David

Holy Smokes!! This is fantastic. This exceeds any expectations I had or hoped for. What a tremendous showing for the team and for you, the coach. Amazing.

Kerry D. Romesburg, President - Jacksonville University

Hi Kerry,

JU is competing at the 43rd ACUI Collegiate National Clay Shooting Championships this week in San Antonio, beginning last Thursday and ending tomorrow evening. Here is how we have done so far with our 9/15-man Team coming to SA:

2011 (Division III) National Champions in the 5-Stand Sporting Event (WOW!!!!)
2011 (Division III) RU in the International Skeet Event
2011 (Division III) RU in the International Trap Event

AND we have the TROPHIES to prove it! Pictures to follow!

The JU Shooting Team/Varsity element is making a statement to other colleges here and their coaching staffs..... It has caused quite a stir, and this is thrilling to witness.

The American Skeet & American Trap events are being shot today and tomorrow, and these kids aren't done yet making history, as I suspect they will finish strong in these 2 events. You need to realize that we have members of the USA Shooting Team here competing, and there will be shooters from these collegiate ranks who will be asked to join the US Olympic Shooting Team. THIS A BIG DEAL!

I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of them, let alone, how absolutely amazing this is for such a new program. We have received more compliments from other Coaches on how professional they are in how they conduct themselves, gun safety and etiquette, etc., and they are head and shoulders above the other teams in this regard.

David

HI David,

Thanks for the great lesson today -- I enjoyed it! Got a lot of confidence back. You are a great instructor, and yes, I will work on going "TO the bird"!

John R. Shields, CPA
Mobile, AL

Hi David,

Just a note to thank you for a wonderful lesson on Sunday. Ben and I very much enjoyed learning from you. I still can't believe that I was able to hit the targets, having never held a gun before. Ben was excited to be officially diagnosed as LED, and therefore, a new "lefty shooter". I also appreciate you taking the extra time with us.

As discussed, this is something that we'll have to save and budget for, but we would be interested in taking another lesson at a later time. We'll touch base as we start planning for the year.

If you need a referral or to use us as a reference for future clients like us (i.e., no shooting background), please feel free to send them my name and number.

We had a GREAT time!

Thanks again.

Casey & Ben Huron
Jacksonville, FL.

Hi David,

Today’s session was great. I feel like I am starting to get the hang of a lot of things. Just finished three sets of 25 gun mounts, 5 at a time, and will do one more. Thanks for all of your help – you’re a great coach!

John R. Shields, CPA
Mobile, Alabama

Hi Dave,

Thank you again for the awesome lesson! I already FEEL like twice the shooter I used to be. I think this is the first and only time I'll ever ask for homework, and I really can't wait to get out there and show off my new found talent (and shattered clays)!

Sincerely,
Thomas Coates
Jacksonville, Fla.

Hi David,

Thanks for the instruction (Friday afternoon at Bushy Creek Sporting Clays). As I told you, it was very helpful, and you are a great teacher. I am excited about learning how to shoot better. Hope to get with you again.

John R. Shields, CPA
Mobile, Alabama

Hey Coach,

Just wanted to thank you for the great coaching session we had Saturday!!!!! You are the man when it comes to teaching. David, you have a great ability to show us students in a positive way that hard work, focus, good mental attitude, and the right fundamentals plus desire = a winning way!!! I will be shooting this coming Saturday, and I will be in front of every target!!! M/P ALL THE WAY. Thank you once again for your time, knowledge, coaching ability, and sincere personality. You are a real joy to shoot with (may God bless you & your family, and if you let Him, He will). Until next time, this old Country Boy will be praying for you & your family. Shoot well and stay focused!!

Old-school ways,
Eddy Taylor
Palatka, Fla.

Hi David,

We have not met, but I am a member of Brush Creek Sporting Clays, where you recently spent a day giving instruction on the sporting clays course. One of those in your charge was my good friend, Walton Starling. I feel compelled to write you to let you know of the profound change I and others have noticed in his shooting. Not a gradual change, but a quantum leap in both approach and effectiveness. You sir, are quite an instructor. If you come back to Brush Creek, I would like to schedule some time with you.

Regards,
John Jankowski
Seneca, S.C.

Hi David,

Just a short note to tell you I shot a charity shoot at Quail Creek today (Red Course) and scored a 92, a personal best! I only dropped 3 birds in the 1st 14 stations. On Stations, 15, 16 and 17, I dropped 5. The "voices" get me! See you Wednesday morning. I am looking forward to the FITASC tutorial. In case I haven't ever said so....Thank you. You are a great instructor.

Art Rhomberg
Lighthouse Point, Fla.

Hi David,

Thank you for your follow up email after our lesson on Saturday at Brush Creek Sporting Clays. I really enjoyed the time with you. I felt it was one of the most positive experiences I have ever had dealing with an Instuctor.

Walton Starling
Hoschton, Ga.

