Start again!

[Shaun Hopkins]

Having recently experienced the wheels falling off more often i started to question what may be causing such a problem i.e common faults or something that might have changed slowly but surely without really knowing. 

For me personally head lifting is a big problem! Having looked through various magazines at different shooting styles by the likes of Ed solomons and the big Guy not to mention many other top shots i cannot help but notice how much they hunker down on the stock almost as if looking through a scope! The reason for the post is to establish whether anyone here has ever completely dismantled their shooting style and started over again to mimic the top guys and if so how long should it take to get back on track.

 

[Will Hewland]

I would say that the top guys have their own styles, including one or two that barely put their face on the stock! Worth having a session with Carl Bloxham or similar and get him to see what the issue is. A few years back he spotted that I was suddenly ramming my face down, which caused a shock and shift in sight picture. I smoothed it out to great advantage, but that was my personal issue.

 

[dazza]

I had a lesson with Stuart clark he drummed it in to me you should never lift your head until you see the clay break hope this helps

 

[ips]

Shaun

dont panick mr mainwaring over the years I have had to rebuild my style on many occasions for various reasons and it can be quite refreshing however from my experience you generaly end up back were you started.

Dont wish to sound blunt or to state the obvious but if you know that the main problem is lifting your head then this is easily rectified .... just dont do it.

Best plan of action from my experience is to trust yourself and try not to over analyse every part or change to much in one go or you will fall into a deep hole. Maybe try a different discipline for a few months to take the pressure off performing, this I have also done in the past and found the change very helpful long term.

Most important thing to realise is that your not on your own we all have times were it stops working for a short while.

 

[Rosso]

Shaun brilliant post.

I'm the same. Last 12 months so inconsistent. Classification reflects this.

Had lessons with 3 top instructors. All told me different things. But one common thing I was doing.

Gun control. I had to steady it.

I tried but got confused with other different things.

The secrete is to stay with one instructor it he helped.

I use one thing I learned to good effect so it wasn't a complete waste of time and I enjoyed the lessons.

I think the answer is to remember what went right when the scores were good.

Easier said than done.

 

[K80 TCG]

Nothing to do with size.

When I brought my K80 I had to learn to shoot again, more than likely because I never knew how to shoot correctly in the first place.

Find a coach, have a lesson.

Personally make sure you enjoy it or its game over.

18 months on I am still rebuilding to where I was, but enjoying it again

 

[Rosso]

Nothing to do with size.

When I brought my K80 I had to learn to shoot again, more than likely because I never knew how to shoot correctly in the first place.

Find a coach, have a lesson.

Personally make sure you enjoy it or its game over.

18 months on I am still rebuilding to where I was, but enjoying it again

+1

Krieghoffs ehhhh.

 

[no.1topdog]

I tried to shoot like George Digweed once. It didn't work.

Best bit was, he tried to shoot like me once,and that didn't work for him either.

Be yourself Shaun but get a good coach to bring out your talent. You know you can shoot because of your track record, you just need to get that "mojo" back again. You could spend years of trial and error doing it yourself, that is if you didn't give it all up because it took too long. If you are ill you see a Doctor. If your shooting bad, go see a coach!  :biggrin:

 

[ips]

From my experience the biggest problem that faces those of us with any knowledge is trying to hard to make it work instead of relaxing and trusting your own ability, in other words chill out and let it happen.

 

[Hamster]

Shaun, in my experience noticeable dips in performance are the result of a combination of factors. The reason I say this is that a relatively minor fault in technique or having the odd bogey bird doesn't rob you of enough kills to be that obvious. 

I too have noticed how the really good shooters have a habit of good contact between cheek and stock, there's certainly no harm in that as long as you don't overcook it like Will had at one time because it can lead to tension and a skewed (but unnoticed) second shot.

To overcome a drop in scores you have to work through your routine, break things down in your mind and develop a Positive Mental Attitude.

 

[RobertBeard]

Ask yourself why you lift your head.

Can you not see the clay clearly?

Why is that?

Incorrect gun start position obscuring the clay?

Not enough rib visible?

Why not try a bit of padding on the comb?

Probably best to get a coach to look at you.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

I had to do that when I went from 1-shot to 2-shot games.  If you want to dismantle and reassemble then you should be prepared to do the whole thing - maybe even a different gun to accommodate the big changes you might make.  If it were me I'd even get one of those orthopedic  stocks to get the fit right.

Or, like ips said, just be the gun and get on with it

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Does it ever come to a point where your shooting style peaks no matter how well you master it? Are there fundamental principles that all top shots have that we or should i say i myself are missing hence the rebuild from thre bottom up obviously with a good coach on board.

 

[Rosso]

The top shots practice 1000,s a year. Unless you do that you will never be like them.

Most of us have jobs. This is their job.

It's all about practice.

I wouldn't rebuild from bottom up.

Just enjoy it go somewhere different shoot with different people that way you don't compare the same old same old.

 

[Hamster]

Does it ever come to a point where your shooting style peaks no matter how well you master it? Are there fundamental principles that all top shots have that we or should i say i myself are missing hence the rebuild from thre bottom up obviously with a good coach on board.

I don't believe many get to know their true peak talent wise, you need a LOT of shells to find out but most of us hit a plateau of innate self belief, we all have that ceiling of confidence.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

I don't believe many get to know their true peak talent wise, you need a LOT of shells to find out but most of us hit a plateau of innate self belief, we all have that ceiling of confidence.

Double +1

It seems to me that as skills increase the fear of failing ramps up too.  Focus shifts to scores rather than form and ........................  well, we all know what happens then.

 

[Rosso]

Double +1

It seems to me that as skills increase the fear of failing ramps up too.  Focus shifts to scores rather than form and ........................  well, we all know what happens then.

Treble +1.

 

[Irishgunner]

Head lifting is something I have to tell myself not to do, if I don't tell myself before I walk in to the stand I come out of the gun before the shot is compleat, when the wheels fall off with me its cause I'm trying not to miss, I'd say when you take the pressure off your self it will come good

 

[ips]

Shaun

most of us are constantly tweeking things in the hope that some magic will happen, I have experienced nothing but heartache from such quests. The main factor that true top shooters have is a dogged determinstion to succeed and sometimes a degree of arrogance that is why they can shoot well with any gun. Its because they believe they are good that makes them good.

To answer your question more succintly yes you will imo get to a stage were your technique may be as good as it gets but and its a big but confidence in ones ability can overcome many faults. Proof of this can be seen at many shoots incl world cup ot comps were many very poor techniques can be seen to work against the odds.

What I am trying to say is dont go down my road of constant over analysis and change as trust me it is a culdesac not a road,