Talked to our Socal Shooting Olympian today!!

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

If you've never had a chance to watch Kim Rhode shoot, she is amazing to watch.. She is also very approachable and fun to talk with.. She was doing some exhibition shooting for the Tonight Show as well as getting some practice in for London... If she medals in these games she will set a record... I wished her good luck and took a break in my shooting to watch Kim's annihilation of the skeet field...

On a funny note she told me to shoot more trap to be "a more rounded clay shooter."

 

[zippy13]

and took a break in my shooting to watch Kim's annihilation of the skeet field

Did you learn anything? With elite level shooters, like Kim, there's a reason for everything they do. Some of her routine may be part of her physical game and others part of her mental game.

Skeet's a game of inches: Phase I, in learning to shoot skeet, is getting all the different inches, of what goes where, figured out; Phase II is learning how to be very consistent with what you leaned in Phase I; Phase III is learning to adapt to unforeseen situations; and Phase IV is learning to remain focused on what you're doing. I've seen many shooters, on their way to shooting a 100-straight, drop a target on one of the last station because they were thinking of getting a 100 instead of shooting the target at hand.

 

[BarkeyVA]

While I am not at that level of skill, I've often read that the difference between getting a 95 and a 100 is mostly mental.

 

[zippy13]

I'd say it's higher than 95. Remember, you can shoot 95s all day long without ever getting a 25-straight. And, you can't shoot a 100 without first shooting three consecutive 25s.

If the wind changes and you don't know how to compensate, you're toast -- while the more experienced shooter adjusts his game. Where you have to stay on your mental game is if you a drop one in the first round and still keep your wits about you and get a 99. It's real easy to get frustrated, have your wheels come off, and shoot a 95 instead of a 99.

No matter what your level, don't be thinking about scores while on the field, just think about shooting the next target and nothing more. That's the way 100s are shot.