Having Fun

I just love to see people have fun when they shoot! If you are not having fun, in my opinion, something is very wrong. But what could it be? I have come up with a list of things that I think take all of the fun out of shooting

• Targets that are too difficult

• Boring target presentations

• Pain

• Placing too much emphasis on score

Most of the people that take shooting lessons from me are beginners and let’s just go ahead and get the word out- Recreational Shooters. Yes I said recreational. However, that does not imply that they do not take their shooting seriously. It does imply that they like to enjoy themselves!

So when I take beginners, or anyone for that matter, I always try to help them avoid the four things on the list: targets that are too difficult for their ability, boredom, pain, and placing too much emphasis on score.

I do this by carefully picking and choosing the targets that we will shoot during the lesson, trying to match the target characteristics to the student’s ability level. For example, you want slow targets that are easy to see for a beginner. Make sure you choose a variety of target presentations – remember that there are four basic target lines: Incoming, going away, left/right crossers, and right/left crossers. If you shoot all of these in a practice session with a beginner, you are off to a great start.

Avoid pain by using techniques to reduce recoil. There is nothing wrong with shooting a 20 gauge shotgun! There are numerous ways to help solve the recoil problem.

I always try to encourage student to focus on building skills and learning how to shoot rather that obsessing on score. There is no score sheet that will measure your perception, coordination, timing, sight picture, alignment, or focus!

Shooting can be a great way to have fun, enjoy being outdoors, get together with friends, and just relax!

Best,

John