Can't get the 50. I start thinking about the score too much and make myself nervous. I lose focus and....lost. Another 49. I know, focus on the bird, one bird at a time. Just because I know, doesn't mean I can do it.

Dave

Not trying to be a smart a$$ but the only solution is to keep doing it. If you can break 49 you can break 50. You've broken any target they can throw you. Believe.

I have had some of the same problems. When you raise your shotgun and a thought comes into your head lower the gun and start your sequence or again. This has helped me.

Way out in the back of your mind, you really don't want to break that 50. You're happier striving for it and never reaching it because it's a familiar state of mind. If you reach 50 the next level is 75 and you fear having to succeed at 50 each time you try just to have a chance at the 75. You fear having to succeed at the next task so you allow yourself to fail at the task at hand. You let your mind dwell on your fears and once you miss that one target you can settle down and concentrate because you know you're safe for another round.

Shoot 50 rounds of 1 target... not 1 round of 50 targets. Then you need not worry about all the targets you have yet to break.

Keller

who cares, just shoot the next orange thing.

The one thing that keeps me going is-- it is the last bird.... DO NOT MISS IT.

Kenny U

I have struggled with this before until I was shooting a handicap event at the state shoot and I was just ink balling them. Had a very good score going until the last trap where my mind shifted out of neutral and wouldn't stop thinking about how good of a score I was gonna post. I got myself so nervous that I completely fell apart and my score went into the toilet. I spent the entire winter thinking about that experience and how I talked myself right into a bad score. So the following year I was back at the same shoot believe it or not and began another good score which was gonna result in a yardage punch if I could hold it together. I remember starting to feel my nerves getting jumpy and it was on the verge of affecting my shooting as I could feel myself getting careful. I remember doing a gut check, reminded myself of the bad experience I had the previous year and that this time I didn't care if I missed targets, it was just not gonna be because I got nervous and I WASN'T going home with any regrets this time. If I got beat, it was gonna be by the targets and not by my own thoughts. I also told myself that I could break any target thrown and I was hoping to get some hard angles so that when I crushed them it would make the good score more important to me. After all, who wants a good score shooting all easy targets, that doesn't mean anything. I wanted to be challenged and come through or go down swinging. This mind set kept me aggressive and sharp. Ever since then I don't get a whole lot of nerves problem. I finished the handicap score strong with a yardage punch and a state trophy. The last target was a hard left on post one, which is what I was hoping to get and I just turned it inside out.

Another thing that may help you Dave is to remember you're not shooting scores, you're shooting targets. When you go to a shoot don't concentrate on what scores you're gonna shoot or even how many targets you're gonna shoot at. You are going to the shoot for one purpose only, to break the first target. Then the next target and so on. It helps me to remember in the big picture of my life the scores I post really don't affect my life either way. So if you break a 49 or 50 isn't going to make a difference at all so there's no reason to worry about it. My first 50 was nearly impossible to get too. Now it's common in my shooting and really doesn't even mean anything to me, some day it will be the same for you and you will wonder why you were so nervous.

When I'm straight and near the end and if I start to get a bit puckery, I start taking long, slow and deep breaths. It works.......almost every time. The extra oxygen will help calm you and center your focus.

I struggled with the same thing until about 8 weeks ago. I found my focus would get too wide; my mind would wander and my scores went south. Until I found the correct level of focus I would drop one or two and it was over for me for the day.

One answer: valium...

But seriously, I shoot Bunker (very little ATA here but there is one club I visit once a year and remember the good 'ol days in NY) and the only way I shot my first 25 was simpy to picture the next post and the bird breaking again and again. Not thinking where I was, how many I had shot, how many I had to go. Just always think of the next bird. Picture it breaking. Got through the setup and then break the beotch...focus on the ne bird and they will break. Sometimes all of them!

I'll paraphrase what I've heard and read from top shooters... Whether it's your first target, or your last. If thoughts like "Boy, I hope I don't miss this one" start creeping into your head, replace it with... "I paid for this target, and I'm going to SMOKE IT!" Good luck.

drink a beer and relax, it works

learn to relax between shots, this is when you let your mind relax, when the shooter before you shoots, time to focus on the task at hand, if done correctly you only need 3-5 seconds of focus and you can do that. Positive affirmations, I will break this target, visualize sight picture of a target you just smoked, then just do it!

It was mention above..."You don't shoot a fifty target event..you shoot fifty,one target programs." Think one at a time and forget the rest.

Big Jack

"The target exists for the shooter to break."

If it was easy, we would all be 99% shooters. I always seem to have that one bird, where for the life of me, don't understand why I called pull.

I would submitt that you really don't want to 'keep it together'. That adrenaline filled rush you are getting is the part of the reward of the game - with out that, trapshooting would be much less interesting.

But take heart, you WILL bust a 50 then a 100x100 then who knows maybe a 200x200 or 100x100 in doubles. Just get that can't do it thought out of your head and enjoy the ride.

