respectable trap shooting?

Just try and improve each time out. Don't get frustrated. Some days it's like you can't miss and other days things just won't come together. I shot competitively for about 10 years, starting out as a D Class shooter like all the other new guys. I ended up AA-27-AA and I have to admit it wasn't quite as much fun anymore. If you drop one bird, you know it's over (at least in a shoot of any size). I once saw a guy throw his Grade 4 Browning as far as he could throw it, get in his truck and leave when he dropped one target. A bad sport who got banned from our club, but just an example of how you can get too serious. (He did come back a few hours later to get his gun.) Other guys shoot for years and never shoot 100 straight. They don't get too serious and still have fun.

Trap is a mental game. If you have good hand-eye coordination and acquire a good feel for shooting basics, you can break any target you see. The hard part is doing it 100 times in a row without losing concentration. The good guys tend to get into their own personal zone when competing. That's why they don't like to chit-chat between rounds.

I'll admit I was a slow learner. I hung around for a couple years in B Class and short yardage. Then one day something clicked inside my head. I can't tell you what it was, but all of a sudden I was on fire. I went from the 22 to the 27 yard line in one summer and zoomed up to AA in singles and doubles. The only thing I can take credit for is not giving up and putting in lots of practice. For me that was the key. I just don't want to think about all the money I poured out the end of those barrels.

take a vacation in march and come to my camp. youll leave ready to take on pro's.

go on line and order this book and ignore what people say about it.

'gun digest book of skeet and trap shooting.'
art blatt, 1984
dbi books, northfield, ill
isbn:0-910676-66-6

ignore the age, its all still the same. the shooters are old, and the guns and prices may be dated, but read the insight and it will all make sense. this was way before computers and apps.
just sit down and read it.
trick is not to pick and choose.
READ IT ALL.
trust me on this one.

A lot of solid advice here, thanks for Bob on the advice of a book, its on order.
I am going to repeat what most others have said.
Hand-eye coordination is essential, this is real-time, real-life action that computer games cannot prepare you for. You have to place a lot of rounds down range to build proficiency.
Your mental attitude plays a decisive role; you must have confidence in yourself to handle the situation and your gun competently. Do not be afraid to miss. Keep going and don't give up.
Talk to shooters and observers as to what you are doing wrong, apply the suggestions one at a time to figure out what works best for you. You cannot apply three different changes in your shooting at once and understand what worked and didn't. (Second rule of network troubleshooting)
Maintain a good sense of humor. This is a game of skill, not a profession. Find a range or group of individuals that are safe, like to have a good time, and don't take themselves seriously. They tend to coach satisfactorily, and the fun factor builds mental confidence. If you can't take a joke your in the wrong sport.
Best regards,
KenC

remember, it really is old school! his book was 1st edition, so if its 89, its probably a reprint hopefully with the corrections. 1st edition had a lot of pen and ink errors like pic headings under wrong pics etc...but the gist of it was pretty solid.
just remember back then, in the book, sporting clays was called a quail walk.
i was self taught. this book was all i used when i visited ranges. it got me going, and then i started gleening off those around me and i developed my own style. i dont claim any one teacher/instructors influence.
much like a martial arts pro might note, i got a karate style kick, with a judo style flip, with a thaiquandoh mishmash of ju-gitzu in betweens......that works.
it works to my advantage because no one can tell what im about to do next at big shoots. everyone tries to figure me out with....is he a bender style or woo style? no, it seems to be a jb combo with a paxton flip and a mayes backhand.....or whoever else is now king of the hill, lol.

they try so hard not to admit...its just bob kuczynski shooting the bob kuczynski way. individuals today arent suppose to know what to do without a world class teacher that taught them...or at least bought the video. its just not the rage and so not cool to be self taught. heck, video gamers even buy the books on how to beat the game before playing it! lol.

tiger woods i am not. but i do kuczynski real well.

i mean serious? how many ways are there to eat a hamburger? and whats the purpose of eating the hamburger?
it all starts with ordering a burger, sitting down and doing the preparation to eat.
after that its hail mary.
this book is what i bit into and started choking, spitting, using ketchup, hold the onions with...and before you knew it....i liked hamburgers and always ordered the same one when i was hungry...and it went down a lot nicer and was more enjoyable.