Baby Steps

Posted On: 01-26-2024

At some point you shot your first round of trap.  If like some, you finally hit one, caught the bug and each day you have one thing on your mind – how many can I hit today.  Great in theory but so wrong in practice.  As a shooter you must start to see this for more than targets hit.  Think about this; you hit your first 25 straight and the pressure is off, all the effort you put into those 25 is exhausted.  I would even bet if you sat down for a debriefing, you would not know how you got to the point of 25 straight, only that it happened. 

The process of hitting 25 straight does not start at the end, but at the beginning.  A few targets at a time and for each of those you start to understand why you hit each one.  I would challenge that if one could hit five targets on station one, then a move to station two seems logical.  Sort of like if you hit a ball far enough you can run to second base.  A look back and those five targets reveals you had two hard rights (straight aways) one mid left and one hard left.  Those five shots have now been broken down and you can think about them for future use.  A picture might be evolving in your mind as to what each of those targets look like and you bank that for future reference ON STATION ONE. 

Now start all over.  Baby step through station one again and again and again until that station is one you understand, you know your hold points, you know what a hard right looks like and your mind is prepared for a hard left.  After a while station one becomes your friend, and you grow to embrace that station as one you agree with and love to shoot. 

Next step is on to station two. You see a little at a time you grow to align with each station, understand the nuances of each possible target angle and how they relate to your foot position, hold points, and eye soft focus.  Looking back to station one you go back and work it again then move to two and then to three.  The purpose in this is to grow into stations not the entire round that you do not fully comprehend. 

It will come a time when you have no deference to any station.  Each will feel compatible with your abilities, and each will reward you with success because you took the time to learn each one.  Once that 25 is reached looking back will not be an option, but rather look ahead will be the process you will follow.  After all, you understand what just happened and you have made yourself ready for it to happen again.  Break it down for success.

Pass this along and give it a try, don’t go to practice, and shoot 5 stations, go to five practices and shoot one station each time.  I agree some of the stations will become favorites and other will frustrate you, but you will overcome and grow into a strong well-rounded shooter, and not just a 25 and done. 

David R. Vaught, Ph.D.

Executive Director