Three Things that Ruin an Offense
Posted On: 12-24-2022
I know we don’t think of shooting sports in terms of offense and defense, but I am always trying to make analogous cases for comparing shooting sports to other sports. I recently read these three things as reasons for a ruined offense in basketball and it makes sense in our shooting world:
- Bad shots
- Errant passes
- Unnecessary dribbles
Let’s start with bad shots. In basketball when you take the shot it is your choice, but in the shooting sports you have no choice. Call pull and the target flies. But think about all the things that occur prior to calling pull that influenced your decision to shoot. In this case taking a bad shot is similar because we were never ready to shoot from the beginning. So a bad shot is predicated on poor preparation. I also see errant shots that really are a case of pulling the trigger with really no target in sight. I might ask the question, “Why did you pull the trigger?” to which I get a response “I have no idea.”
A second element of bad shots is we typically know we made a bad shot. Give this some time to mull and we try to understand why we made a bad shot. This is a teaching and learning opportunity. Bad shots have root causes and we have to figure out why we took or take bad shots. Going back to basketball that choice I mentioned when the shot was taken also applies to whether one used their footwork, soft focus, form, gun mount, visual acuity, and lead to hit the shot. Think about this.
Errant passes in Basketball also lead to interceptions, and missed opportunities. For us in the shooting sports, errant passes should be compared to barrel movement. An errant barrel move of course creates misses. How easy a ¼” movement translates to multiple feet at 40 yards. Without understanding just how much the barrel moves or really needs to move, we cannot hit targets regularly. We control our barrel movement like a basketball player controls their passes. Our barrel leads the target their pass leads the moving player. We establish in our minds what we need for lead as a basketball player does the same in lacing the ball through opposing players to it’s target.
Finally, unnecessary dribbles have to be considered. Of these three, this one bugs me the most. Its all the extra’s a youth shooters employs thinking this will improve their scores. Exaggerated pre-shot routines, loss of focus when a miss occurs, wild emotions, and just not being ready to shoot both mentally and physically, influence scores. Youth shooters have to streamline their approach to shooting and eliminate the extras. Make the process as simple as possible and therefore simple to understand. Too much pre-shot movement detracts from the eventual concentration needed after calling pull.
Yes some of these might be a reach, but my point is to make you think about what you can do to improve your youth shooters skills. Reaching for comparisons is a good way to connect.