Dave Holmes - Wing Meets Clays article on Bill McGuire

FUNdamental101 · June 27, 2012, 04:40 PM

I liked Dave Holmes Wing Meets Clays article McChamp about Bill McGuire….the stats on the top shooters are interesting, although I was confused on a couple things he wrote. What does "a two-target increase at the 90% level is huge" mean??? And I was surprised he doesn't practice that much, maybe that's how it is when you are at the top…I would like to hear more from him about the "mental game", too. Wish Mr. Holmes had looked into that more…seems a lot of people on here are interested in that.

oneounceload · June 27, 2012, 08:47 PM

At THAT level, where most tournaments are won or lost by a single bird, a two bird increase can mean the difference between HOA and tied for fifth.

You will find more about McGuire, Cherry, Miles and others at www.shotgunworld.com - especially in the sporting clays subsection

**Frank Ettin** · June 27, 2012, 10:21 PM

This really belongs in Shotgun.

zippy13 · June 27, 2012, 10:41 PM

Quote:

a two bird increase can mean the difference between HOA and tied for fifth.

Amen, Brother 1-oz.
As I've mentioned previously, when you're a scratch shooter, One target can make the difference between champ and chump.

**Frank Ettin** · June 27, 2012, 11:07 PM

A few years ago I was at the State trapshooting championship (ATA). The winner of the singles championship broke 400 straight. The runner-up broke 399.

zippy13 · June 28, 2012, 12:02 AM

A top score may just buy you a ticket to the shoot-offs. At the NSSA World Championships, the 250 target 12-gauge championship is shot as two 125 target events over two days. Typically, several shooters will have perfect 250x250 scores and they all shoot-off to determine the winner. The 1968 World Championship was no different, and it finally came down to AL Buntrock and Tommy Heffron going one-on-one for the title. After going 1050 targets without a miss (that's 42 perfect rounds of Skeet), due to time considerations and fatigued officials, it was decided to have co-champions that year.

I was lucky enough to shoot with Al before he passed. You could almost feel an aura emitting from him as he shot.

**Unclenick** · June 28, 2012, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUNdamental101

What does "a two-target increase at the 90% level is huge" mean???

He means that as your shooting scores get closer to perfect, each additional bird removes a bigger percentage of your misses than when your scores are lower. If you average 90%, that's averaging 22.5 birds out of 25. Add two birds and you are averaging 24.5 out of 25, which means your are shooting 100% over half the times with some 24 bird and an occasional 23 bird strings the rest of the time. That means you can start winning some even at major matches. If you remain at a 90% average of 22.5, though, you are out of the running at the big time matches.

June 27, 2012, 04:40 PM	#1
FUNdamental101 Junior Member Join Date: June 25, 2012 Posts: 3	Dave Holmes - Wing Meets Clays article on Bill McGuire I liked Dave Holmes Wing Meets Clays article McChamp about Bill McGuire….the stats on the top shooters are interesting, although I was confused on a couple things he wrote. What does "a two-target increase at the 90% level is huge" mean??? And I was surprised he doesn't practice that much, maybe that's how it is when you are at the top…I would like to hear more from him about the "mental game", too. Wish Mr. Holmes had looked into that more…seems a lot of people on here are interested in that.

June 27, 2012, 10:21 PM	#3
Frank Ettin Staff Join Date: November 23, 2005 Location: California - San Francisco Posts: 9,471	This really belongs in Shotgun. __________________ "It is long been a principle of ours that one is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano. There is no point in having a gun if you are not capable of using it skillfully." -- Jeff Cooper

June 27, 2012, 11:07 PM	#5
Frank Ettin Staff Join Date: November 23, 2005 Location: California - San Francisco Posts: 9,471	A few years ago I was at the State trapshooting championship (ATA). The winner of the singles championship broke 400 straight. The runner-up broke 399. __________________ "It is long been a principle of ours that one is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano. There is no point in having a gun if you are not capable of using it skillfully." -- Jeff Cooper

June 27, 2012, 08:47 PM	#2
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	At THAT level, where most tournaments are won or lost by a single bird, a two bird increase can mean the difference between HOA and tied for fifth. You will find more about McGuire, Cherry, Miles and others at www.shotgunworld.com - especially in the sporting clays subsection

June 28, 2012, 12:02 AM	#6
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	A top score may just buy you a ticket to the shoot-offs. At the NSSA World Championships, the 250 target 12-gauge championship is shot as two 125 target events over two days. Typically, several shooters will have perfect 250x250 scores and they all shoot-off to determine the winner. The 1968 World Championship was no different, and it finally came down to AL Buntrock and Tommy Heffron going one-on-one for the title. After going 1050 targets without a miss (that's 42 perfect rounds of Skeet), due to time considerations and fatigued officials, it was decided to have co-champions that year. I was lucky enough to shoot with Al before he passed. You could almost feel an aura emitting from him as he shot.