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Jim Kitchen
10-29-2013, 01:14 PM
A little over two years ago I began working with my son in earnest regarding gun safety, handling and shooting. We made good progress and last year a member of a local gun club who I had gotten to know through a different forum invited him to participate in their youth shoot. We went and he had a good time but his score wasn't very high and afterwards he was upset with himself and his performance. Despite my telling him that his score was fine and that most of his classmates wouldn't have done much better he was aggravated and frustrated. It's hard to console an 8 year old but I tried my best.

At the end of the shoot one of the judges noticed that he was shooting right handed but closing his right eye. After a couple of other judges walked over and made him do some sighting tests we all came to the realization that he was right handed, left eye dominant and had been struggling with it.

I was embarrassed that I hadn't noticed it before but after the shoot I suggested that he began shooting left handed and there was immediate improvement. Over the winter we didn't get much practice in but by spring he was chomping at the bit to hone his skill. When the invitation arrived for his participation in the same shooting event the die was cast.

Over the summer we went to the range roughly 4-5 days a week. On some days he shot 50 rounds and on others 250. (Despite the scarcity of ammo I was lucky enough to have some very kind staff at a local store who steered me enough .22 ammo to stay ahead of our consumption rate.) We shot at different times of the day in varying weather and with all sorts of levels of activity on the range.

This picture is my son about three days before the competition. In the winter I had ordered him a left handed CZ 452 which he is using here. He's also wearing his shooting glasses with his "special" eye patch and one of my old hats for luck. If I'm not mistaken we went through about 200 rounds that day shooting at targets at both 25 and 50 yards. The skinned elbow and temporary tattoo are just proof he had been having a good summer.

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The day before the competition I asked him if he wanted to go to the range and practice and he thought about it before replying that he really didn't because, "Dad I think I am as good as I am going to get. I'm not sure any more practice today is going to make me that much better." I agreed and left it at that.

The next day we went to the shoot. As we had practiced over the summer I helped him set up on the line but then moved behind him and out of sight. (I had seen a number of "stage" parents the prior year who were constantly fiddling with things on the kids guns, berating them for their accuracy and generally distracting them.) The only time I spoke to him when he was in position on the line was one time after he missed his first of five shots on the toughest 25 yard target when I leaned over and whispered to him that his Mom and I loved him very much, that it was a beautiful day and that the missed shot didn't matter any more. (A tip I picked up from a friend who is an Appleseed instructor.) After that he nailed the next 4 shots.

At the end of the day when they announced the scores my son had taken 1st place in his age group. Our astonishment was genuine and my pride in his discipline and hard work was tremendous. He picked his prize from the prize table and floated on air all the way back to me. Here he is with his hard won pocket knife that he chose as his prize:

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I learned a lot this summer with my son. I had to find patience and an ability to articulate the things I "knew" about shooting in a way that made sense with a 9 year old boy. I wanted it to be an exercise of determination and hard work. We never once spoke about trophies or first place when the subject of the competition would come up. Instead I would speak about doing his best and remembering what is most important about doing your best is that you aren't letting yourself down.

Thanks!

Jim

Bulldogger
10-29-2013, 01:21 PM
Wonderful story. Thans for sharing it and the tips you used. Now to teach him how to hone a blade, eh Dad?
Alex

SPRINGFIELDM141972
10-29-2013, 01:23 PM
Jim,

I type this Kudos with watery eyes. Well done Sir. I'm proud for you and your son.

Kindest of Regards,
Everett

2wheelDuke
10-29-2013, 01:33 PM
That's a great story. I wish I'd got a chance to shoot in a formal competition as a kid, back when my eyes were sharp. I didn't enter a formal competition until my 30's at the local rifle & pistol club.

I don't have kids, but I do everything I can for the juniors program at my local club. It's too bad my work schedule usually conflicts.

It looks like you're raising him right there, keep up the good work, and maybe some of his friends will follow him. The world needs all the help it can get.

smokeywolf
10-29-2013, 01:59 PM
If all or even most parents showed the commitment that you do to teach their kids determination, self-discipline and in general what it takes to make good choices and succeed, we just might have a shot at getting our Country back on track.