I talk to my big old Lab buddy Luka Brasi. In my head,of course. He is the calmest animal that I have ever owned[?]. He is almost 12 and can't travel like he used to, but he's always with me. Bill

In my short time shooting I have learned this is a mental game, the more you think the harder it is to break targets. Just shooting a good score is tough enough let alone hitting plateaus (25, 50, 75, and 100). Hitting 50 for me was tough as even 25's were tough to come by for me, so when I ran a trap those thoughts of breaking 50 occupied my mind and on a few occasions I missed my 50th target. Now that trap house doesn't know its throwing your 50th target and it is no more difficult than the first 49, sometimes even easier. When I got my 50 I ran my first trap and kept telling myself this is the day I do it, so I missed m 28th bird and was really bummed and kept thinking how I missed that easy target. With my mind being occupied beating myself up how I missed that target I ran the rest for a 99. I was SO impressed with my 99 it didn't dawn on me till later that I also broke 50 straight. To me the thought of breaking 75 or 100 straight seemed impossible, till I just went out and shot the targets and earlier this month I got my 75 and since I was feeling frisky just broke the last 25 too. oscar

When I was new to trap and trying to hit a magic number I just kept telling myself in my head ...gee, only 200 more targets to go today...if you make your mind believe the end is a looong way off...then your head wont worry over the next 75 or so...just keep putting the final target so far out of mind you forget and just keep plowing ahead..treat it like a job that just has to be done then do each one right as if on an assemby line...that worked for me but then again I like to climb flag poles with my tie-dye boxer shorts and a red Lucille Ball wig on ..so take it for what its worth ; ))

I like your yellow dogs Bill - I have an ol yellow guy myself. Luka Brasi is a great name, I'll bet they would go dissapear some body if you asked them to.

Try telling yourself "you are going to do it" ! I believe ALL negatives must be purged from your mind.

blade819

Has anyone tried Lanney Bassham's mental management system? I am considering the purchase of WITH WINNING IN MIND.

Doc

This is a super thread! Thank you, Dave, for starting it. About every bit of advice I thought of has been given already by guys who, I am sure, shoot better than me!

1.) Tell each bird,"You can't get away!"

2.) Focus hard on each bird.

3.) Expand your "comfort zone". (Unknown One)

4.) Physical relaxation...(Barry)

All I might add is to give yourself a positive thought before you call for each bird. Try,"Hug the gun." or "See it break." This might push numbers and negative thoughts from you mind. Martinpicker

One other item that helps is experience. The more often you find yourself in the position of running a straight (no matter if it is 25, or 50, or 100, or 200, or whatever) the less "of a deal" it will become. The only way to get experience is to shoot often, and a lot. I still get pretty shaky if I have run 95 straight and one more post remains, but I haven't been shooting all that long (compared to some).

I remember my first 25 straight, and after doing that several times, it was no big deal...but shooting 100 straight still gets me in a bundle, no matter what I think, don't think, or do.

Hang in there.

bluedsteel

It never gets easy for us lesser folk. Don't know about the great ones, suspect them too..

I find my misses are predominately "bird focus" problems.

something disrupts your routine, a speaker, Moose grunts on an adjacent field, etc.

You choose not to reset, you don't let your gaze relax, you become fixated on a spot "out there" and there it is "lost bird"..

barring natures intervention, wind, rain, etc, You need to only repeat the exact same pre-shot routing 200 consecutive times without being complacent about it.

Im going to print these tips and put them on a laminated card to keep in my gun case!!!

Frank Hoppe said to never think negative like "I hope I don't miss one of the last targets". Frank says there's a subconscience that wants to get away from the pressure. He called it a "little devil" sitting on your shoulder, trying to convince you to fail.

He said to use a key word/thought to rid yourself of that devil when your thoughts create pressure. "BullSh7t!" works great.

I'm working on a number as well. Today I happened to get to the club late and everyone else had gone. So I shot by myself which is much simpler. I even requested the same trap each time. It turned out to be a good way to iron some things out. Had a issue with my eye hold and that was clearly my biggest problem. When I added an eye hold set to my routine between round 1 and 2, results came right back. Another problem involved a short angled target from station 5. I tend to come up and wait for the target instead of going after it. That mistake cost me a 100 pin on the last station. I did get one more target at that same angle and broke it with pursuit. It was a good day. Now I have to move what I've learned back into practice with 4 other shooters.

Maybe simplifying your practice situation would help you like it did me.

22, 25, 25, 25, 24

Joe

The problem with being a "Thinker" is you think too much. I had a famous trap shooter's wife recommend a great book, that opened a new way of approaching the game for me. Warning, this book does not mention trap shooting at all, but applies to any individual competitive sport. "Thinking Body, Dancing Mind." by Chungliang Al Huang and Jerry Lynch. I find the pre-event mental exercises to be most helpful. Dealing with self imposed mental limitations are confronted with the Tao spiritual approach, which will be very different from our Western combative approach. Shoot well my friend. CAM

What is the Tao spiritual approach?

I put my attention on what I want to do.

Doc,

"With winning in mind" is the way to go. HMB

DaveXT,

What Barry Roach said is 100% correct in my case.

I started deep breathing at the suggestion of Mike Blaisdell (8-time All American Team). I've struggled for several years and I hadn't broke a 100-straight in 3 1/2 years. Mostly averaged around 95 - 96. Since following his instructions (June 9th) I carded two 100's; two 99's; six 98's & one 97. Averaged 93.4 in doubles and 92.2 in handicap from the 27. Last week I scored 197 in the singles; 92 in doubles & 97 in the handicap.

In my view Mike Blaisdell is an excellent instructor and I recommend him highly. I also hold Terry Jordan's wall chart in high regard. I remain grateful to both these gentlemen for taking time to help me through my struggles.

I found (not to be snobby) that choosing your squadmates to be the toughest you can round up helps..it pushes your focus because nobody wants to be the lone odd man out...getting hung isn't fun and you try harder naturally

here is a tip .. try it... smile it will relax you enough to just shoot... if you are hitting 49's it is mental so smile and get that bird...let me know