SPARTA - The Gateway Claybusters of St. Charles, Mo., had just completed a round of trap at the Scholastic Clay Target Program national championships at Sparta's World Shooting and Recreational Complex.

Coaches Chuck Schmitz and Steve Grote gathered the team under a protective umbrella for a quick strategy session prior to the next round.

This wasn't the typical inspirational half-time pep talk a basketball or football coach might deliver. Though the two were standing just a few feet away, Schmitz' and Grote's words were inaudible.

They remained calm and collected. Their squad listened intently, nodding their heads in acknowledgement occasionally.

At this level of competition, Schmitz said, it's all about positive reinforcement.

"When they say they missed five, we say, 'You hit 20,'" he said. "You can't break 25 until you think you have a chance."

The Claybusters are a first-year group of shooters. Their instruction began at a basic level.

"Most of them have shot a shotgun before," Schmitz said. "There were some specifics for them, foot position and gun mounts."

"We set short-term goals for them, to be consistently breaking 15, and you go from there," Grote added. "We just look for consistency. You have to be like a robot.

"It's about all you can do. They have to do the rest."

For beginning shooters, Schmitz said it is vital to instill proper habits and fundamentals early in the process.

"They have to develop muscle memory with their gun mount," he said. "They're not born with that.

"Our first-year goals are to learn the sport and get some fundamentals under their belts and experience competitions like this one."

During competition, the coaches don't do much tinkering with form.

"That's what all the practice is for," Grote said. "If you do see something, you do try to put that out there. A lot of times it's something simply like they're pulling their head up off the stock."

However, not all problems on the line are physical.

"After they shoot a couple thousand rounds, then it's mental," Schmitz said.

The SCTP competition ended Tuesday. The Amateur Trapshooting Association's Grand American competition begins today.

les.winkeler@thesouthern.com

351-5088