The Off Season is Here
Posted On: 05-22-2022
It has been a long year highlighted by school and our team efforts in the shooting sports. These years go by fast and as once described to me maybe this is true. You see at 5 years old a year is a 5th of your life, but at 50 it is a 50th of your life. The time just goes by so fast.
So what to do to help your youth shooter over the summer? Here are a couple things they can do at home under your supervision. First would be repetitive gun mounts looking onto the mirror. This not only creates muscle memory which we do not want to lose over the summer, but it also builds muscle mass. A gun is about 8 pounds and it can get heavy. Pick a few days each week to work on this simple training exercise.
Next is carefully attaching a laser pointer to your barrel and after mounting the gun follow the joints in the ceiling back and forth. You will be amazed at how tired you become until you build up your muscles and how hard it is to keep that point steady. Remember on the field any slight movement of the barrel off the target line results in a huge miss down range.
I think you should also take some time to read a little about shooting. You can learn so much and share that with others. I have posted a reading list in previous blogs, but one of my favorite books is Trap Shooting Secrets, by James Russell. This book is full of tips and insights and is well worth the read. Consider buying a copy for your team and share chapters.
Don’t forget to get out and exercise. Walk, run or whatever you need to do to stay active. Most youth will begin to grow quickly during the same years you are in school so stay active and strong. Don’t forget as well that away from the dietician prescribed foods you have been eating in school, it is easy to forget the food groups that best keep you healthy.
Finally, get to the range and shoot. Take a minute to plan out what you will doing while you practice. Maybe lock the trap for hard rights, or hard lefts. Maybe consider trying a couple different loads in your gun and maybe even choke tubes. Try new sunglasses and explore changes that you have been putting off all season. Summer is a great time for making changes that will require you to practice and make those changes permanent. Consider calling a teammate and the two of you watch as you shoot and critique each other in a positive way. You never know what someone might see that you are doing and don’t realize.
Enjoy your summer. Have fun. See you all at the Fall Classic on October 8, 2022 at Linn Creek.
David R. Vaught, Ph.D.
Executive Director