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CPSA Instructor Development Workshop
Aspiring CPSA instructors, take note! The Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) is your gateway to refining your skills and embarking on a rewarding teaching journey. This focused one-day course prepares you for the four-day Instructor Training Course (ITC).
Key Areas of Focus
Observation – can you currently determine if a target is missed in front or behind? This forms the first R of the three R process, Result, Reason, and Remedy. The last two R’s are taught on the ITC.
Mastering the CPSA Method – can you effectively demonstrate the ability to hit a target using this method of shooting? I realise there are several ways to approach breaking a target but this is the method that will give the best results to a novice client. The ability to demonstrate the CPSA method is linked to your ability to teach this technique of shooting.
Determining the Method of shooting – can you effectively recognise when the shooter is using the CPSA Method and Swing-through techniques?
Ready to unlock your instructor potential? Send me a message or visit the CPSA website for upcoming IDW dates and registration details.
Reach out to me for the next South West date. I normally use the brilliant Barbury Shooting School, hit the contact form if you have any questions.
Gun-fit, Gunshops & a great outcome
Engaging in clay shooting activities and taking clay shooting lessons can be an exhilarating experience. When it comes to purchasing a shotgun for clay pigeon shooting, the concept of “off the shelf” gun-fit is commonly emphasised. Unfortunately, this assurance doesn’t always hold, as shotguns designed for clay target shooting are typically tailored to the average person. This overlooks the potential benefits of small adjustments, considering the diverse profiles of clay shooters.
Regrettably, the seemingly perfect gun for a client is often the one readily available on the shelf. Recently, a dedicated client, inspired by the clay shooting bug, underwent lessons and acquired his first shotgun. Being a tall and robust individual, it became evident that he required a longer gun with an above-average comb height compared to the typical clay shooter.
Conversations about gun fit can become challenging, especially when the purchased gun is touted as well-fitted off the shelf. Contradicting such advice, whether from me or the gun shop, adds complexity to the situation, making it difficult to achieve a win-win outcome.
Fortunately, there’s positive news to share. The client, recognising the mismatch, returned the supposedly perfectly fitted gun to the gun shop. Surprisingly, the gun shop acknowledged the need for both length and height adjustments and performed all the necessary modifications free of charge. This resulted in a brilliant outcome, showcasing a rare win-win scenario in the world of clay shooting.
Helping your Clay Shooting Friends
Engaging in clay shooting in Hampshire offers not just the thrill of the sport but also a supportive community where shooters strive to assist each other. During the clay shooting round, the camaraderie is evident as shooters exchange tips, often emphasising the need for “more lead” for every missed shot, all with good intentions this is often the worst advice.
A common observation is that many misses occur even before the trigger is pulled. An illustrative example is the measurement of lead to the front of the gun. Shooters often make the mistake of collapsing the lead by focusing on the gun causing it to slow down the swing as they try to measure the lead. It’s more precise to describe the lead as collapsing rather than the gun fully stopping, as the latter is uncommon.
For those offering assistance to their friends in the sport, a valuable tip is to keenly observe the barrel’s speed. Often, the barrel slows down before the shot is taken, signalling a potential collapsing lead situation causing the miss behind. Keeping an eye on this crucial detail can enhance the effectiveness of guidance and contribute to improved clay shooting results as the shooter has probably assessed the lead reasonably well but undone the forward allowance by collapsing the lead.
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