Hi Mr. Dobson,

I teach Intermediate Accounting at Clemson University. One of the biggest obstacles my students have to learning is they don't believe that they can learn accounting. My husband was given a copy of your article, "Have You Gone Mental?" during his Level II Instructor Certification Class. I would like to post your article for my students to read, but need your permission. It will be posted with all of your information attached. Please let me know. Your ideas have helped me with my shooting -- I have too many little devils sitting on my shoulders.

Thanks for your response.

Mary Ann Prater
Senior Lecturer
School of Accountancy and Legal Studies
Clemson University
Clemson, SC

Hi David,

Bob and I want to thank you so much for our lesson this past Friday. We really had a great time and I want to thank you for your time. We are still talking about the lesson and I can't wait to get back out there and practice!

Thank you again and look forward to seeing you soon.

Bob & Ann Campbell-Hays
Jacksonville, Florida

Hi David,

It was a pleasure taking a lesson with you today. The whole family really enjoyed it and we all think that not only are you a fantastic Instructor, but also a very good person!

We shall go out and practice and hope to get back together with you within the next few weeks.

Chris Koppel, M.D.
Fernandina Beach, Fla.

Dear David:

I want to personally thank you for your gift of time (and patience) at the Jacksonville Skeet and Trap Club Women in the Outdoors event! I received many e-mails and notes of thanks, and not one thank-you came without a note particularly regarding your class! While the thought of skeet shooting was intimidating for most of them, every one that participated in your class left feeling comfortable on the field, educated and more importantly, confident!

Once again, thank you for your priceless gift!

Sincerely,
Christine Lyle
Volunteer Event Coordinator

Hi David,

I want to thank you for an eye opening experience today. I contacted you to gain knowledge on safety and good technique, and I left with all and more, and a newly discovered love of a sport. This was an unexpected and exciting result.

I plan on meeting you out at the North JAX site tomorrow at 3PM, but am wondering if I should wait on the cushion, and spend the money on a better shotgun. By chance, are you aware of anyone, among your contacts, who has expressed an interest in wanting to sell a higher quality shotgun such as the Beretta AL390/1, or something similar? If the price is right I may be willing to move up for the pleasure of better made/shooting weapon. I realized today having the right fit is important especially being a big man.

Anyway, thanks again. I appreciate the lesson and look forward to more in the future. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Cheers,
Joe Schmitt
Jacksonville, Fla.

Hi David,

Thank you for taking the time to work with me on Wednesday. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I can not begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the experience. Your patience and coaching technique is amazing. I have been on a high for the last two days. You are right, it is addicting! I am hooked already. I have printed your email and will follow your instructions on practice and take your recommendations. I was speaking with a few people, and there is a place in Ocala where I can go to practice with my own targets. I plan to do that on a regular basis and hope to get with you again before December for another lesson maybe with Al and David Eason. I’m sure as I practice more I will have more questions for you. I hope it is ok if I email you. Look forward to working with you again soon!

Thank you,
Sandy Shrum
Florida Business Manager
Forshaw Distribution, Inc.
Ocala, Florida

Hi David,

Just a note of thanks for the enjoyable lesson. I feel as though you helped me in my weaknesses instead of trying to change my whole game plan...very refreshing. I have been practicing my gun mount and focusing on my Mental Cue...I have even recruited my wife to check me for head movement. I look forward to seeing you in the future.

Michael Lyons, M.D.
Mobile, Alabama

Hi David,

I have not yet taken the time to pass along my thoughts and appreciation for including (my Son) Curt and me in your Family Foundations tournament.

Certainly the remarkably fast progress that Curt made is astounding! To start from a complete novice, have only one lesson, and then win the “long-bird” contest and win the B-flight in the tournament might indicate a receptive and coach-able student, but most definitely demonstrates your superb ability as an instructor and a coach. You communicated not only the essentials, but also the proper fundamentals and building blocks for long-term progress. And you made it easy to follow and fun to practice. You can imagine how proud I was of his first exposure to Sporting Clays! A great start that will keep him coming back for more.

John C. Maddox
Jacksonville, Fla.

Hi David,

Thank you for the time on Friday as well as this follow-up. I left our Friday session with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the importance of the fundamentals; I had read about them, but until you showed me how to apply them, the picture was not quite complete. I also read through the Dan Schindler book, and that further reinforced the 5-steps.

We did shoot on Saturday morning, and it went pretty well. I really tried to apply the system, had to self-correct a few times and had Jay there to point out on one stand that my MHP was too close to my VHP, and I was chasing the target. It really helped to further reinforce the importance of those fundamentals and the need to get them into the subconscious. Interestingly enough for me (but well known to you) that even with mounting from the low-gun position and having the correct MHP and VHP, the presentations at WW that I used to have trouble with because of speed, really seemed to slow down. I still have to work on really focusing on the leading edge of the birds, but was able to nail some high-crossers by getting that focus and “extending”…it felt good.