Great job to you and your son.

smokeywolf

brtelec
10-29-2013, 03:35 PM
Great story. This is what it is all about.

TheCelt
10-29-2013, 03:44 PM
What a great read, Ya'll built yourselves a fine young man there. Congrats to him for the reward of recognition for his determination and hard work, and congrats to you on doing the right thing by your son.

skeettx
10-29-2013, 05:57 PM
YEEEE HAWWWW
Awesome!!
Sweet
Mike

EMC45
10-30-2013, 09:25 AM
Jim,

I type this Kudos with watery eyes. Well done Sir. I'm proud for you and your son.
Kindest of Regards,
Everett

Me too. Well done to you and your son!

andreadavide
10-30-2013, 10:44 AM
Well done!
(I am also glad to see another southpaw shooter, if you read the Bible in family point him to Judges 20:16 “Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss”)
My son is 6 and shoots a PCP pistol with a rifle stock and cannot wait to graduate to something more serious...
Andrea

Jim Kitchen
10-30-2013, 01:12 PM
Thanks everyone for the kind words. When my son gets home from school today I'll share the thread with him.

Teaching a child to handle firearms safely and accurately is a great experience. (It's also an undertaking that can test the patience of everyone involved.) I benefited a great deal from a former neighbor who retired as an F.B.I. agent when I was in high school. We used to talk about firearms a lot growing up and he always spoke to how he let his children approach him about them when they were ready and how he tried not to "push" his kids before they were ready.

I wish that more gun clubs sponsored "fun" youth shoots. The one my son participated in has been running 11 or 12 consecutive years and strikes just the right mark between fun and challenging. I hope that all of you have similar where you are.

Thanks again!

shooterg
10-30-2013, 03:35 PM
Although we host something similar I'm interested in the format/stages/targets your local group used. All benchrest/smallbore targets/number of shots on each/etc. More pics I know you saved his targets !

Grendel99
11-03-2013, 01:14 AM
Now that is awesome! Kudos to both of you! A very nice rifle too.

waco
11-03-2013, 09:20 PM
Awesome! I miss shooting with my kids. They are grown and gone from the house now. We don't get much range time anymore.

Jim Kitchen
11-06-2013, 11:18 PM
Thanks again everyone for your kind words. I shared your comments with Jack the other day and he was very "Aw shucks" over the praise.

Shooterg asked for more info about the shoot so I'll try to share some details. There are three age categories, 6-9, 10-12, 13-16. Every shooter is pre-registered and receives a t-shirt that is new every year. This year every shooter was given a box of fifty rounds upon arrival for practice, roughly 20 shots, and their actual competition, 30 rounds. If they were a few short that was fine but "all the ammo you need to practice" wasn't in effect with the current .22 ammo shortage.

The shooters are teamed up in groups of three on the line so that one shooter is firing, the next is ready to close the bolt to shoot and the third is at rest. (Shooting goes quickly this way.) An adult has to be on the line with each shooter. Rifles are .22lr and bolt action. Magazines aren't important as each shot is loaded and fired by hand. Shooters sit on benches and have sandbags they can use as a rest but the rear of the rifle cannot rat on the bench.

Each shooter takes 5 shots at three different targets at two different distances. (For Jack's group they took 15 shots at 25 and 50 yards.)

Each set of targets has what I would describe as a fairly easy target, a tougher target and a grumble under your breath pain in the backside target. Targets are small "gong" targets painted white hanging from chains.

Scores are based on hits or misses making tabulation easy. If a child feels they had a hit that was declared a miss they make mention immediately and most times spectators can verify. The judges are very easy going with younger shooters. Hits are also pretty easy to hear

At the end the match the "weight" of the targets in regards to scoring allows for pretty easy tabulation from what I could see. (5 hits on an easy target don't carry the weight 5 hits on the toughest target carry.)

Prizes are on a table and kids pick a prize based in how well they do. A new rifle is given away as a drawn prize that all shooters could win. (Something I really like.)

I'll get on the computer later and share pictures and a video I shot. I can't stress how great the club handles this event. It is the perfect youth shoot followed by a great picnic and celebration.

