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Coaching with Carl Bloxham


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I had a great day with Carl.

 

Starting on the pattern plate, and learning that my Browning GTS with teauge chokes isn't patterning that well with the RC1 and Eley First cartridges I'd brought along. :lol: Especially not with the more open chokes.

 

I used 650 cartridges throughout the day! .....along with 750 clays :rolleyes:

 

He was able to analyse my 'technique' brilliantly and knew exactly what I was doing wrong before I did. He declared that I had an eye issue on fast right to left crossers/quartering, and suggested a few things that resulted in me not missing any for the rest of the day.

 

We also fixed my life long inability to hit incomers :yes:

 

Spent most of the time using 3/4 and full, my half choke couldn't hit anything past 40 yards consistantly. This made things quite interesting on the close in stuff during the muzzle placement and gun mounting excercises on various targets, it was a wise choice as it really helped imho.

 

So it was definately worth the £225 (£150 tuition fee and £75 clays), and I'll do it again in the future as well. :lol:

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Sounds like a good way to spend a day :rolleyes:

 

How long did you get with him? Was it an all-dayer?

 

I wouldn't mind a session like that, if I win the lottery :yes:

 

Must have been a £400 day out, with your cartridges costed in, plus travel and eats etc :lol:

 

I'd definitely like to do that, but not convinced I could justify the expense, with the kids going to school barefoot and eating bread and gruel, then coming home and going down the pit for the nightshift :lol:

Edited by Chard
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Actually, it was more like £800 as I'm self employed and lost a days fees. ....and had to buy £20 worth of after sun cream, as I'm somewhat fried.

 

The day is 10am til 4pm.

 

It was 140 miles each way, so 280 miles which is 66% of my cars range on a full tank, which costs £72 to fill up. I had to get from Canary Wharf to the M40 which means that that whole of London is in the way. I thought leaving earlish I'd be able to nip through the very middle of London, rather than going the M25 route. I left at 0615 and within 60 seconds was in the middle of stopped traffice in the middle of the Limehouse Link. Thought that I should have gone M25, but gave it another chance, then when stuck along the Highway I doubled back and went M25. This was a mistake as it took me 1 hour 45 mins to get to the M40, I think I spent more time with my foot on the brakes than on the throttle.

 

I was able to make up a lot of time on the M40 but still arrived late at around 1020. We shot until nearly 5pm, so I didn't loose any time.

 

Carl was very understanding and very laid back, a perfect teacher. Also provided those Viennese Whirls, of which I ate the whole box washed down with tea.

 

It's definately worthwhile, well it was for me.

Edited by Peter De La Mare
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Was this at West London Peter?

 

I think those prices would look pretty good if you compared like for like with West Wycombe.

 

I had a lesson, well more of a try out session, at West London years ago with Alan Rose - another top man and a great instructor.

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Was this at West London Peter?

 

I think those prices would look pretty good if you compared like for like with West Wycombe.

 

I had a lesson, well more of a try out session, at West London years ago with Alan Rose - another top man and a great instructor.

 

I'm sure West London's not 140 miles from Canary Wharf - unless they moved it..?? :rolleyes:

 

Carl is a nice guy and a damn good shot, you won't find a better coach to teach people how to become winners.

 

Cat.

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Oh look, the old lets get paranoid new poster on a forum syndrome. He may do us harm, insult us, rape and pillage etc with his digital torment. Best beware.

 

Anyway back to the real world. Sorry to be negative with the top class coaching, but i've known quite a few people go through Bloxham etc and to be honest I don't think its worth the money with regards to improving your technique past the age of 15. If you're loaded and you enjoy the day out then fair enough, but don't assume that by going to Bloxham etc that you'll start shooting like Bloxham etc. Its pretty hard to over-ride you're natural instinct and instinct and intuition is mostly what clay shooting should be about. There is no set way to shoot clays, every top shot has their own method and style and their style might not suit you... if you've been shooting for 15 years its pretty hard to change your style to suit that of Carl Bloxham and why should you? You could go for tuition with Digweed the next week and he'll teach you to shoot with a completely different method. Thats all just my opinion, but personally i'd rather watch and learn (go to CPSA shoots watch the Digweed video bla bla), get an automatic trap, shoot some clays and find your own style.

