We are still amazed at the number of shooters who are constantly looking over the end of the barrel after they load the gun and in their setup.
On the surface, checking the beads in the setup might seem a positive step to ensuring your gun is mounted correctly. But the lingering effects of checking the beads in your setup are not good. Our research has shown time and again that the amount of muzzle awareness in the shot will always be equal to or greater than the amount of muzzle awareness in the setup. Said another way, if you consistently check the beads in the setup, you will check them as the shot comes together.
Our friend and fellow coach Terry Hetrick says, “You never want anything in your setup that you don’t want in your shot, and you don’t want the beads in your shot because nothing good happens when you look at the muzzle.”
Chasing the target down with the muzzle and trying to fix the shot at end is another problem that all shooters have – especially in the beginning.
Some shooters eventually overcome this, but until they do, they are frustrated. When they look at the show birds everything is slow and looks so easy. But when they get into the cage, everything seems to speed up and they don’t know why!
These shooters not only look at the muzzle while loading and closing the gun, but when they are getting set up for the shot and inevitably the muzzle is between their eyes and the trap when they call “pull.” If they had looked for the gun at least one time while holding the gun in their hands and the muzzle had not been there, we could understand why they look at it so often. But it has always been there!
Many shooters are looking over the end of the muzzle when calling “pull,” which results in always being behind the target and having to chase the target down with the muzzle. This turns shooters into barrel draggers because the muzzle is slashing around trying to catch up to the target and then having to slow down to try to get the lead right!
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