How do you prepare for comps?

I have asked a few top shots about what they do to prepare for comps and regular shoots too. A few have said they do nothing out of the ordinary and a few have told me some great info, one young shooter who is right up there has given me some great advice, cheers Ed S What do you guys and gals do the day before or even the morning before you shoot?

The evening prior I make sure I have the clothes want to wear readyI set the alarm as though it's a normal working day, so fairly early.Make sure I have breakfast, usually porridge with jam (thanks Nic!) and then eggs and bacon of some sort.I fill up my water bottles, one large from small. If I have remembered, I take a banana and an orange or apple.Take the shells and gun(s) I require to the car, and off I drive. All my other kit is always in the boot, like vest, bag, glasses, etc.Once at the ground I have a cuppa, usually helps kit start the body, and drink some water.Mentally, this is where I probably don't do so well. If it's trap, I try to blank out negative thoughts, but I usually slip up here so I might think "don't miss the 1st target!" which can b*gger me up if I do. For some reason I don't think this with sporting.Yesterday was a prime example - had a dreadful 1st round while trying do to well. 2nd round I thought, well that's that and just decided to relax, and shot a 21. My worst habit which has crept in is "rifling". No idea why I do this! A mate of mine used to work for IMG and is well connected in golf, & I've been given the number of a sport psycologist, although I haven't rung him yet, to see if he can sort out my mental side. I'm open to all options now.

Personally I think you can make too much of mumbo jumbo type prep routines. The scores really suffer when you miss targets you knew you can`t hit but omitted to practice on to find the cause.Yes it`s true we all miss the last bird out of a batch we`ve absolutely smoked upto then but that`s a combination of concentration, application, killer instinct blah blah. If you slow down a tiny bit towards the end of a stand you can often stop silly things like that. But what you can`t do is find out within 4 shots why or where you`re missing stupid birds everyone else can hit. In other words work on your weaknesses.One thing that I do think is important is playing to your personal stengths. We all keep getting told to watch good shooter and try to emulate them but that`s just not practical in real life as they may well have different physical attributes and strengths; you can`t shoot a bird you can`t even see quickly can you? So you need to memorise your own sweet spot for different birds and APPLY that. This is extremely easily forgotten in the heat of the moment, you find out too late you`ve been copying people and miss birds you`d have hit YOUR way.

A couple of thoughts about this... I have some notes I've been keeping for a feature on the main site.TobyM's suggestions are excellent, I would add making sure you have directions ready so you are not rushing for a squad time - and any paper work you might need to ensure you are booked on - also ensure that your kit bag is ready, include suncream, glasses, plugs etc - all the shells you need and chokes, choke keys if you are that way inclined.I made some fundamental errors when I shot my first competition - Beretta World this year - I ran out of water and took no snacks with me, so I felt my performance drop off a cliff when the dehydration started to set in. I've now realised I even need to think about this when I shoot 100 registered on a Sunday, I need to be prepared. Especially as I'm diabetic and need to stay aware of my blood sugar levels. I even felt this on Sunday mornig at Weston Wood.I am definitely going to build these tips into every shoot I do, so they become habit and I won't forget them when I go to a competition (I plan to do a lot more competitions next year so that I can cover them for ShootClay and enjoy the shooting).Finally - I've had some contacts with sports psychologists and I'm working to get on on board to be one of the resident experts on ShootClay

Hammy, you say we shouldnt copy top shooters, so why do we have lessons? I think the basics need to be addressed and then we all need to find what works for us. Lessons are just an extension of what a so called good shooter thinks is best for us surely?

Apart from having a lesson or three early on I`m not convinced having lessons is actually all that beneficial to be honest. Yes I know we can all learn new techniques or benefit from gunfit wisdom and experience that a select few seem to possess but overall I think different people plateu at different levels of excellence (or not) and seem to pretty much stay there. I`ve lost count of the number of newish people I meet who have obvious faults and much ground to gain quickly, who tell me they`ve been having lessons too!!! I believe we should watch experienced shooters to learn the basics but beyond a certain point there is less to be gained in copying them than playing your own game.

