TRAP & FIELD

TRAP & FIELD – 2021 October Do you need a custom stock? Ian Darroch has ideas on the subject this month. A custom stock should make your mount effortless, should help you shoot where you look, and should reduce perceived recoil. He believes many custom stocks are too long and have too much offset. Finding a good stockfitter is a paramount concern, obviously. I like his sug gestion that you get a “try stock” cut in the rough to practice with before making a major commitment. The “try stock” can then be modified with wood putty or can be filed to fit perfectly before the final product is determined. If the stock you currently use feels comfortable, use it as a baseline for the new one. Remember, a custom stock will not make up for technical deficiencies in your shooting style. Bob Palmer sug gests a simple “pinch away” technique for forgetting a miss. Think of the mistake and using your left thumb and index finger, pinch them together for several second then release the bad emotions associated with the event. Now pinch your right thumb and index finger together and think of a positive Zone memory and hold for several seconds then release. Think of another positive Zone memory and repeat. Do it a third time with another memory. Try it.

How do you eliminate mental logjams that eat away at your concentration. Bob Palmer sug gests there are four main causes of mental logjams: anxiety and worries, frustrations from illegal targets, tightening up during competition, and other people watching you shoot. For the first problem, anxiety and worry, Bob sug gests you keep moving, keep your body in motion. Whether it is pacing or simply shifting your weight from one foot to the other, keep moving. Visualizing the Zone during this kinetic activity is even better. Illegal targets and other distractions can be expunged by resetting the shot process. This is a big one for many people. Can’t count how many times I’ve seen people miss after calling and getting a broken target. Reset using your pre-shot routine. As to tightening up, keep your posture positive and visualize yourself in this powerful physical attitude. As to people, remember the 30-minute rule. Give yourself that 30minute buffer before going to the line. Keeping a journal helps. Write down distractions affecting you during a competition and how you dealt with them.