 

By the way this isn't some Youtube-like rant, i'm speaking from experience. I can shoot, although i've been clay shooting about twice in the last 4 years, due to an injury... but several years ago I thought i'd give the top class coaching a go, but it made me shoot worse. I've known at least 3 other people that have been for coaching with Carl Bloxham, bought new Carbon Fibre guns etc all to improve their shooting but to no avail. Like I said I think successful clay shooting comes down to your own intuition, finding your own style (that suits you) and lots of practice.

 

Anyway back to work. I only came on here to try and sell my gun!

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Another thing that i'd like to add (tally ho!)....

 

If you're set on the coaching thing try and find one that actually teaches you an intelligent method of shooting (like I was saying watch the Digweed video - he shoots pratically every clay with the same pull through technique). Don't go to coaches who just say 'right wait till it gets there, then pull the trigger 2 feet infront' etc. You need to figure out a consistent method whereby you can shoot any clay cos what happens when you come up against a clay that you haven't been coached on (which is inevitable as clay angles are infinite)... you wont know how to shoot it and what lead to give it. You could know how to shoot a particular crosser but then what happens when the angle changes slightly and you haven't got the coach there to tell you the lead etc. At least just try and learn a method to shoot all clays and then try and suit that to your natural style and ability.

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well your half right.(but carl IS a bloody good coach) most coaches dont try to get you to shoot the way they do. they will or should, get you to improve your own style and the way you shoot.

they can offer a wealth of knowledge and experiance that not many can.

doing is easier than reading it out of a book or video. :good::lol:

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Oh look, the old lets get paranoid new poster on a forum syndrome. He may do us harm, insult us, rape and pillage etc with his digital torment. Best beware.

 

You're clearly used to that, then :lol:

 

I don't understand why you're surprised at the reaction, when your introductory offering is a wild, sweeping, unsubstantiated and aggressive post. You then go on to tell us all how good you are and follow that with a load of condescending tripe about how we should all be progressing our shooting :good:

 

I can't imagine for a minute that Carl Bloxham teaches people in the ways that you suggest and if that's what people are coming away with, then I would suggest that they haven't been listening. Some of the so-called "coaches" at club level are very fond of just telling you when to pull the trigger, but that level of coaching is not what is being discussed here.

 

I don't think anybody here would be dense enough to come away from a coaching session, change their gun and try and copy somebody else's style, and I certainly don't think that's what Carl Bloxham would suggest they do.

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Will ,

Perhaps you shouldnt have come on here to just sell your gun .This is a shooting forum full of ultra keen pigeon and game shooters and vermin controllers . Generally we help each other out with sound advice . There a lots of novice guns on the forum and your type of post must be off putting for them .Yes ther is lots of banter and it is good fun and never malicious . If you want to join this forum ,not to just sell your gun ,and want to contribute particulary to the novice guns then i surgest that you change you attitude .If you are an experianced shot then i am sure that you have something to share with us all . Harnser .

Edited by Harnser
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Will ,

Perhaps you shouldnt have come on here to just sell your gun .This is a shooting forum full of ultra keen pigeon and game shooters and vermin controllers . Generally we help each other out with sound advice . There a lots of novice guns on the forum and your type of post must be off putting for them .Yes ther is lots of banter and it is good fun and never malicious . If you want to join this forum ,not to just sell your gun ,and want to contribute particulary to the novice guns then i surgest that you change you attitude .If you are an experianced shot then i am sure that you have something to share with us all . Harnser .

 

 

 

YEAHHHH WILL :good:

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