Jim Kitchen
11-07-2013, 01:18 PM
Ok. As promised here are some pictures from the event.

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In between rounds there's not a lot to do but sit patiently and contemplate the ear wax on your earplugs.

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These are the targets at 50 yards. On the right is the easiest target, the buffalo. On the left is the medium difficulty target, the circle with the toughest target, the chicken, in the middle.

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These are the three targets for 25 yards. The pig and the circle are the easiest and medium difficulty, the chicken the toughest. (If you look at the links of chain you can get a sense of how large the chicken target is.)

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Guns stay on a rack with bolts open in between rounds on the line.

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Jack on the line. He has 5 rounds to fire. His target when I took this was the most difficult at the 50 yard range. (The chicken.) He missed his first shot and that's when I spoke to him. What followed was this:


http://youtu.be/AyE5z5kC9RE

Finally here's a shot of all of the participants:

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rattletrap1970
11-07-2013, 01:33 PM
Jim. Thanks. I can tell you, the time that my Dad and I spent at the range was the best time I can remember.

Doc Highwall
11-07-2013, 01:43 PM
Jim, have him sit on the right side of the shooting bench when shooting it will be a lot more comfortable for him shooting left handed myself.

Hamish
11-07-2013, 06:15 PM
Jim, have him sit on the right side of the shooting bench when shooting it will be a lot more comfortable for him shooting left handed myself.

Yes indeed. He's been shooting with no support against others who have,,,,

Jim Kitchen
11-07-2013, 07:37 PM
Doc and Hamish,

Thanks for the advice. I had let him choose where to sit based on his comfort. He is right handed so I think part of why he chooses to sit there is because of his wanting to load with his natural right hand. The left eye dominant aspect of this confuses me sometimes on how to set him up.

At this particular shoot he isn't allowed to rest the rear of the gun on the bench.

Doc Highwall
11-07-2013, 09:00 PM
Have him use his left hand to load and work the bolt while keeping his cheek on the stock of the rifle.

WRideout
11-08-2013, 07:52 AM
You are a great dad, and your son is very fortunate. I discovered about forty years ago that I had the same left-eye dominant situation. Now I simply squint my left eye, and continue to shoot right-handed.

Wayne

BSalty
11-08-2013, 09:33 PM
That is fantastic! Just the time spent with him alone is worth the cost and effort. Congratulations to both of you!

We have been looking for a youth shooting series in our locale, but after 2 years of looking we have still not found anything. I have a 10 y/o daughter that wants to shoot competitively, and a 7 y/o son right behind her.

youngda9
11-09-2013, 10:20 AM
He should work the bolt with his firing hand and load with his firing hand. That way he can keep everything else in position for the next shot...consistency is key.

Awesome story and some fine shootin! I can't wait until my kids are a little older to start with them.

Springfield
11-10-2013, 06:16 PM
BSalty: If you can't find any .22 competitions like the above type they can always start in Cowboy Action Shooting, like my kids are doing now. They still shoot .22 lever/pump rifles, .22 pistols and a smaller shotgun. Some shoot 20 ga but I have my kids shooting an older single barrel 410 that I load for. You can go to www.sassnet.com and look for a club in your area. My kids just shot their 4th real match, been practicing for over a year to get them good with all 3 firearms and more safety conscious, as there is movement and the pistols come from the holster. They are a 12 yo girl and a 10 yo boy, and they really like it, once they got used to people watching them shoot. Shooting is more fun when you do it as a family.

popper
11-11-2013, 11:43 AM
Jim - looks like a very good program, well run and handles. You did a good job too. I'm RH, R.E.D, but my right eye isn't worth a flip for irons so I just use the left. Looks funny but works. Keep it up. My youngest GS can handle the compact 9 but wants to up-one on big bro shooting the full 40. Waiting for him to get the strength to shoot 20 ga.

markshere2
11-18-2013, 01:24 PM
WOW! Win on so MANY levels!!!

Excellent work, sir! On our wall hangs a framed picture with these words, " A Child is the only know substance from which you can make a responsible adult."

Great work!

captain-03
11-18-2013, 01:30 PM
It is just great to see that many young folks on the range!! My hat is off to all that make things like this happen!!

