One of the most important parts of taking a clinic that will pay off in the future is taking notes. I am shocked that less than five percent of my students take notes. During one of my full day clinics, you will be exposed to an awful lot of information, more than most shooters can retain in one day. Writing key components of your game down helps reinforce what you are trying to teach the conscious and subconscious part of the brain. Not only will note taking aid in your learning and retention, but will allow you to go back and review in the future.

Come prepared. If you are taking a clinic that is an all day affair, bring what you may need. You’ll need some nutrition, bring food and water. Some clubs have no concessions for food. Imagine spending $200 an hour instruction, and spending an hour and a half during the day looking for a Big Mac. Bring notebooks, voice recorders, of video recorders. Bring sunscreen.

Here’s one that may not be too popular. We suggest heavily that factory ammunition be used in out clinics. Here is the reason. You just spent a lot of money to attend a clinic with a professional coach. And half of your shots can be assessed because your shells are less than desirable. Not only are you wasting your time and the coach’s time with bad reloads, but also as you can imagine, you’re wasting the time of your fellow participants. You’re not happy, your fellow students aren’t happy. Even though it is an added expense, get the most out of your clinic, splurge on some new ammunition.

Another mistake that I feel shooters make in our clinics, is that they shoot their targets on a particular station, and then walk off the field, or go to the clubhouse until it is their turn again, while others get heir instruction. It is not easy to stand on a field all day, I am an expert on this, but while other shooters are shooting, and a student leaves the field, he misses a lot of information that may not be touched upon for the remainder of the day. Paying attention to other shooters, and seeing their mistakes as well as their successful execution, is a wonderful visual tool, and may help you identify and correct your own problems with more ease. It is interesting to note that normally during a clinic, at the end of a day, almost all of my students can identity shooters making fundamental mistakes as fast as I can, because they have witnessed the mistakes made by others over and over all day.

Although to some this may be cost prohibitive, taking a multiple of sessions will increase the effectiveness of your time with a coach. When someone is with me for the first time, that initial day can be an information overload. Taking back-to-back days will allow for time not only to rest between sessions, but also to digest the information presented, and then come back and refine issues from the previous day. What you get back in multiple sessions  will come back to you in an exponential curve.