UH OH! I ruffled a feather or two when I titled my last article, “Why Real Men Practice.” Please forgive my faux pas, as the impression it gave was incorrect and totally unintentional.
The morning after the article was posted, a woman shooter wrote us an extremely nice email complimenting the article. She added… "It would be nice if the line wasn’t about “real men” but “real men and women.”
So much for my “good intentions.” I responded…”Thank you for your comments. Sincerely appreciated. Please forgive my oversight. Being self-employed, instructing and book sales are important. No offense to anyone…the title was chosen only to create interest and a bit of humor, nothing more.”
If I may…a few candid comments about my working with many hundreds of women of all ages and skill levels. Clay Target and Wingshooters.
From my decades of experience, I believe the level of interest in improving one’s shooting is not all that different between men and women. Good students all. Working with each shooter is a privilege. However, I can also say there is an appreciable difference in how the female gender approaches learning. In a few words, she is more open-minded about changing what needs changing. Or, maybe “she is less resistant to change?” This difference expedites her learning and progress in the shooting box. We men…note I said “we”…self-included…are more naturally inclined to lead and “show how.” Women, to their advantage, are more inclined to ask, “Show me how.” Both students learn and move ahead with visible progress. Women just do it a bit faster.
One example. I frequently have the opportunity to work with a husband and wife, both shooters. For their lessons, I always ask, do you prefer to work together or separate? They have the final say, but I encourage them to work together. Two reasons. First and most importantly, they can observe each other and share what they are learning. Not just during their lesson but also, after they return to their home course. Now, they can watch over each other accurately. Secondly, during the lesson, I almost invariably ask the husband to watch her movements with the gun. Less “aggressive,” her movements glide. Very noticeably, she’s smoother. Her swing cadence is slower. And that matters because? She has better control over her swing. She is more precise. And precision is a given. For X consistency…it counts in the clay sports, big time.
While both are breaking targets and improving, she is breaking targets more consistently. Because her swing movements are more deliberate, they tend to be more consistent. We men… again, I said “we”…there’s something to learn from this. Swing control is a critically important fundamental. I teach this control in all my lessons. The better we control our movements, XXXXXX. Our level of control ultimately decides the level of our consistency… behind the muzzle AND at the target.
To my male readers, this is a quick and final note on my working with female students. It's not just my opinion but all-too-common, first-hand experiences. Please listen up.
She sits across from me in the Clubhouse, visibly excited to be here. I ask her about her goals and what she most wants to accomplish today. What is most important to her? Because those goals become my teaching obligations. She’s thinking. The pause is getting longer. I see tears on her face. Silent tears. She speaks. “I want men to stop telling me what to do when I didn’t ask for help. They step in, uninvited, and begin telling me everything I’m doing wrong. Worse, what they tell me to do NEVER works!
Putting all the good intentions aside for a moment, regardless of who is speaking, offering unsolicited advice to a shooter who may be struggling is rarely welcome. Should the shooter ask…wouldn’t it be reasonable to expect the upcoming advice to work? Here’s where all the advice to “try harder…look at the target harder…give it more lead…etc., etc…” hasn’t and won’t provide any real, consistent help. And when it doesn’t, stress in the box only escalates.
Certainly not all, but many of my female students arrive frustrated. Understandably. Tired of all the advice that’s not working, they simply don’t know WHY they are missing. Don’t know HOW to break a target. What it really takes. To their credit, they genuinely want to know HOW…as in, specifically… step by step…with an X at the end of each and every good swing. This…I teach. How…specifically. Set up steps before the call. Swing steps that create the correct sight pictures over the barrel. Steps and sight-pictures that work…dependably. X. X. X. X. X. On time. Shell by shell. Not accidents, but purposely built swings. Is she happy? No longer lost… no longer confused…I get marriage proposals. All the credit, of course, goes to her.
If I may respectfully suggest, reconsider offering advice to any shooter who has not asked for said help. If asked, we owe them recommendation(s) that will indeed help them comprehend how to build a better swing…an X…on purpose.
Thanks for spending time with us here. All of the above is offered constructively.
If you wish to break more targets and shoot consistently, you may wish to purchase Dan Schindler's books Take Your Best Shot and To The Target, available on the Paragon website. Unfortunately, Beyond The Target is currently out of stock. Schindler's books are an investment in good shooting and offer invaluable insights, serving as a roadmap for shooters of all levels. Take Your Best Shot and To The Target are available on the Paragon School of Sporting website and shipped worldwide. Schindler's 3 books offer a simplified and uncomplicated approach to shooting, laying a solid foundation for breaking more targets and achieving consistently higher scores. These books offer invaluable information and are the next best things to taking a lesson with Dan Schindler. There's a wealth of information and blog posts on the Paragon website.
"Dan Schindler is truly a world-class Sporting Clays and Wingshooting instructor capable of taking complex action and breaking them down into simple, repeatable pieces . . . and good heavens doesn't sport shooting need more of that!"
Michael Bane, Host of Outdoor Channel's Shooting Gallery
Dan moves shooters — all skill levels (Never touched a shotgun to Master Class) — forward fast. He teaches the step-by-step Paragon Shooting SYSTEM that he meticulously designed to take the mystery out of breaking targets consistently, providing shooters with the solid foundation to continue moving their game forward. Shooters leave their lesson with crystal clarity, which removes the mystery of why the target broke (or didn't break). No more feeling lost, confused and frustrated.
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About Dan Schindler
Dan Schindler is one of only 60 worldwide members of the Guild of Shooting Instructors (UK) and is one of the most highly respected Sporting Clays and Wingshooting Instructors in the US. Dan is an NSCA Level III Instructor (since 1995) and founded the Paragon School of Sporting with one goal in mind. Whether it be for the advanced competitor or providing the basics to the entry-level shooter, Paragon provides the simplest, most practical and most effective Instruction, Coaching and Mental Training for the Sporting Clays & Wingshooting enthusiast. Dan Schindler helps shooters alleviate a lot of their frustration by taking the mystery out of breaking targets, calling their own misses, and make their own corrections. Lessons are fun, enlightening and our clients learn to shoot better in minutes!
Dan Schindler's Books
"Recommended for shooters of all skill levels, Coaches, Instructors
and parents of youth shooters."
Take Your Best Shot (Book I), 3rd Edition is THE Gold Standard Primer It's all about the fundamentals, a requirement for good shooting. This book is used by high school and college shooting teams, recreational and competitive shooters from around the world. Solid, valuable, concise information that has helped thousands of shooters shoot more consistently with higher scores.
To The Target (Book II) Builds on the steps outlined in Book I. Emphasises Gun Management skills when the trap fires, creating a consistent, reliable, trustworthy swing.
Beyond the Target (Book III) is for shooters of all levels. It is filled with valuable information and clay target truths. It is entertaining and a culmination of three decades of Dan's life's work as a teacher, competitor, published writer, and much more.
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