CastingFool
11-18-2013, 01:36 PM
Congrats to both of you! I can relate to your son, as I'm right handed and left eye dominant. Took me quite a few years to figure it out. I still shoot right handed, but using a scope has helped a lot (I close my left eye) and it does seem to help.

Jjed
11-19-2013, 10:39 PM
Fantastic, spend as much time as you can with your boy, they grow up way too fast.
Good job

mikeym1a
11-20-2013, 12:26 AM
Neat stuff. Shooting just isn't as much fun when I'm by myself. My kids are all in their '30's, with their own lives, and we don't get out to shoot very often. I need to plan that. That would be really fun, especially if my older son brought along his two daughters. They could shoot the old .22 single shots I bought my kids to learn on. Enjoy these years. They pass far too fast. :D

monmouth
11-20-2013, 01:45 AM
I'm glad I found this thread. You're a really good father and happy to see hardwork and commitment paying off for your son. The pay off isn't the first place prize, but the huge improvement from year's prior.

Your story reminded me of how I started shooting with my late father. You should be proud and watch out that your son doesn't to start to eye up the highpower rifle range. I did just that at your son's age and remember my dad saying,"Oh that's a really nice rifle, but we can't afford it. Keep practicing with this (my own .22), study hard in school, and one day you may have your own just like that one (the really nice rifle)." I did just that and have the rifle :smile:

Thank you for sharing your story!

bart55
11-23-2013, 09:04 PM
Just started my grandson shooting with me and it looks like after all the years with my own kids I finally have one that is really,(I mean REALLY)got the the shooting gene .It is one of the greatest of pursuits and I know you will enjoy every minute of the time spent with your son .

glockmeister
12-02-2013, 08:51 AM
Congrats to both you and your son. Great coaching and great learning, the proof is in the 1st place prize! Again congrats to the both of you, John.

Capt. Methane
12-04-2013, 10:13 AM
Very nicely done on on everyone's part!

osteodoc08
12-09-2013, 09:48 AM
With 3 sons aged 2 months, 4 and 7, I definitely had a bit of teary eye going on after reading that. I can tell you are very proud of your son and an fine gentleman yourself. If we had more parents participating in our kids lives, perhaps we'd all be better for it. Job well done by you sir and your son. You both will treasure this forever.

DRNurse1
12-15-2013, 02:11 PM
excellent story. Our youth are the hope and change we need. I have my kids in conventional pistol and am scrounging ammo for them, too. I like your coaching advice and am likely to steal it....:-)

77ruger
12-17-2013, 02:50 PM
Great!! Lets keep the next generations well educated. Thanks

MT Gianni
12-24-2013, 09:47 PM
Another great shooting story. Remember that eye dominance can change over time especially without regular exams. I would have him keep doing the simple finger test and shut one eye well into his teens.

Butler Ford
01-01-2014, 11:27 PM
Can't let this pass without an "AWESOME!" and a well done to both of you!

BF

Hanzy4200
01-26-2014, 02:00 PM
Good job dad. Always good to see the young ones getting on and learning the sport.

davidheart
01-27-2014, 11:43 AM
Thanks a lot for the story. As a new(ish) dad I can't wait to be able to spend time with my kids like this. Just yesterday I promised my 3 year old daughter to take her on a "daddy/daughter" fishing trip and she was so excited! Can't wait until my boy is old enough too. :)

lefty222
02-26-2014, 02:03 PM
Great story l have one grandchild comeing up the ranks that wants to shoot, so as soon as the weather brakes he will be at the range.

catncarp
03-07-2014, 01:00 PM
Great story, thanks for sharing and yopu should be very proud od him

woodbutcher
04-13-2014, 12:25 AM
:grin:Great story.Congrats to you and your son.Had some great teachers for safety and shooting.My Grand Father,Father and his oldest brother.My Father was a WW1 vet as was his brother.
Got my first BB gun at age 6.First .22 at 8 and my first high power rifle at 12.That rifle was the 03 Springfield that was issued to my Father during WW1.Got my first deer that year too.Miss them all.God rest their souls.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo