? Far from it. However, these guys do tend to make fewer mistakes than the rest of the field, which is why they are at the top of the sport, but that does not make them perfect. Look at Michael Jordan in his prime (what was that like 20 years of prime time with him?) he still made mistakes during his career. I bet he fouled out a few times, or missed an important free throw at a crucial moment in the game or even missed a lay-up. But did he let those things keep him down or did he learn from those mistakes to prepare him for the next time around? I am pretty sure he learned, made his adjustments, PRACTICED those adjustments, STUCK WITH those adjustments, and made better decisions for the next game. It is the same thing that the top shooters have done in skeet and that is why they are in the position they are in today. However, when we make mistakes, we don’t necessarily need to change something right away…it could have been something as simple as a bad move or a mental mistake. Does this warrant changing a hold point or a look point when you weren’t mentally prepared for the shot? I don’t think so. The only thing to change would be to make sure that you are mentally ready for the next shot! Why is that? Well, if you weren’t mentally ready, it really doesn’t matter which hold point you used. If you were thinking about the most recent quarter sales figures instead of High 2, do you really need to move your hold point or change your foot position? Didn’t think so. Maybe you could change your approach to the target and put your focus on High 2 rather than the sales numbers. Now in the case where you are continuously struggling with High 2, then you may need to change something in your fundamentals…which is where a good coach comes into the equation.

So the top shooters just automatically know how to fix any mistakes because they were born with a shotgun in their hand, right? Wrong. They had to work extremely hard to get to where they are today. In addition to very hard work, success in this game requires dedication, time, patience, and most importantly, the ability to learn from mistakes. Early on in my career, I made plenty of mistakes and still make mistakes to this day, but I have a much easier time correcting those mistakes because I have so much experience in the game. The experience helps me recognize the mistakes before they become serious problems. Having a solid coach along the way will also help you stay on track if you do not have the experience necessary to diagnose the problem(s) you are having. Luckily, my father shot with me and was very familiar with the mechanics of the game. He was able to correct my mistakes and keep me in tune. Having a very good coach is extremely important because the slightest blemish can turn into a serious problem if it is not dealt with accordingly and caught fairly early. The longer you make the mistake, the longer it will take you to break the habit and re-learn the correct way. Even professional golfers have swing coaches! So why should shooters be any different? Even those of you who know the game inside and out could still benefit from a coach that knows the same things you do, but maybe they put it in a different language or have a different analogy and it helps you understand something better… That is priceless. Lastly, I have heard far too many times of shooters wanting to “improve” their game before finding a coach and taking lessons. Remember, the longer you make the mistake, the harder it is to break the habit and fix the problem. Waiting to take a lesson is one of the worst things a shooter can do because you will more than likely form bad habits that will be harder to break. And for the shooters who are occasionally posting those perfect scores that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no room for improvement…

So wait a minute, you are telling me that someone can post a perfect score but not be perfect? Can a quarterback have a perfect rating but still not complete all of his passes? The answer to both questions is yes. There are actually very few 100s that are shot that are actually perfect. The 12 gauge event at a top shoot might produce 30-40 100 straights, but I would say maybe 1-3 might actually be perfect. What I mean by perfect is complete mental preparation and execution of each shot. The shooter never had to make any kind of a recovery shot, never got beat, never had to bleed off any lead, everything was perfect! There is always a target or two (sometimes more) that we didn’t make a good move to the target or had to make some kind of a recovery shot, but we are still able to break it! So why is all of this important? It is important because I see it all too often, shooters put too much emphasis on their scores rather than how well they actually shot that day. If you do everything that you wanted to do for the shot, meaning you executed your correct foot position, hold point, set your eyes, gave the target a good hard look, but the target didn’t break… how can you be mad? You gave it your best shot and that is all anyone can ever ask for! The ones that we can learn from and get better at are the targets where you weren’t set, or you weren’t mentally ready because of some kind of a conscious distraction, those are the shots that you can improve on. So do not beat yourself up over the shots that looked and felt good but didn’t break… Get better on the shots where you could have prepared and executed better.

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… Next scheduled clinic will be in Richmond, VA on October 19th at Richmond Gun Club. The next stop will be in Manassas, VA October 20-23 at Fairfax Rod and Gun Club. In November, Tulsa Gun Club in Tulsa, OK will host a clinic on November 3-6. Also, Santa Lucia Sportsmen’s Association will also host a clinic on November 8-11 in Santa Lucia, CA followed by a clinic in Stockton, CA at the Stockton Skeet & Trap Club November 12-14. Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month: Focus on preparing and executing each shot individually rather than focusing on the outcome (your final score). Realize that we will never be perfect each and every time we step on the skeet field so keep working hard and never get discouraged because of a score. Put your focus on yourself instead of the score.

            By: Paul Giambrone, III

The 2011 skeet season is nearly complete with only two months remaining and only a single month before the Mini and Main World shoots in San Antonio, TX.  At this point in time, most shooters are looking over the shoots they have made for the year and trying to figure out what they can do to finish strong.  Well, for starters, take a minute to think about how you feel at the moment about your skeet game.  If you are confident in your game plan and know exactly what you want to do when you step on the field, why change anything?  If you are having one of the best years you can remember, keep doing exactly what you are doing.  If you are trying to change a few things before going to the World shoot, more than likely you will hurt your scores rather than help them.  Why is that?  It is fairly simple.  Your mind will become more focused on the changes you are trying to make rather than executing your shot like you normally would.  In other words, you will be distracted with the technical details rather than being focused on SEEING THE TARGET!  If you are shooting well, there is no reason to make any major changes before going to such a large tournament!  However, if you want to make minor hold point or look point adjustment, basically an adjustment that you can easily remember, by all means go ahead and make those adjustments to help make your shots easier.  For example, I was recently in Dallas, TX competing at the Southwest Classic and a good friend and student was not making the best move on his pair on stations 5 & 6.  We simply moved his foot position SLIGHTLY (moved his back foot literally 2 inches) and I do not think he missed a second target on those stations.  Those are the kind of “small” or “minor” adjustments I am talking about.  Another good example would be moving your hold point maybe a foot up, down, in or out.  A five or six foot adjustment would not be ideal right before a major tournament like the World shoot.

What if your game has been way off all year and you are desperately trying to find some solution to salvage the year?  Well, for starters, it would be helpful to try and see a professional coach that could help you turn some things around.  Without a professional looking at your form, it is difficult to make the correct changes.  However, it might be something as simple as your prescription in your eyes.  When was the last time you had your doctor check your prescription?  If you haven’t had it done in a while, it might be a good idea to make sure you are seeing as close to 20/20 as you can.  As you know, the targets we shoot at are not extremely big and they fly kind of fast…so without having proper vision, how could you expect yourself to do well if you can’t really see the targets to the best of your potential?  Personally, I have my eyes checked every year about a month before my first tournament and every year my prescription has changed.  Thank God for contacts!

So if your eyes are good and up to date but you are still struggling, what can you do?  Again, the best thing to do is see a professional coach to help guide you in the correct direction and here is why.  Most shooters are just shooters; they are not coaches or instructors.  There are very few people involved in the game that can coach and instruct to help you before an upcoming major tournament or in general.  The problem that newer shooters or struggling shooters encounter is the peanut gallery.  What I mean is that if you ask 5 different people what you are doing wrong you will probably get 5 different answers puzzling you even further than where you were before.  My personal favorite is when someone yells out “you’re behind it!”  Well that is a good observation, but my question would be “why am I behind it?”  Is the shooter rolling their shoulder?  Are they stopping the gun?  Are they even looking at the target?  Well if they are rolling their shoulder, what’s causing the roll?  Are the lower body and upper body fighting each other causing the roll?  What about stopping the gun?  Well why are they stopping the gun?  You see, there is a lot that goes into the statement of “you’re behind the target.”  In very rare occasions, the shooter is doing everything mechanically correct; they just might have a “sight picture” issue.  However, most of the time, there is something mechanically wrong with their game to cause them to miss the same target(s) consistently.  If you do not understand the fundamentals and mechanics of the game, then it is hard for you to figure out what someone is actually doing wrong.  Therefore, find a competent coach that can help you improve your game and explain why these changes will help you.  If you understand why the changes will help you that will help you in the future understand the game better!

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… Next scheduled clinic will be in Burlington, MA on September 1-4 at Minuteman Sportsman’s Club.  Next stop will be in Little Rock, AR September 12-14 at Blue Rock Gun Club.  Also, Detroit Sportsman’s Congress will also host a clinic on September 19-21.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:      Keep any adjustments you plan to make before the World Shoot very simple and easy for you to remember.  The last thing you want is to go to the largest shoot in the world and not remember your game plan.  Keep it simple!

