This topic contains 15 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by 
jslytlemn 6 months, 1 week ago.
-
Posts
-
How many of us have experienced a slump in the their shooting? If you’ve been shooting trap for any time period at all I’m sure there have been times when a slump has reared it’s ugly head. How have you dealt with that frustration?
Perhaps you’ve guessed already by now, but I’m in the midst of a slump. Finished shooting last Fall very confidently with some decent scores under my belt. Ended the ATA season (September) with just shy of a 92% average on singles. On the final 300 ATA singles of the Fall I posted a 90, 94 and a 91. For many those scores are mediocre, but for me those tallies are respectable.
Then the long winter set in. I reside in NW Minnesota where we do not shoot from about October until mid to late April. Spring finally arrived and my first practice round of the year was a 21/25. Thought to myself….I haven’t picked up a shotgun in 6 months that’s not too bad.
From there it has been a steady stream of high teens for scores out of 25. I’ve shot two registered shoots this Spring and scored a 79 and 75. On the program where I broke the 75 the third round I scored 24/25….so you know how poor the other three rounds were. 🙁
Feel as though I’m “jerking” at the targets and I’m about as smooth in my swing as the jagged edge of a crosscut saw! I plan on shooting a 100 rounds of practice today and intend on taking my time (I’ll be by myself) and concentrating simply on the basics. My confidence is in the basement at this point and I know that is part of the problem.
My next ATA shoot is two weeks from today. Walked into that first shoot this year classified a B shooter….left solidly a D class shooter. My hope is that soon I will be back out of the D category. Any suggestions on helpful hints you’ve used to conquer a slump I’d be happy to hear. Good shooting to you, Jeff
sd trap family
Hello Jeff. Hope this message reaches you. Many times it is a small item needing changed that can make all the difference on your performance. Finding your recipe from each Post is a key on what you need. We recently went through this with Foster on his HCP and we made a couple very small changes. Practice with a purpose and work on what you need. This really comes down to quality shooting rather than quantity. Too often shooters will shoot practice and already be frustrated in their first box. Then they try to shoot 75 more be upset.
Really look at the Posts that give you the toughest time and work on those. Try what we call THE BOX and that is various hold points from that Post. Once you find what works for you it becomes much easier.
Wishing you the very best
Bud
Thanks Bud for your response. It’s great to see you folks on here! What a tremendous asset to the site. 🙂
As my OP was written in early June I did have some time to work on the basics. Thankfully so, my shooting did improve as the summer wore on. My wife will keep score for me during registered shoots so I can look back and see where most of my misses are coming from. Station #1 has always been a challenge as I’m a left handed shooter.
Recently while attending a large shoot, during the first 100 I scored a 94. (Which for me is a pretty decent tally.) Of the 6 birds lost out of the round…. 5 of those were from station #1. I continue to work on that challenge.
My registered shooting is done for this “season” and our local club is open for one more week. Trap in our part of the world here is coming to a close until next Spring. My hope is to take a clinic perhaps early next year to polish my skills. Thank you for your advice about “the box”. I’m going to try that as I practice from station #1!
Take care and thank you again for your help and advice, Jeff
Jeff, great to hear about the Summer shooting. That is awesome.
You are welcome to join any of our clinics we do in the Spring and Summer.
We cover the needs that each shooter has from EACH Post. Since 1 is giving you the toughest time we would be glad to share our thoughts. I would certainly try The Box and have someone manually pulling for you with targets locked in with the target you seem to have a current issue with. The puller will watch to make sure you do NOT move your gun until the target is seen. Yes, you know it is coming to the same spot but see the target then destroy it.
You will find a hold point(vertically and horizontally, that works for you from that specific Post. That is YOUR RECIPE for that Post.
The boys are out hunting every day so we too will pick up the Trapshooting gear in the Spring.
Let me or the boys know if you have any questions.
Bud
Really appreciate your responses Bud. I’d love to take a clinic with your family. SD is not too far from MN in the overall scheme of things! 🙂
Saw the “boys” down at Sparta this summer. What tremendous shooters they are! I hope you all have a great winter season. Thanks again, Jeff
Jeff: One thing I learned from shooting in the winter is that it should only be for fun.
Then when Spring arrives, you just toss out all that you did in the winter and pick up where you left off the previous fall.
You can just pick up too many bad habits in the winter: heavy coat adds to length of pull and gun mount for one. Shells behave differently in the cold, denser air, etc. You just don’t let it get inside your head.
And finally, you just “shoot through a slump.” You’ll get through it and be much the wiser.
Whiz
Thanks Jim. Hopefully this coming Spring things will start off much better! 🙂 Jeff
Steve W
Interesting when we said shooting in the winter is different.
I’m in S. CA by the beach, you’d think winter shouldn’t be a factor because we’re normally in the 60s.
But I’ve been shooting a lot worse since the sun moved to the south and all the left birds are flying directly toward the sun in late morning where I shoot. One terrible round I only got one and missed other three left birds. The funny thing, I was shooting with four otherwise very good shooters, and my 22 was the high gun because there’re more left birds for them than what I got.
Although I wear hat to shade sunlight from directly to my shooting glasses, but the left birds seems just disappear into the sun when I track them.
So, this is my excuse of shooting bad in the winter.
