Posted On: 03-31-2020

Teams can participate in this challenge with teams having the greatest number of activities completed by April 17, 2020 at midnight being awarded three cases of shotgun shells.  The team award package may grow. 

You are first required to complete both activities in BLOCK ONE, and then you may do as many (each individual can enter once supporting your team) activities as you like.  Should there be a tie a random drawing will make the selection.

Many of the activities require multiple days to complete the activity.  Make sure you follow through and complete each activity fully.

CHECK UNLOAD

PLEASE BE SAFE – TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE SURE YOUR GUN IS UNLOADED AND THE BREACH IS OPEN.  DOUBLE CHECK AND BE SURE TO REMOVE ALL AMMUNITION FROM THE GUN CASE OR AREA YOU ARE PRACTICING IN.

Please note: your parents are to proctor your activities and confirm you have competed each. 

BLOCK ONE – Must do both but can do other block activities simultaneously

• Include your parents in watching at least one video on shooting trap – this can be accomplished through YouTube.  Here are the criteria
  • Must be at least 15 minutes in length – can add several together
  • Youth Shooter and parent must discuss the video
  • Cannot be a video listed here for other activities
  • Both must discuss what the video could do to help the youth shooter
• Gun mounts – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Watch this video first:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sqHCWmPEYQ
  • With parents counting do 50 mounts each day for one week
  • Total 350 mounts required – grow to 1000 a week (optional)
  • Work to be consistent
  • Discuss the benefit with your parents

Pick at least five of the following exercises you can do at home and with your parents as your proctor have them approve that you completed the tasks.  You may pick from each block or do several in one block, but keep track so you can input them later.  When you are ready to submit, go to the link below and check off the exercises you completed.  For each team the more exercises you do the more chances your team has to win. 

All activities are due to be competed by April 17, 2020, however they can be submitted prior to April 17, 2020 at Midnight.

BLOCK TWO

• Visualize – Be positive
  • Spend 15 minutes visualizing from the time you arrive at the range through pulling the trigger (pick a range of your choice)
  • Visualize the place, people, smells, weather
  • What can you hear? Mower, birds, conversations,
  • What does the trap house look like?
  • Close your eyes and concentrate on pre-shot through pulling the trigger
  • Visualize seeing the target – what did you see – be specific
  • Visualize the target breaking, did you feel the recoil?
  • How did your gun feel? Smells, noise, movement
  • Repeat each day for a week 7x
• Know the field
  • Take the time to draw the field on a piece of paper
  • Know the angles and distances overall
  • Know the possible angles on each station
  • Check your work here:  https://www.westchestergunclub.com/about-trapshooting/trapshooting-university/the-trap-field/
  • Discuss the field with your parents
• Exercise – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Hold your arms straight out and rotate your body fully right and left (50 times)
  • Take your firearm and with both arms straight forward lift your gun over your head 50 times
  • Take a 30 minute walk – with parents too
  • Have parents count your repetitions
• Clean your firearm- CHECK UNLOAD
  • Take it apart and clean it thoroughly
  • Show your parents how you did it or ask their help to learn more

BLOCK THREE

• Breathing exercises
  • Use the one of the methods provided in one the MYSSA website
  • https://moyouthshooting.org/breathing-exercises/
• Rules of trap shooting
  • Download the ATA rules book and read it
  • https://www.shootata.com/Portals/0/pdf/ata_rulebook_web.pdf
  • Have your parents quiz you
• Write down your likes and dislikes about competitive shooting
  • Before you shoot
  • During the shoot
  • After the shoot
  • Share and discuss with your parents
• Prepare to pattern your gun
  • https://www.browning.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/how-do-i-check-for-poi-and-pattern-my-shotgun.html
  • Know what a good pattern looks like
  • Decide how you will pattern your gun and what to look for
  • Understand Point of Impact
  • Know the 30” circle
  • Learn about chokes

BLOCK FOUR

• Snap caps or spent hulls –CHECK UNLOAD
  • Put a dot on the wall and swing to the dot both left and right and pull the trigger
  • Have someone shine a tight light spot on the wall for you to follow
  • Work on a soft trigger pull
  • Do this 20 times over the week with parents counting
• Know your gun – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Measure your length of pull
  • Drop
  • Cast
  • Grip
  • Watch this video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLLnGM3DXE0
  • Discuss what you learned with your parents
• Wrist exercises – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Using just your wrists rotate the gun up and down 50 times each day for a week
  • Have parents count and record
  • Note when you get tired
• Practice the routine of shooting – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Take your gun out of the case
  • Pretend which post you will start on
  • Walk to a line and place your feet
  • Do your pre-shot
  • Mount your gun
  • Call the target
  • Visualize the target
  • Pull the trigger
  • Visualize the broken target
  • Do this 100 times in one day – only do once

BLOCK FIVE

• Arm curls with 5lbs
  • Find something that weighs five pounds (potatoes)
  • Do 50 arm curls each day
  • Have your parents count
• Mirror Exercise – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Good video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waBaFgUapW4
  • Stand in front of a mirror and mount your gun
  • Watch where your eye is on the barrel
  • Do this as many times as necessary to determine when fatigue changes your eye location – 25-50 minimum
  • Both eyes open
  • Focus beyond the bead
  • Discuss what you leaned with your parents
• A penny for your thoughts – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Place a penny on the barrel just behind the bead
  • Practice raising the gun to a full mount smoothly
  • Don’t drop the penny
  • Do this 100 times during the week
• Be a champion
  • Visualize what it would be like to win
  • What are the emotions
  • What did you do to deserve the medal
  • Discuss this with your parents

BLOCK SIX

• Pre-shot Routine – CHECK UNLOAD
  • Develop this and practice
  • Make it routine
  • Make it something you can do repeatedly
  • Execute it 25 times each day
  • Show it off to your parents
  • Is it efficient?
• Pre-Shoot Routine
  • Write down what you need to take to a shoot and put it in your shell bag
  • Write down what will you eat
  • Write down how much sleep will you get
  • Write down your thoughts on being mentally prepared
  • Share this with your parents
• Post Shoot and Practice De-Briefing
  • Get journal and write down how you practiced and shot
  • Do this even for this at-home practice
  • Who did you talk to about your shooting
  • Was the feedback positive
  • Share your thoughts
• Goals
  • Write down goals for when you return to shooting
  • Write down ways to achieve those goals
  • Write down what is important to you in your goal setting – aspects of shooting, mental, exercise, focus, concentration
  • Share these goals

After you have completed five or more of these exercises plus the required Block One, please complete the following survey. 

You may need to cut and paste this URL

https://forms.gle/KnCzFENCTTg1MvBGA

Finally have fun and take care!

David Vaught, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance