Mastering Sporting Clays

I recently purchased the new DVD, Target Tactics for Sporting Clays and finished reading the book, Mastering Sporting Clays, for the first time and I have to say that I’m going through an amazing revelation. On a regular Tuesday night at 5 stand I forgot to bring my shooting glasses with me to the club. I was ready to start practicing some of the Target Tactics Don describes in the DVD. I shoot with an occlusion device, a magnetic dot, which was NOT on my regular, daily wear glasses I had on but a little background first. If I’m going to be honest, I have always for the most part shot by measuring lead. I know, it’s the cardinal sin of shooting but I always have relied on this method. I even have a green, glow tube that lets me know when I have my eye lined up down the rib. I have really noticed over the past several months that I have been barely breaking targets; light break of the front, back, top, bottom, never smashing targets hard. As I stepped into the box I called for the single and just shot instinctively…smashed bird. At the time I didn’t realize I had my regular glasses on without the dot. My turn came up again for the report pair. Bang, bang, broken birds. It was then I looked back at the trapper and said, “I did that without my shooting glasses”. He looked at me like it was my halleluiah moment! It was!!! I decided to soldier on and I started killing targets faster and with more authority. I’m still flabbergasted that I did that without the occlusion dot, but I can understand now. I was so worried about that barrel/bird relationship that it seemed to accentuate my need to have the left eye blocked from seeing the barrel. After focusing solely on the bird my left eye had no job to do and the right eye dominantly focused on the target. Hard to explain but it worked, and I thank Don for explaining it in so many ways that a hard head like me could finally understand. The FAITH part of the formula is HUGE. I have always had this problem and I think several shooters will say the same. When that far away crosser is moving fast, and you need to be committed to the BP I’ve many times not felt comfortable with where I should be when having one eye occluded but I now feel that if I focus and trust that the barrel will point to where I’m focusing I will be more confident and break those birds. It might sound simple to just say open your eyes and just shoot but when you have done the wrong thing for so long it can be tough to try something new. I say take that chance or you will never know. It is definitely working for me!The DVD goes hand in hand with the book, so you really want to purchase both. Don’s explanation of the Churchill Method of instinctive shooting is so easy to understand in the book and illustrated beautifully in the video. Seven bullet proof techniques on how to break targets in any situation. My hands down, favorite technique is the two-piece! I feel like an absolute boss now with targets above and below and chandelles going up. I have never been more excited about shooting and the DVD and book let me discover new and better ways to break targets. I’ve been so impressed that I’m going to fly down to FL for a few days and take some lessons from the master himself. Great DVD! Great book! Thanks Don.

I bought both the book and DVD because one of my fellow club member had taken a few lessons from the author. I have already commented on the DVD separately but waited to write a review on the book until I had read it in detail. The book starts out with some generic information on various shooting disciplines, gun fit and master eye related issues. It then delves into the triumvirate of focus, movement and faith and a diatribe against other coaches who instruct their students to focus on anything BUT the target. Once you have taken that 'leap of faith', the book takes a strange twist and starts discussing the commonly employed methods to achieve the 'lead' or forward allowance. This is where one begins to wonder, if you are so intently focused on a portion of the target as proposed, how in the name of sanity would you employ the 'pull away', or as the author suggested his favourite 'sustained lead' technique. You have to be aware of your muzzle to insert it ahead of or at the target and then pull away from it. Also, the concept of diminishing lead is discussed, which simply cannot be executed without being fully aware of the muzzle. It is such a contradictory book.Finally, the author talks about the concept of developing a repertoire or database of shots for targets beyond 30-35 yards. How to do that is not clear.I have honestly gained more useful information by reading the much cheaper and concise Orvis wingshooting book than this contradictory treatise. In the end, you should simply follow the standard pull away or whatever technique you use and stick to it. The CPSA how to shoot series on YouTube is much more useful and FREE.

If you're new to the sport, this book will give you just about everything you need to go from novice to knowledgeable. The principles he espouses are as tried and true as you can get from a sport that is still relatively new and much more mental than physical. Plus, there are tips for more experienced shooters for problem targets, such as rabbits and (for me) teal.My one note of caution would be to buy the physical book instead of the kindle version. Some of the graphics and pictures did not come across as well on the kindle as they would have in a book.

This is the clearest and most comprehensive book on clay target shooting I have read, and I've read just about all of them. The author's expertise as an instructor as well as his ability to write well are both readily apparent in the first few pages. Incredibly well organized to offer sound advice and techniques to novice through top level clay target shooters. The only negative I can think of is it wasn't written sooner. I highly recommend it for anybody wanting to improve their sporting clay game.

There is always something to learn from master shooters. Once you get through the initial chapters re gun fit, eye dominance, and the like, the meat and potatoes of Don Currie's strategic, tactical, mental, faith and performance based chapters on SC are just great. There is plenty to consider in this book and apply to your shotoing regimen.

Mastering Sporting Clays is the best of three books I have read about sporting clays. It provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of sporting clays and a systematic approach to shooting clay targets. It has everything from the history of the game to how to look at a target and shoot several different types for target presentations. While a coach will always be necessary to master the game, this book will help the shooter better understand what a coach is trying to convey and why. I feel confident that the book will improve your game, as it has mine.

I have read a dozen books on shotgun shooting/sporting clays over the last 20 yrs, and this is the best by far. the instinctive techniques/principles discussed are not too complex nor too simplistic---just right. I'm a big fan of Chris Batha and John Bidwell, and this book is a perfect synthesis of the two. I would highly rec'd his newest video to see his concepts in action.

No voodoo. Just solid, well seasoned advice, well presented. I don't know or care if this man can shoot - but he can teach.

Great book. Don explains the fundamentals in a clear and concise way. He explains the why. It’s one of the better books l’ve read on shotgun shooting. You won’t regret getting this book.

Muy bien escrito, facil de leer, ilustraciones de excelente calidad, un libro del que se puede aprender a mejorar en el sporting y otras modalidades.