Shotgunworld.com

A few months ago I got my first 25 straight in skeet. Then a few weeks later I got my second. And now I've gotten four 25 straights under my belt but no 50, 75, 100 in sight anytime soon.

Hopefully in time with practice.

One thing I've noticed which has gotten my curiosity up is that each time I've shot a 25 straight it was my very first round of the day each day. Afterwards I'll lose a bird around the 35-40 in-a-row range (station 3 or 4 of the next round).

Any thoughts from you veterans out there of what I'm doing on the first round of the day that I'm not on the ones that follow? I do need glasses (I'm refusing to go to the eye doctor and finally give in that my youth is fading away) and think my ability to focus after one round is part of the reason.

Comments?

Thanks in advance!

Maybe you are more focused on the first round.
Are you taking targets for granted. Low 7 ?
Look at the bird so hard that you might stare a hole in it.
Attack the target.

Good Luck

Shotgun Red

Do you shoot 100 targets at a time, or shoot 25 or 50, then take a break, then another 25, etc? When I shot registered skeet I usually had no problem shooting well for 100 targets. Unfortunately, the 12 ga. at the World Skeet Championships is 250 targets! It's broken up into 2 days, 125 targets (5 rounds)each day. It was ALWAYS a 5th round that would get me. While I've had quite a few long runs (over several shoots) of well over 250 targets, but I could not run the 250 at the World with 5 try's in 5 years! The last 3 years were all 249's, and all were because of a 5th round collapse, either the 1st day or the 2nd. I knew what the problem was, but I couldn't overcome it. However, a 249 is good for the average and still allows you to sit in the stadium field watching the shootoffs with your buddies while drinking beer.

I usually shoot 100 targets on Saturday and 100 on Sunday. The range I go to is not crowded at all so it's one round after another with enough time in between to get a drink of water and load back up with 25. Maybe 10 minutes at the most in between. I can leave home, shoot (at) 100 targets, and be back home in an hour and a half to two hours.

Maybe I should sit out every other round.

Sunday was 25, 19, 24, 23 for a 91 total.

I don't shoot competitively. Only against my previous best.

Thanks for the comments.

An alternative view here - It was suggested that you may lose focus in the 2nd round.

I'd suggest perhaps you are loose in the first round, and then when you have 25 hits under your belt you start thinking about the 50 straight and that is what causes the glitch?

Do you find that you start thinking , 'just make sure of this one'? Or something similar?

I would suggest, if you have not already, take a look at Lanny Basham's book - "With Winning in Mind" - and start to say things to your self, like - "That's Like me" or "That's a good break"

Let us know how it goes?

Roger

Obviously you have a good time just shooting with friends, and that's the great thing about it, we can enjoy these games on many different levels. I enjoy a relaxed afternoon shooting too, but when our squad was shooting seriously for scores in competition we'd shoot what we called "speed-up skeet". The first 2 or 3 on the squad would carry maybe 6 extra shells and go straight from station 8 to 1 and start the next round. The others would get a box of shells and line up to shoot. This would help to maintain a smooth pace and rhythm, not really shooting any faster, but with no real down time between rounds. We'd usually finish 100 targets in about an hour. We all felt that our scores improved with this method, we baked our brains less in the sun, and the referees usually loved it since they'd get a decent break between squads. And keeping the referee happy can't hurt. Just don't make me shoot that 5th round! The best advice I ever got regarding the mind game was... "Think of, and shoot every target like it's last one of the day".

I think Roger is very close. Many shooters, when they get off to a good start, try to be careful to protect their "run". Instead of a confident smooth swing things go to hell. The shooter starts to try and measure each shot, things get worse. It's a matter of comfort zone, when we start reaching into new levels we loose confidence.

You know that you can break 25. Quit trying to break 50, break two 25's instead. Never, and I mean never allow yourself to think "if I can just break this target". Whatever your thought process is for the first round that's where your thoughts need to be for the second.

What you are asking is, "why do we miss?" Sometimes, it might help looking at this as a philosophical question.

If you want to stop missing, you have to develop authentic power, which is a philosophical term. What is authentic power? It is an absence of fear and doubt. What condition do you have without fear and doubt? You have absolute certitude, and, when you have absolute certitude you have authentic power.

From a practical sense, when you truly have authentic power it will be as if all stations are low-house seven!! You shoot that station with absolute certitude.

You see, all these issues are about fear and doubt. You fear the clay and doubt that you can break it. I got rid of fear, by changing the emphasis of the clay to being a trigger to take action. I shoot international style so you may not be able to adapt to this method, but taking action is the best way to decimate the fear factor. I don't care when the clay comes out of the house or where it is going, it is just a trigger to take action for me. There is no fear issue.

So I am left with doubt. Whenever you have fear you have doubt. So what is doubt? Doubt is a condition in which you lack TRUST. So what is trust? Trust is believing that something is wise and compassionate.

In a nutshell, if you miss clays, somehow you lack trust in the manner in which you shoot that clay. You don't believe what you are doing is wise.

