LESSON 1 – NATURAL ABILITY WILL NOT MAKE YOU A SHOOTING CHAMPION.  It takes a lot of practice, so we shoot together just about every Saturday using our practice barricades.  It is important to practice to a higher standard, so we shoot at targets that are smaller than we would normally encounter in a match and set aggressive time limits for our drills.  We also dry fire whenever we get a chance.  You can also get serious about this sport later in life (that’s our story) and can remain competitive well into your senior years.
LESSON 2 – ANGER IS THE ENEMY OF GOOD SHOOTING.  We’re learning to stop beating ourselves up over bad shots or poor performance on a particular stage.  Instead we focus on what’s ahead.  As teammates we make sure the other doesn’t get caught in a funk after a poor performance.
LESSON 3 – BAD SHOTS CAN TEACH YOU MORE THAN GOOD SHOTS.  We try to come away understanding what caused the errant shot.  It can be anything from a bad wind call to a simple mistake like forgetting to dial in the proper DOPE.
LESSON 4 – NEVER GO WITHOUT A SHOT PLAN.  We try to execute each shot in a consistent manner.  It is very revealing when you watch a video of yourself and you recognize that you are not executing each shot the same way.  Sometimes it’s better to slow down to get things right.
LESSON 5 – PRACTICE IN BAD CONDITIONS AS WELL AS GOOD CONDITIONS.  We get plenty of rain in western Washington, but not much wind.  We make a point of shooting in windy eastern Washington whever we can.  Shooting in ideal conditions is also important as it eliminates a number of variables and allows one to concenrate on fundamentals.
LESSON 6 – CHAMPIONS ARE POSITIVE, OPTIMISTIC PEOPLE.  That’s one of the main reasons we like to shoot.  People are shooters by choice and they are happy doing what they love.  A positive, optimistic attitude carries across to the rest of your life.
LESSON 7 – IT’S NOT ABOUT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE.  For us it’s about the journey and the people we meet along the way.  We’ve gone to matches where we have completely floundered, but we found new friends and came away better shooters.
LESSON 8 – YOUR DOG WON’T BITE YOU AFTER SHOOTING A BAD SCORE.  No need to worry what other people think about your performance.  If anything, they are busy obsessing over their performance.
LESSON 9 – YOUR PRESS CLIPPINGS CAN HURT YOU OR HELP YOU.  That would be a nice problem to have.
LESSON 10 — YOU NEVER SHOT YOUR BEST SCORE.  That’s where our match debriefs come in handy – we can always do better.  That’s another reason we try to hit increasingly smaller targets from difficult positions.Feel free to share your thoughts on our Facebook page or by contacting us directly: guys@65guys.com