Steve – Winter means different things to all of us eh? This morning where I live it was an even zero degrees and perhaps dipped below that a tad for all I know. I haven’t seen, nor shot at a clay pigeon since the latter part of September. Like many of us in the colder climes, it will be many months before I even can consider shooting trap as there are no clubs open. Ahhhh… the perils of living less then 100 miles from the Canadian border! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your shooting experiences during this time of year. I mean that sincerely, as it is beneficial (and perhaps therapeutic… LOL) to read of others that are able to get some quality shooting in during the winter months. I currently may not be able to swing on any left angles from station one, but I can picture you pulling your cap down a little tighter to shield the sun from your eyes to see those birds better.
Please keep the posts coming regarding your shooting in Southern California by the beach. Those of us who are not there truly enjoy “shooting” vicariously through your descriptions. Next time you’re on station one…. break all of those left angles! Thanks, Jeff
Steve W
Jeff,
I wasn’t only making excuses for station one, I miss left birds from all stations during winter.
Ever since we changed from Daylight savings time back to PST, the 10:00 am ~12:00 pm sun is just about at the right place to blind us on left birds. On top of that, our club is known to throw wild targets left and right, some hard left and hard right would seem from the skeet towers. Needless to say we’re not ATA qualified. LOL.
But it’s only 4 miles from my house, can’t dream about something like this in the beach cities on L.A., so I shoot there every week.
Steve – I’ve been known to miss a “few” left hand birds myself! 🙂 I’m a left handed shooter so that plays with my mind from time to time knowing the stock is going away from my face while swinging that direction.
Sometimes it seems like I go in streaks and just have rounds where I smoke every left angle, and then two weeks down the road I couldn’t hit a left angle if the bird was as big as a trash can lid! LOL
Statistically station two was my best post last year. (I keep track of misses at ATA shoots so I can look back and see where I’m losing birds…my wife keeps score as she cheers me on!) No worries ever about quartering left angles. Figure that one out?? Who knows??
Having a club so close is a blessing for you. Our local club would not be ATA qualified either, but we sure can have some fun shooting there! Bust a bunch of them the next time you’re on the line! All the Best, Jeff
What is really bad shooting are in my opinion 2-3 events:
1. Miss the first bird out and then run 99. I have done that so many times, it is just too stupid to talk about.
2. Run 99 and miss the 100th. Thank God, I’ve only done that once.
3. Run 199 and miss the 200th. I did that my second year at a shoot in Nebraska.
My buddy shooting to my left on post 4 shot his 200th at a quartering right when his ejector broke in his Perazzi. I always lead off the squads when we shot at home and traveled. As I pull up to shoot my last target, he’d opened his gun and the damn ejector flew right across my eyes, making me miss the last target out. I just shrugged my shoulders as we walked off the line. My buddy, Roger S (the “S” of S&W Supply), walked over to me and was pissed as hell at me missing my last target. “I said it was no big deal Rog.”
For a while I think he was mad at me, but I told him not to worry, as I was OK with it, and he never did anything intentional anyway.
We had a traveling squad of 27 yarders who knew one another. Squad harmony was paramount with us and I was usually the designated squad leader — even in doubles. We shot fast, I mean very fast. Buford Bailey of Big Springs, NE, “Mr. Singles” they called him back in the 70’s and 80’s always used to say, “Boys, you put the shell in brass first and you’re going to hold up the squad.” Buford, Stafford, Gene Sears, Don Kokrow (sp), and others all used to shoot together at the bigger shoots. Boy, we shot the hell out of targets. And, in those days the targets were hand-set. I always used to think the trap kids shuddered when we walked to the line because we shot so quickly.
If/when you missed a target, there was no arguing with these guys. We played by the rules and, I’d hate to think what would have ever happened if one ever tried to “steal” a target. We DID NOT DO THAT – EVER. God, I loved shooting with those guys.
I shot some of my best ever scores with them. It really helps to shoot with tough shooters. I think that’s why I made the 27 in 13 months of trap shooting. I always shot with these guys, particularly in games at the end of shoots. If it weren’t for these guys I would have never shot so well, I’m sure of that.
At times we all saw a slump, but we continued to all shoot together and we got through those times.
Literalist
Jeff, where in Minnesota re you?
Hey Denny.. I live in Red Lake Falls. About 35 miles or so directly East of Grand Forks, ND. A long ways geographically from you guys that shoot down in MPLS. Been a member for a few years over at TS.com, and have enjoyed your commentary there! 🙂 – Jeff
Wow, Jeff. You really are a long way up in the tundra. I’m a little surprised that so many clubs shut down over the winter. I’m lucky as there are 4 clubs in the area that shoot regularly (jackpot shoots, winter leagues, and open shooting). From me, Buffalo is 1/2 hr., Zimmerman is 10 minutes, St Cloud is 1/2 hr., and MPLS is an hour. Clubs shoot unless the temp (including wind chill) is below zero.
After the winter and early spring shoots, it doesn’t take too long before we’re back adapted to warm weather shooting. And, of course, several guys go to the southern shoots over the winter.
Curious, I looked around up in your area and can’t find open clubs, but surely there are some?? A 3 1/2 hour drive to St Cloud is the best I can think of. Maybe Grand Rapids (if they’re open) a 2 1/2 hours would be worth the trip on a nice weekend.
Although winter isn’t usually a good time to work on problems or for serious practice, it’s nice to get outside and burn up some shells.
Hang in there.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.