Steps to Winning

Posted On: 07-18-2023

As parents we all want the best for our kids and when in competition we wish for them all the best opportunities to win.  After all, winning is the culmination of hard work and dedication.  Winning is not an anomaly or luck in this sport.  No one wins that was just lucky.  If by chance they do win by luck seldom if ever is it repeatable. 

Here are five actionable steps to winning:

GOALS

First one has to have goals.  Be support of those that do not have a goal of winning as well as supporting those that do want to win.  I want to win and most people do want to win regardless of the exercise or experience.  I want to win when I purchase a lottery ticket, and I want to win when I see an item on eBay.  Winning feels good.  My winning and yours too though has to have goals.  To the above, if my goal is to win by purchasing 10 tickets or 100 tickets that number of purchases is my goal.  If I want to win on eBay I set a goal of how much I will spend and that is my goal.  But we must set goals for ourselves.

MEASUREABLE GOALS

Next we need to be able to measure those goals.  Back to the above I set a number of tickets to buy and once achieved I have met my goal.  Same for eBay and that amount I will spend.  Each of these is easily measurable.  I can’t just say I will buy a few tickets or I will bid until I am uncomfortable.  It has to be quantifiable and measureable.  In the world of trap it is maybe the number of targets hit, number of shells to shoot each week, number of days of practice or number of targets I will practice on station I hard lefts each week. 

EXPERIENCE SUCCESS

As we move toward winning we have to experience success.  Put bluntly, if we set a goal of 10 tickets and don’t win, or a bid too low, or number of targets hit too high, we do not achieve success.  We have to experience success at some level. So for a youth shooter set those goals that we can achieve and then enjoy the successes in progression.  Meet your goals, set new ones and move on.

RECOGNITION

The next step in winning we need recognition for all the above.  It is so important to hear the words, congratulations, job well done, I was impressed with what you did today, outstanding performance just to name a few.  A strong hand shake, a pat on the back, the team providing congratulatory high fives, and true feeling you are being recognized for what you did.  Coaches, parents and team mates, you have to go out of your way to make others feel good about what they accomplished.

REWARDS

Finally one needs tangible and intangible rewards.  A gold medal, a plaque, a belt buckle, a trophy are all tangible rewards.  They are something to show for your efforts beyond the intangible praise.  

Share these steps and walk through them with your youth shooter to determine if indeed they have what to takes to win.