The Secret

            By: Paul Giambrone, III

Most shooters want to think there is a magic formula out there to make them a championship shooter overnight.  I have seen it way too many times to ignore this subject.  Shooters will think the new set of lenses for their glasses is the answer or getting that new reload recipe is going to buy them that last Low 6.  While equipment is extremely important, equipment is usually not the answer to getting that last target you are looking for.  There usually is a magic formula, but it does not take place overnight and is probably not what you think.  I hear questions like:

• What type of gun/tubes do you shoot?
• What type of ammo do you use?
• What chokes do you shoot?
• What glasses do you wear?

These are just a few questions people ask and believe me there are plenty more.  I am very humbled that people ask me what equipment I use, but the trick is that I have found a combination of things that I am comfortable with and items that I feel are the best on the market.  However, not everyone can swing a 10 and a half pound Kolar Max skeet gun.  It is what works for me.  I can give you my exact setup but these things are not the most important.  What is the most important thing for you is to find what you are comfortable and confident with…

Shooters that get bogged down with the tiniest of details usually end up driving themselves, their spouses, and other shooter’s crazy about these small things.  I have heard too many discussions about chokes, shot size, and different ammo velocities.  The difference in .001 or .002 on paper is not much at the distances we shoot in skeet (assuming that the chokes are cut correctly).  Now, if you go from a .000 to a .010 choke, then you will notice a difference in the pattern.  However, at 20 yards, the difference is only a couple of inches.  I know you are thinking “well that might just buy me a target here or there.”  In my 20 years in this sport, I think I have witnessed someone miss a target by an inch maybe a couple of times…maybe a few inches on occasion, but the majority of the time when we miss (myself included), it is because we make a terrible mental or physical error which causes us to miss the target by a couple of feet!  Therefore, in most cases, it is not the chokes or the arrow, but the Indian.

Solution: Find a set of chokes that you are comfortable and confident with and stick with them!  However, if you change ammo or your reloading recipe, you may want to double check the pattern.  Again, most of the time when we miss, we are not talking about an inch or two so more than likely the current chokes would be fine.  I have tighter chokes so my pattern is smaller than the average, but that is what gives me confidence…

Ammo is the next topic, and for the record, I do prefer Remington STS #9 shot target loads for my competitive shooting.  Yes, I know there have been plenty of discussions about #8 vs. #9 shot and there are pros and cons to each one.  However, it really doesn’t matter.  It is what the shooter prefers and is comfortable and confident with and nothing more than that.  You must also have confidence in the loads that you are shooting and should not have to wonder if the next shell is going to go off or not…  In my case, I prefer the #9s because I have a tighter than average choke and pattern, but mainly because #9s have more BBs working for me than #8s.  Does this mean that it is wrong for you to use #8s?  Absolutely not!  Again, it is what you have confidence in and once you find that sweet shell, stick with it!  Also, different velocity speeds come into play, or do they?  The STS load for the sub-gauges is 1200 FPS (feet per second).  I have had questions about “lead changes” when shooting different velocity shells.  If you can literally see an inch or two precisely at 21 yards, my hat is off to you.  For us humans, it is impossible to visually see a difference in your lead when the velocity varies 100 or 200 FPS with your face on the stock of a shotgun swinging with a target that is 21 yards away from us.

Solution:  Do not get bogged down in the technical mumbo jumbo.  Find a velocity that you are happy with and that can give you consistent results.  Stick with what you are confident in.

The common denominator with any equipment is to find things you are comfortable with and have confidence in.  If you aren’t sure if the next shell is going to go BANG, you might want to get better ammo or get your gun serviced.  While equipment is a very important factor, it is no substitute for looking in the mirror and evaluating your mechanical and mental games.  Good mechanics will get you far in this sport, further than any piece of equipment, but having a solid mental and physical game will take you to your highest potential… Most of the time, shooters will have a good combination and think something better is out there and make a switch.  More often than not, they will find themselves worse off than before because they think that getting a new piece of equipment will make all of the difference (putting their confidence in the wrong place).  The secret is to work on your mechanics and your mental game and to have confidence in your own game and self.  That will bring you to the next level…not the equipment alone.

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 clinics in your area… Next scheduled clinic will be in Fort Worth, TX February 16-19 at the Fort Worth Skeet and Trap club.  To kick off the month of March, San Antonio, TX will host the first clinic March 1-4.  Tulsa Gun Club will also host a clinic March 19-21 in Tulsa, OK followed by Blue Rock Gun Club March 22-24 in Little Rock, AR.  Please email or call me or the local organizer directly for more information about these clinics.

Tip of the month:      Remember, there is always more than one way to do something.  So find which combination of things works best for you and stick with that combination.  What works best for you may not work best for someone else, so find your combination to success and stick with it!