More Vision Less Precision Trying to measure lead will slow your gun down. SOR Rae CQ RUIR URC a CART! ee ree see teeta ener ents eee ese peters tery Sen ey cee rer Ee eee eee Cesc tees Pe ee reece ee es fn precision actually compromises eee Oe tneFD @ THE PRECISION AFFLICTION Precision relates to a per son's intention to be exact, c. Unfortunately, when new shooters look at ‘a moving clay target from behind the muzzle of a shot- The y to improve their accuracy, the fewer targets they break. often remind clients that shooting clay targets with a shotgun is not a game of perfect, In their article “The Perils of Perfectionism in Sports and Exercise? Canadian researchers Gordon Flett and Paul Hewitt described a phenomenon they called the perfectionism paradox, ‘Their findings demonsteated that an athlete's preoccups. ton with achieving perfec- tion undermines his or her performance, promotes | ‘maladaptive behaviors, and fosters dissatisfaction with, the resulting performance. The precision affiction ‘occurs when an experienced shooter's desire to break the target overrides his or her | intention to watch the target ‘until it breaks. This distine tion may sound cliché to some readers, but the distine- tion determines whether MORE VISION LESS PRECISION ‘4.Are you more conceened with breaking the target than you are ‘with watching the target break? That's precision affliction, the remedy for inconsistency turns out to be prolonged and frustrating or the fix is rekatively quick and liberating, THE VISION REMEDIATION [referred to David Marquet’s book Turn the Sbip Around in 1 previous article. Although the central theme of the book is, to tum followers into leaders, two of the principles he intro- duced are relevant to clay target shooters. Marquet explained thatthe first step of the turnaround process isto define your intention, and the second step isto take deliberate action, Define Your Intention ~This means to claily your ‘Purpose or objective. true intention to “watch the target until ie breaks" has to be since: is reflected by a coexisting emotional detachment from the ‘outcome of the shot The intention must be focused on the process of watching’ rather than the process of shooting” The process of watching is defined by a series of actions (or natural occurrences. My description of the watching reflex And the shooting reflex has been addressed in my books and previous articles. Simply stated, the watching reflex is man aged by the conscious mind and the shooting reflex is man- e-This sincerity of intention | aged by the adaptive unconscious. Both of these reflexes are “4 It takes work to watch the target unt it breaks. You have to make a concious offert to focus onthe target and trust your shooting reflex to automaticaly execute the shot 42 WHTWANSSA-HSCA.ORG / APPL 20224 Missod a target? Ineraase your focus on a specie part of the target next time, ‘The Fgo Self doesn't trust the adaptive unconscious to point the shotgun corsectly, so it naturally uses the muz- Ale asa referent to ceeate a precise ead picture. Mental discipline begets ‘visual discipline. The pre- station and pre-shot routines are pre-determined thought- ful and methodical processes intended to promote the ‘quiet eye/quiet mind phe- ‘nomenon. The shooter pre- pares to call for a target by settling his or her shooting ‘eye in expanded soft focus ‘naturally associated with visio-motor (eye-hand) coordination, discipline to manage your | at the eye hold. While in this Dut they require deliberate activation, self-talk following a missed | state of attentional aware Basically, the shooter must consciously direct his or her target. The Ego Seif will ness, the shooter calls for ‘watching reflex to focus on the target continuously while attempt to analyze the"mis- | the target without any other placing unconditional trust in the shooting reflex to automati- | take" and use it to redefine | thought. cally move the muzzle to engage the target with an appropri | your intention from just Researchers at John ate forward allowance (lead) at the break zone, ‘watching the next target Moores University in Liv- Take Deliberate Action ~'This means to proceed in a correctly to controlling the | expool, England, and at the ‘thoughtful and methodical manner Assuming the intention to | outcome of the next shot. University of Florida in ‘watch the target is sincere, every aspect of deliberate action must relate to visual discipline, Certainly a phys- ics professor could prove that every missed target is the result of incorrect lead ‘or incorrect gun speed. However itis my. opinion as «4 master shooting instructor ‘that incorrect lead is usually the consequence of poor detection and acquisition of the emerging target at the eye hold. It requires strict mental > Ifyou get the load wirong, i's "katy because you dnt pick up and acquire the target propery, oF 2022, CLAY TARGET MATION. 43\) MORE VISION LESS PRECISIO)\ rs e Gaines reported that the quiet eyc/quiet mind ‘phenomenon improves a ‘lay target shooters reaction ‘time, promotes efficent gun ‘movement, and enhances ‘consistency. They also noted ‘that the duration of the quiet ‘eye before calling for the target was greater in elite shooters than for subelite shooters, MEASURING LEAD SLOWS GUN SPEED ‘The moment of truth for clay target shooters begins ‘with preparing to call for the during competition Consistent visual discipline The shooting eye detects the emerging target with its by increasing the lead on the next target, he or she is direct- ing the shooting eye to defocus from its primary focus on the target and transition to its secondary vision so it can measure the space between the rib and the target as it passes through the break zone.This defocusing causes the eye fo stop track: ing the target exclusively, which causes the muzzle to slightly speed up before slowing down. Shooting lead slows gun speed. ‘The proper correction for a missed target isto intensify ‘your primary focus on a specific portion of the target, such as, the leading edge or the center, and trust the adaptive uncon: scious to point the muzzle with the proper forward allow- ance. This visual approach seems more like guessing rather than precise measuring, but I promise your shooting will be ‘much more accurate, cru target and ends when the | can compensate fora num- | 4 Learn to emirace the quiet eye phenomenon. You'l sa improve shot stream passes through | ber of mechanical fults,but | ments in your reaction time and your consistency, the path ofthe target.1 perfect mechanics will never deseribed the essential me- | compensate for any visual chanical, visual and mental | faults. quiet mind promotes | peripheral visual field. The centr visual field acquires the tar elements of the shot se ‘optimal detection and acqui- | get in the acquisition zone and begins to transition from soft quence in my second book, | sition of the emerging clay | focus to harder focus as it tracks the target toward the break A Method for the Magic. target atthe eye hold, which | zone.The shooter must consciously intensify hard focus by Faulis in any ofthese can | is the hallmark of consistent | looking at a specific point on the target. contribute to inconsistency | visual discipis ‘When a shooter attempts t0 compensate for a missed target | | oho Shima is five-time Wort Skeet Champion. To view previous atcesor order John's books, goto << Don't ny to increase your lead just because you missed the last target. Let the lead happen subconcousy 446 WMNssA-NScAL.ORG 2° 2022