Here we were at the US Open in Forsythe Georgia. Peter and Wendy Crabtree did the Meadows and our sport proud. Everything, down to the smallest detail, was just as you would want it for a nationally attended tournament. The targets and accommodations were great, the practice stations opened early, everyone knew where to be and when, and the shoot went off like clockwork.

As a teacher I get to see some great shooting from the coaches box right behind the shooter. I can honestly say, I never stop being surprised at how many ways there are to break a tough pair of targets. Each student brings his strengths and preferences to the firing line. The variations on how to break targets are infinite.

Because I was scheduled to shoot the Red course the following day, I decided to walk and observe each field, taking a few notes on the targets our squad would face. At the appointed time, the squad scheduled for this field began to file in. Jon was in the group. Standing behind Jon at the Open gave me an opportunity to observe a hard working competitor.

Like so many of the top competitors, Jon made each shot count, and made it look easy. I'll tell you now, on the Red course, the targets were fair but stiff. Jon looked focused. He also looked like a man who knew what he was doing. From my viewpoint in the small crowd, nothing Jon did was accidental. Each move was deliberate and target after target went down hard, eventually giving Jon the coveted and well deserved HOA.

I don't know Jon that well as I see him once or twice a year on the tournament circuit. What I liked about his shooting was its simplicity. I know that it took years of work to reach that skill level. I don't believe that everyone can shoot the way Jon does, but there's an important shooting element here that deserves our attention.

Many of you are on the first rung of the ladder, climbing the learning curve in sporting clays. Others have reached the intermediate level and strive to gain the next level up. Even those in the advanced classes scramble hard to get into the winners circle ahead of their peers. Something we all share is the desire to improve and gain ground on the score sheet. Am I right? Those of you who don't want to break more targets this afternoon, raise your hand.

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This Sporting Clays Article was previously published in Sporting Clays Magazine by Dan Schindler in June 1998.

The Paragon School of Sporting is now making available the remainder of this article as well as numerous others, available for download on The Paragon School of Sporting Website.

Sporting clays continues to be an elegant sport born of long tradition, fulfilling our wingshooting passion to experience the wing and shot. Feather and clay, inescapably tied, grants us so many learning opportunities to hone our skills, a path of personal growth that affords us a refreshing, unbiased look at ourselves. Time and again, my students have learned how entirely more capable they are than once thought. The American sporting clays shooter can honestly and proudly say, in a very short period, he has indeed advanced to take his rightful place among the best in the world. And, let's not forget, no one is having more fun out here than you and I are.

The events, times, places and persons in my articles are all true. While I changed a name here and there, 100% of the information came from my experiences with you. Each tournament, each lesson, each experience with you generated the material for my work. I am grateful.

We hope you enjoyed the first part of the article and will visit us online to browse the numerous collection that is available. Until then, happy Sporting!