Let me start this month by saying that John has been
working on an instructional sporting clays video that I have been privy to
preview several times through each and every stage of the development.
Therefore I wasn’t surprised when he chose the subject of this month’s article
to be “flow”. After all, it is essentially the theme of the video and a basic
premise in all of John’s teaching.
So what is this “flow” that we speak of and why is
it so important? According to Webster
flow is defined as “to run smoothly and effortlessly… like a stream contained
by banks”. That is what good shooting feels like, a smooth movement that feels
easy. The only way to achieve it is to
use the “move, mount, shoot” method (coined by John Bidwell). There are common subcategories
of move, mount, shoot including sustained lead, pull-away, and swing-through but
the foundation of all successful shooting needs to be move, mount, shoot.
The success of this method is in the order of the
words. Mount, move, shoot won’t achieve flow and obviously shoot, mount, move
would just look silly. The moving and mounting work simultaneously to produce
the smooth flow that you often see when watching the top shooters around the
world.
In the video I mentioned, John teaches this point by
using the example of a rectangle. Picture a rectangle where you start the gun
in the bottom right hand corner (just below the line of the target) and the
target flies right to left across the top and you want to kill it a the top left
corner. You have to move the gun in a diagonal line in time with the target in
order to be in the right place at the break point. If you try to move straight
up and then across you will end up chasing the bird from behind which shortens
your window of opportunity drastically. Trying to bring the gun up to the target
after you have mounted won’t work either. The only way to consistently hit the
target is to stay with it through the whole movement.
To visualize this picture I will assume I am writing
to a right handed shooter. First, your left hand is extremely important when
mounting the gun. The proper way to hold the gun is to have your left hand’s pointer
finger parallel to the barrel pointing at or near the target at all times.
Before you call “pull”, the gun (and your finger) should be pointing just below
the spot where you plan to first acquire the target. In order to achieve flow
you must use your left hand to guide and assist in mounting the gun. This means
using your left arm to lift the gun barrel up at the same time you are mounting
the stock with your right arm, always keeping the barrel pointed at or near the
target. This requires strength in your left bicep and you may find yourself
sore if you are not used to shooting this way but practicing this smooth mount
50 times each day will help. I remember when I first started shooting and my
left arm would quiver from the weight of the gun after a while, especially when
I was shooting my older barrel heavy automatic. After I switched to a lighter weight
and balanced over and under the flow came more quickly and easily (thanks Dad).
So “flow” in this situation means to move the gun
smoothly and efficiently from a well placed start position to the break point.
Why is that so important? Does looking
smooth and flowing really make you a better shot? Funny enough when I first
started shooting I had lessons with John from the very beginning. Therefore I
learned the right form immediately and I often joked that although I couldn’t
break many targets, I looked smooth missing them! Eventually I discovered that
acquiring the sense of flow with the shotgun is a foundation that pays off in
the long run.
It is so important for many reasons; mostly it’s about
control. The flow that someone watching you sees outwardly is actually
excellent control of the shotgun. Being able to put it exactly where it needs
to be without looking at it, totally focusing on your target. Every erratic movement with the gun is
compensated with time lost refocusing. With the proper flow you also attain an
accurate sense of the speed of the target and the lead necessary to break it.
In addition, flowing with the target allows quicker shooting if necessary since
you are always on the bird and in time with it.
Lastly, the greatest benefit to this accomplishment
in shooting is the feeling when you make a good shot, it doesn’t feel
manufactured. When you achieve the right flow shooting feels easy and you have
a sense of knowing that you are going to break the target even before you see
the pieces. And like Mark Brownlee said
in his article last month, “watch the pieces”. Life is good!
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