With sporting, for me, there are very few targets that I can't read and therefore break. Occasionally I'll come away with a 2 or 3, scratching my head and TBH I'd have no idea how I hit those. I accept that I'm not George in this respect.But mostly I'll hit 6/8 or 6-7/10. It's finding the consistency to straight more stands to build the score. So to me, it's the mental side not the ability side which will see me rise up a class. If I can sort that out, I know I'll be able to shoot to my (hopefully potential) ability.With trap, it's also all in the head, even though I haven't been at it that long. If I can shoot 22/25 at ABT but not consistently then it's the head that's preventing me. But I need to stamp out the rifling, that goes for all shotgun shooting.

Bang on Hammy, forgive the pun . I have shot with experienced guns and watched some of the best in the country but still had to find out what works best for me. I've known and know some great coaches who have given me tips and I decide which birds to use these on. Ed S is a great lad to shoot with, and he makes things look so easy, I took this on board and have learned to relax when shooting, it helps with fluidity but the mental aspect needs working on, hence I drop the last pair or single on a stand I'm straighting comfortably. I get complacent too which means I get slopy, If I sorted my shizzle out and put it all together I might shoot quite well one day.

I thought you might be interested in reading this -- it's part of a Phil Coley teaching program NigePreparation is key...Welcome to another great weekly eTip from Clay Shooting Success. You are currently enjoying the Full Membership benefits and, for a limited period, this includes free support from Phil Coley. Phil is working with many of you online, so make sure you take advantage of this great offer. I also wanted to add a comment from a Trap Shooter I am working with currently: "I do feel good about going shooting again, which was not the case prior to Saturday, and whilst there is probably some way to go and some setbacks to come, I cannot thank you enough for helping me with your advice as this has given my shooting a new lease of life". G - Trap Shooter UK Preparation before you go to a shoot is as important as the preparation for the shot. In this article we will look indepth at the preparation you should do prior to a competition and that will form part of your weekly training routine. Preparation Those who are working with me regularly will already be forming your own visualisation exercises and keywords. Using the Success System you will follow through the use of Preparation and this forms an integral part of the 'system'. The elements of Preparation are: Technical refinements: working on the key technical elements of your discipline. Having a correct gunfit is one of the key requirements, coupled with a good knowledge of the targets. It is worth noting that I have added a learners guide to using mental skills in improving your shooting, so if you are fairly early in your shooting career click here. With Gunfit, it is so important that you have your gun fitted at least once a year. As your brain is reliant on the sight pictures you give it, then gunfit is a must. The next stage is to ensure you see a coach three or four times a year. Most people say they want to get better yet just by practising they won't. You may well be practising the wrong way and all you do is make the mental task more and more difficult. Task list Here is your checklist so far: Gunfit yes/no Coaching three-four times a year yes/no Training twice a week yes/no So let’s add some Mental Preparation to this list. Only a very few clay shots are professional, so the majority have to train around work which sometimes means that the time is limited and in some cases it can only be a few times a month. Yet if you follow the Mental Training plan that you would get by working with me, then your scores will improve as well as improving your mental approach to your shooting. Mental training needs to be done away from the range and done weekly. Let’s look at the topic of “dry mounting”. You can do a number of dry mounting exercises, I have two favourites. My first is open eyes and mount to a spot on a mirror (the spot needs to be roughly in line with the height of your nose) – now look back and what do you see. This exercise is about mounting your gun correctly, both in the shoulder, but more importantly to the cheek and the eyes. Once mounted on a spot you can review your rib and comb positions. I like to use this exercise on occasion and is merely a checking exercise. The second exercise, which is my very favourite is a combination of dry mounting and visualisation. This is one that I have worked on with many clay shooters and have developed it into a simple, but very effective, exercise. Exercise This can be done in a darkened room, a garage or somewhere private. Ideally this should be done with a blindfold (sleeping ones are good), or darkened glasses – you really need to notsee anything, so close your eyes if you have to. Mark out a square or circle on the floor, even if just four cups marking it out. You will need to be wearing your skeet vest, have a cap on (if you wear one), have cartridges in your pocket that represent the weight you would normally have in them. You need to make this as realistic as possible. Now you need to use your imagination to begin your visualisation. You need to have imagined walking to the stand or the layout. You are now stood on the stand. It is vital now that you can use your gun (of course with no cartridges in the gun), you need to imagine taking cartridges and placing them in your gun, now close your gun and get yourself in a set position. All of the above fits into the Success System for Clay Shooting, developed by Phil Coley, for a growing number of clay shooters worldwide. Elements of these sessions will also be covered in video format in the coming weeks.