I use the Blasi style of international shooting. This is a PRECISELY defined method of shooting gun from the low-gun position. In a sense, I went through each station and memorized what had to be done at each station so that I would believe what I was doing is wise, and I can see the lead on each station.

By doing this I just got my first 50, and missed my first 75 by one (last shot; quick pull; Blasi system makes no execuses for such a thing because we take action on seeing the clay; fell asleep). I focused more on the elements of my shooting style to ensure that I was always taking the gun to the control zone for the break. Since doing this, the quality of my shots has improved tremendously, because I am trusting that the method is wise and compassionate.

I am at the same stage of shooting as are you, and just remember that all these issues are ALWAYS about doubt and fear. However, even after saying these things that I always mark my first game as a "league" score myself!! However, I am starting to believe in this issue that lack of trust is what causes the doubt...it seems logical to me.

Different kind of answer for you. I would be interested in other ideas of:

Why do we miss?

"The sweet bird of youth sat upon my shoulder yesterday. But I knew she'd chose another and one day she just up and flew away!" Guy Clark, Singer songwriter

Get your eyes checked, you can't hit what you can't see! Do I think that's your problem, maybe, you're thinking about it.

Best advice I ever got was to "forget every hit or miss, focus on this one target". Quit counting. No stinkin' thinkin'. Just shoot.

I'm bettin' it'll come....just as soon as YOU let it.

Thanks for the replies. I can tell there's more experience and wisdom in these few responses than I can shake a stick at.

I think my eyes are only part of the problem. I believe I think about it too much and there it goes - a miss.

If there are no more replies to this thread I've gotten my money's worth from you guys that have already replied.

Thanks a million!

Bud

Equismith,

The first problem I see is that you think about the fact that you have not run 50 straight yet. Because of this, you have a mental issue with shooting 50 straight. It's a barrier. Once you do shoot 50 straight, you will have the confidence to know you can do it and you will shoot 50 straight more often.

What you need to do is stop worrying about shooting 50 straight. Just think about one target or one pair of targets at a time. Yes, this is very hard to do. But it is the frame of mind you need to get into otherwise you will continue to fail. You have the skill to do it. You have the physical stamina to do it. You just need to let it happen.

When I was in the process of shooting my first 100 straight in competition, I was very much aware that I was straight through 75 targets. Before I stepped onto the pad, I worked hard at clearing my mind and focusing on each shot. I made sure I wasn't counting targets and just tried to relax. In between turns, my mind was all over the place. But I made sure that I was not thinking about anything else but the shot at hand while I was on that pad.

Counting targets is the best way to screw up. When you count targets, you are thinking ahead when you should be thinking about now. That is a great way to miss. Another good way to screw up to try to focus hard on what you are doing even when it is not your turn. This will tire you out mentally. I have a mental routine I go through that starts just before I get on the pad and continues until I have finished my turn. Then I relax until I am about to get on the pad again.

Anyway, the key is to not worry about how many targets you have hit straight. Just work hard on the targets you are about to shoot. Each shot is separate from the shots before it and after it. The past and the future don't matter when you are on a pad. Only the present matters. Thinking about past shots or shots coming up are distractions.

Scott

Well, today was a 24, 20, 25, 24.

Good thing, I got a 25 after my first round. All of my 25 straights up until now have been my first round of the day and only my first round. Bad thing, I choked on my first real shot at a 50. I missed high 6 on the double. 93/100 is my personal best.

I took the advice and comments you all gave with me to the range. I think I was too relaxed on the missed high 6 for the chance at 50 straight. I tried to be more agressive, maybe too aggressive when I got the 20. I still had a great time and that's the important thing. My pool of friends is growing as I shoot more often at this range. The BS between shots and rounds is too comical

After my first 24 I shot a Stevens 311G 16ga Full/Mod for the first time. It's my Dad's and he's never shot it after owning it for over two years. I only hit 10 with it so the above numbers are with my O/U. If you shoot a SxS and hit good with it you have my respect! The 311G I shot was not nearly the shotgun my O/U is. The fit was all wrong plus my O/U fits me perfectly.

Thanks for the kind comments all.

I'll be getting the eyes check soon I hope.

Bud

I'm still applying the advice from you guys.

Today I shot:

24 (O/U)
23 (O/U)
24 (870 youth 20ga)
25 (LT-20 1100)

96/100 for the day. Topped my personal best from yesterday.

Thanks for the advice again all.

Bud

Equismith,

That is great shooting. I would recommend that you stick with one gun for now. Why? You are working as hard or harder on the mental aspects of the game than the physical. You don't need or want to add variables to the process which might mask the true results of your work.

Keep working at it!

Scott

Winders,

Thanks.

I thought about that too and really didn't expect to shoot that well using three different guns.

I JUST LOVE SHOOTING CLAYS AND BREAKING THEM!

Keep up the posting as I know you will. Some like to bash you and I've done a little too.

You do have good advice more often than not.

Peace dude!

Bud