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Q: Gil and Vicki - wanted to write a quick note, having purchased your books (one of them twice as I left it on the airplane) and then having all your CD's wanted to tell you how much I have appreciated your information. Question for you - what do you make of merging with the bird, running with it, then pulling away? I find this hard to do, too much time required. Yet, some instructors both shoot and teach teach this. Sincerely, Jeff
A:Some shooters and instructors teach this can do it for a variety of reasons. Some because they have done it a Bazillion times and others because they are young. Bottom line there is no right or wrong way to get the gun ahead of the bird and different people are comfortable doing different things based on the way they perceive visually and their experience. Our research shows that older people have problems running with and pulling away from targets, not only does it waist precious time while the bird is in the air but it creates visual inconsistencies because of the degradation of the visual circle as we age. It also leads to a multitude of apparent problems such as flinching, eye bounce, imagined intermittent cross dominance, inconsistency in results, slashing the muzzles at the end of the shot, stopping the gun, and so on and so on. The biggest mistake or misconception we see in the shooting instruction world is that people (instructors and shooters alike) think that all people see and perceive the same way, and you are either right or left eye dominate. Well our research shows that rarely do people perceive visually the same way and there are so many varying degrees of dominance all shooters can't necessarily do what other shooters do. When a shooter tries to model themselves after a pro shooter and their experience level and visual perception is not the same as that pro they are limited to how well they can do what the pro can do. The reason the guy is a pro in the first place is because he has done it for 10,000 hours and the circuits in his brain are mylinated(insulated) which enables him to do what he does unconsciously and what he perceives he does fits his visual and physiological makeup. The problem with taking a lesson from a pro shooter is that they’re trying to get you to imitate their perfected subconscious move. More often than not you don’t have their experience level or visual capabilities and as long as the pro is there looking over your shoulder you hit the target but when they aren’t there you are lost…sound familiar? Trying to do what they do without breaking down the fundamentals of what they do and learning the fundamentals first will prove frustrating and in the end detrimental to your shooting. The system we have evolved to is user friendly to aging vision and easier to learn. We have coached champion shooters who have begun with us and evolved into using different techniques on different targets due to the way they perceive visually or their physical abilities or where they end up after breaking the first bird of a pair. Different strokes you see what I mean? Way too many shooters focus on the trip and not the destination. The destination is about the target and the trip is about the gun and being “right” is grossly overrated! Let me know what you think of what I have said....I am truly interested.
Q: Hi Gil - thanks for the quick reply. I guess I forgot to tell you that since purchasing your books and tapes I have gone from D class to AA with 12 punches toward Master in 18 months! I have had lessons locally at Kiowa Creek too. Hope to punch into Master at Seminole Cup in Feb. Anyway - I am a podiatrist, do a lot of surgery, and train residents in surgery...so the teaching aspect of anything is very interesting to me. Sounds like you are familiar with Daniel Coyle's "The Talent Code" - I truly believe that myelin formation at younger ages and over time is legit. It also surprises me how good my boys (17 and 15) shoot without practice. Oh to have young eyes and reflexes again. Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers hit home with me too. What I find interesting is that every time I read your books I pick up something new that didn't apply to me previously due to my changing points along the learning curve. I have to tell you that I hate the barrel! It truly causes flinching, eye bounce, stopping the gun, etc. When I watched another instructors tape that talked about running with the target it made my head spin. What I was most interested in was trap shots.....I am having a very hard time with gun up trap shots. Can't figure out where to put my hold point and where the eyes should be gun up. Do I look down thru the barrel? Do I gaze over the top? Any recommendation would be helpful. It seems that on so many true pairs if you don't hit the first one fast the second bird is gone. Hard to do low gun on everything although I try! I am in full agreement with you on all points. Reiterates the fact I need to come down and get some hands on with you! You and Vicki have done a tremendous service to the shooting community. I look forward to meeting you in person; have a great holiday season.
A:Gun up can be a great advantage on narrow angle trap shots and here is how we would tell you to approach them. If the trap is 5 to 8 yards or more in front of the station and just off to either side throwing a bird straight away choose your break point and set your hold point just under the break point and about 10 % back toward the trap. Put your eyes near or on the trap depending on where they need to be for you to see the target quickly and if you need to take your head off the stock and turn it to see the target quickly it is ok, just remember to shoot the target quickly you must see the target quickly! With this set up you have the greatest amount of time to see the target BEFORE IT OVERTAKES THE GUN which allows for your timing to just ease the gun up into the line of the target and take the shot when the target and gun come together. In most instances you will be able to see the target coming to the end of the barrel and your move is short and slow up to touch the target and pull the trigger. The difference in this approach and the one we feel you have tried is getting the gun SEPARATED from the eyes gives the eyes more time to read the target which allows the visual input to the brain to be undistorted and uninterrupted by the barrel. Set up us this way also allows for minimal movement of the gun which is of great advantage due to the fact that the narrow angle trap target is a decelerating speed/lead bird. Excessive gun movement will create inconsistencies and misses high and in front. Oh, and if the target is a straight away and you are right handed place the muzzles just right of the line and just below the break point with your eyes back at the trap. When you see the target emerge from the trap slowly ease the gun up to the front edge of the target and pull the trigger. If you are left handed do just the opposite start the gun on the left of the line, just remember it is a slow move not a fast one. Let us know how this works out......V&G
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