Paul
I appreciate your candor and your honesty.....and acceptance.
The fact that this is your first year and you've only shot a few times speaks volumes to me right off the bat. That you hadn't shot for a couple of months also leads me to be totally unsurprised by your scores. In the beginning, my scores and those of many other beginners were not unlike yours I assure you. And I had 20/20 vision back then.
Not having a depth perception issue myself, I'm not sure how it affects how you see the targets as compared to how I see the targets. Whether you see them much differently than I do or not. Having said that, it still seems to me though that it might not be terribly difficult to overcome and compensate for.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you see a specific target....it looks the same to you each and every time doesn't it? It doesn't look different to you each and every time you see it does it? If that's the case, then what you're going to have to learn is just what is the correct sight picture
for you as you're leading the target and pulling the trigger. In addition to a number of other things of course.
Without actually seeing you shoot, it's obviously pretty hard to try to diagnose what you're doing wrong. And at this stage of the game, I suspect there are a number of things you're doing wrong. Not because you're not capable of doing them right...but simply because you haven't yet been taught...or found the right way yourself to do it....
for you. And believe me...there is no one right way to do it for everyone. If anyone tries to tell you there is only one way to do things and that's the way you must do it...I'd suggest you try finding another coach.
I very much enjoy trying to help new shooters improve. In fact I think helping and seeing new shooters improve and their enjoyment levels increasing is getting to be more fun for me than shooting well myself. I find their excitement and enthusiasm infectious. When starting out with a brand new shooter....I try to get them to do it the way I do it. After a time though...if they are struggling and just can't get it...then it may be time to look for another method that just might work better for them.
However...and this is a big however for me. If you find someone you trust and have faith in their ability to shoot and to coach...listen to what they say and give it a fair chance. Don't be like so many others who try something once....don't meet with success immediately...and they try to move on to something else because what they were told didn't work that first time.
You sound like you have a pretty good attitude towards it all. Pity you're not a member at my club...I'd probably enjoy trying to help you along. You say you have patience? Good. Use it. And give whatever is recommended to you a fair chance. Don't continue to scramble looking for that "magic" secret that's going to provide immediate results. It just doesn't work that way.
Anyway.....I stand by my first advice to you. Buy Bender's video and try to hook up with a good shooter at your club who knows what he's talking about. Learn the basic fundamentals and
PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE....if you want to hit more targets and raise your enjoyment level. Skeet's like anything else...the more you do it, the better you're likely to get.
Good luck...and have fun.
And don't be shy about asking questions here if you can't find answers to satisfy you at your local club. From a Skeet perspective...this has been kind of a boring forum since it was started. For me anyway. Good to have something to BS about once in a while.
