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“The Coaching Hour Chronicles” Conversations in the Pursuit of Sporting Clays Excellence. Volume 1 Click Here to Read a Chapter from the New Book! Click Here to Read the Complete Table Of Contents Here’s what readers say about The Coaching Hour Chronicles: "Gil, Bill here. You know all my weaknesses and frailties at shooting better than do I (gun mount, coming straight up first, lack of hard focus, etc.) You also know that I have a visual preference vice audio preference (that's why I'n not on the OSP Coaching hour). I've read and studied both of your books. I have watched your 5 DVDs numerous times and have underlined with notes in your books, and notes on your DVDs. Your above subject No. 1 and 2 have truly, greatly impacted my shooting. Listening (reading) to what everyone is saying and being able to underline, make notes, put down reference page numbers according to topic/subject is actuality helping me more than all the other above mentioned. I'm listening to fellows who have walked through where I am walking. They have experienced what I experience and have worked past the point where I am. Now, with the subject all of you are taking me higher on the path or the road. Needless to say I still have a very, very long way to go. However, as I work through the subject, and go back and forth in the pages I am able to put together the small peices of the puzzle (subject/topic) I am concentrating on. I decided to try the visualization exercise. I shot a tournament last Saturday, and I used the visualization on every shot. I watched the show targets (true pairs) all were great targets (a few out of my learning curve) and made my plan on each target. When I was in the cage I would take my thumb, point at my breakpoint and say this is where I'm going to break this target, then I would visualize in my mind focusing on the target, moving my gun to the breakpoint and breaking the target then move to the other target and do the same process. Then I would load my gun, with the gun still open I would revisit the breakpoint with my thumb and say I'm going to break this one here and I'm going to break this one there. Then I would close my gun, and call pull. I shot better than I have ever shot. There was not one target that I could not hit - even the ones out of my learning curve I could hit. I missed, I don't know how many I missed, because I still don't have my score. Yet, I know that I did not miss a great number. In fact I ran a few stands and some I shot an 8 or 9 on. My misses were due to lack of hard focus; several times on the first target I had the wrong breakpoint (too far out) which I changed, the very last stand I dropped the last 3 of the first target merely because I did one of your "anyway" when I should have changed my mount from premount to low mount. I broke the 1st 2 premounted which actually was a mistake, but I kept the premount "anyway", but after my miss on the 3rd I knew what my problem was and I thought about changing. I learned a great lesson here! I felt while doing all this visualization that I was taking way too much time in the cage. Several times after my first miss I would take 2 steps backward and replay the shot in my mind and visually make the correction. Then I would step back to the edge of the cage and start over again. Several times, in my mind, I was tempted to hurry up which I did. Then I realized that I had visualized breaking the 1st target but not the 2nd one. So I opened my gun took my shells out and stepped back two steps (my preshot routine starts 2 steps from the edge of the cage) then stepped up and did the whole visualization and routine over again from the beginning on both targets. I know how to do all that because of the many, many years of playing competitive golf, and for playing for very high stakes. Except for putting. my preshot routine would always start the second I pulled my club out of the bag. Many a time as I was going through my visualization process standing over the ball with the club in my hand it was through the visualization process that I would realize that I had the wrong club. So I would take the club back to the bag, pull out the right club and start all over again. On putting my preshot routine started about 5 paces from behind my ball. I learned that on the green (I would read the direction of the grass, the slop of the green, if water was present where it was located etc. and I would take in all this information then I would get behind my ball and look at the line) my first gut instinct of the line was usually correct. Then I would walk away till I was past 5 paces away from my ball. I've got a long way to go. I just wanted you to know how valuable the subject has been to me, someone who is just a fair shooter at this time. I am eagerly looking to your number 3 and all those that follow. My very best regards, and hearty thanks." -Bill Click Here to Order Now! What is the book about? There was a time when there were no shotgun instructors. Optimum Shotgun Performance Shooting School did not exist. There was no Gil and Vicki Ash.     Yes, that’s a frightening thought, we know, but it’s true. Back when we started competing in sporting clays, not only did we have to watch out for wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers, we also didn’t have anywhere to go for shotgun lessons. There were no instructors. At that time, the way of learning was to go hang out by the range house when the other shooters were congregating, hoping you could pick up something from somebody who was a better shot. Many of the shooters would stand around and exchange information, sharing their common experiences.     It wasn’t as efficient or focused as going to an experienced instructor; some shooters just weren’t good at instructing others no matter how well they could hit the targets, but, many times, there was also something magical about that pooling of knowledge.     Although ice ages have passed since then, it was that clubhouse magic that we were attempting to harness when we created the Coaching Hour call-in show. We hoped to create a discussion with group participation instead of a one-way lecture. Sure, even some of our students wondered if it wasn’t just a way for us to B.S. for an hour and get paid, but we held onto our vision and began hosting the monthly shows in November of 2001.     The magic we were hoping for happened immediately. The shooters and instructors who have joined us on the Coaching Hour have expressed their astonishment at the sheer volume of information that is exchanged in a single hour, and at what an amazing learning tool the show has become.     As instructors, we’ve learned an immense amount as well. The Coaching Hour has pushed us to constantly research the best avenues to peak mental and physical performance in sporting clay, and in life itself. It has been a great motivator to find new ways to talk about the same basic concepts. In partnership with the other shooters on the Coaching Hour, as we all find more ways to describe these concepts, the light bulbs begin to switch on in many more heads.     The show has become a very structured and focused way of capturing the magic of a range house discussion. The format allows us to condense the best aspects of those conversations, while whittling out the unnecessary or unimportant jibber-jabber. It also provides immediate feedback. For example, many of our students don’t have time to call in and listen to the show on Tuesday nights. But they can’t wait to get the CD to listen and learn about what we talked about. Others might be trying something we gave them in a clinic, and if they are confused and having trouble putting it into effect, they can call us up and we’ll talk about it on the Coaching Hour. Other shooters who may have overcome that same obstacle can contribute to the discussion and shed new light on our instruction.     In another big discovery, we found that although the shooters were listening carefully during the live show, they wouldn’t internalize it until they had listened to the recorded CD of that Coaching Hour several times. And every time they reach a new level, they interpret what was said on that Coaching Hour differently.     That’s why we decided to put the Coaching Hour transcripts into print, starting with this book, which covers the first year. Here, we invite you to share in the insight, humor and inspiration of our round table of shotgun shooters. And should the urge strike you, pick up the phone and give us all a ring, because the conversation continues. Click Here to Order Now! How to Get It: This paperback book is available for less than the cost of 100 sporting clays targets-only $24.95 (plus $10.00 shipping and handling). Order easily by completing our online form. For more information, call 1-800-838-7533. Ready to order? Complete our ORDER FORM from our secured server! Love It or Your Money Back: Purchase also comes with a money-back guarantee. If you don't feel like you got more information from reading this book than you would receive in a personal half-hour lesson with Gil or Vicki, just send the book back and we will gladly refund your money. You have nothing to lose and lots to gain. To order, simply complete our online form, email us, or call us at 800-838-7533 or 281-346-0888!   How We Teach • Teaching Schedule • Tips & Articles Our Services • Clinic FAQs • Products & Programs • Meet Gil & Vicki Client Comments • More Info/Sign-up • E-mail Us • Home OPTIMUM SHOTGUN PERFORMANCE SHOOTING SCHOOL Toll Free 800-838-7533 P.O. Box 826 • 29354 McKinnon Rd., Suite A • Fulshear, TX 77441 Voice: 281-346-0888 • Fax: 281-346-1500 Copyright © 2000-2007 Optimum Shotgun Performance Shooting School