Both Jay and I were a little sore on Saturday, the old muscles weren’t used to working that hard lifting those shotguns so many times!

PULL!

Tom Asp
Jacksonville, Fla.

Hi David,

I enjoyed shooting with you yesterday. I can clearly see your method of shooting after much practice will make a big difference in broken targets at the end of the day. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,

Mike Lange
St. Simons, Ga.

HI David,

I should be in Amelia Island on Feb 4th and 5th. Are you available either day? Everyone is practicing what you preached from our last clinic. Dave has made noticable strides. Mike is also shooting better now that he is consistantly shooting his K gun with both eyes open.

Read the book several times (Lanny Bassham). Very similar to golf psych. Happy New Year. Hope to see you in Feb.

Chris Salzer, D.D.M.
Mobile, Alabama

David,

Thanks for an awesome lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lot's to work on. Looking forward to tomorrow @ 2:00.

Alex Powers
President/CEO
Southern Aquatics, Inc.
Ponte Vedra, Fla.

Coach DAVID --

I want to thank you for the GREAT Lesson on Saturday. I walked away with a whole lot more than I came with in understanding the Mental nuances of the game, as well as more "tools" in my tool box to draw upon in the Future. Your ability to see those "little things" that make BIG differences, are truly appreciated by me! Especially getting me to realize that I need to "Trust It" with my abilities and my shot, really hit home. Thanks for your "Talents" to do what you do so well, but especially THANK YOU for your Friendship, as it is treasured.

Rick Vollmer
St. Augustine, Fla.

Hi David,

Thanks a bunch, Coach, I had a lot of fun and got a LOT of things to incorporate into my training regime. To be honest, that's significantly better than I'm accustomed to shooting. Now I honestly feel that each shot will be a hit, and the doubts are easier to banish from your thoughts. I was also able to "just shoot 'im", as you coached me to do. Less aiming, more pointing, once confidence is gained... It was also fun spending time with you. I can clearly see why most folks out at the club were/are your students. I'll be back, too, as you do a super job.

There's a long incomer in the 5-stand to work on my SLO-MO gun mounts here in G'ville.

Biggest epiphany was the mental program/checklist. That makes perfect sense. Also relaxing the mount, but staying in the shoulder pocket to reduce that variability.

Fixing the right hand felt better immediately, me being a lefty. Even helps with stability in the shoulder pocket.

Thanks for your time and help, I appreciate it. I'll work on techniques, and then schedule time with your for skeet and trap "gamesmanship" after I get more reps with the basics. I wish I had come to shotgunning when I could still see and had some semblance of young-punk reflexes. But then again, that's all the more reason to strive for mechanical excellence, since those days are past... Can't rely on 'em to pull you out of the mud, as it were...

That was a lot of fun.

David Brumbaugh
Univ. of Florida
Gainesville, Fla.

Hi David and Addie!

Hope this note finds you both doing well!

Anyhoo, thought you'd like to know that on my way home Saturday from the club, I had a permanent "smirk" plastered on my face that not even the crazy drivers out there were able to wipe it off! I enjoyed my class so much and am definitely hooked! What an awesome day I had!! I'm still trying to figure out WHY I waited so long to do this.....just glad I finally did!

I have been practicing my gun mounts, and my Dad gave me an old 12 ga to practice with, as the weight is better and there's more "gun" to it too! As for the post-it I'm using, I plead the 5th.......it's all in the "incentive" I say.....har! har! har! I'm also working on keeping my finger lightly on the trigger for hand position purposes....

I will definitely let you know when I'm ready to order my shotgun, I'm hoping very soon....cause I'm ready to get started. Question: Will this shotgun be OK for tournament shooting? I know I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of myself, but it's my goal to one day, hopefully, do some tournaments.

Looking "very much" forward to my next class....will be talking to you soon! Take care!

Bonne journee et a bientot!
Liane :)

Hi David,

Thank you again for the instruction you gave me on Saturday. My father saw me set up for shooting left handed, and he thought I was crazy until I started shooting and hitting almost every clay! He couldn't believe his eyes. I was actually shooting better than him. I went from hitting 65-75% of my shots right-handed to a 90-95% accuracy left-handed! You were right about me being Left Eye Dominant and insisting on me making the switch to left-handed, co-dominant shooting, both eyes open.

Anyways, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me. This is my Email address so you can give me my homework. Also if you could send me a list of guns that you think would be good for me I would greatly appreciate it, because I need to go out and get one this week so I can have a little time to practice before I go hunting next week. Thank you!

Alex Cafaro
Jacksonville, Fla.

Dave, My son and I had an incredible time shooting with you this past Saturday. The smile on his face after that first shot was ten miles wide. I’m always amazed by your patience; from the time you took to find his dominant eye, to helping him with his stance and gun mount, you were a world class teacher the whole time. If I had that kind of patience, I’d have four more kids!

On the way to Amelia Shotgun Sports, I warned Scotty that you’d be “inside his head” while he was shooting, but I think he was still a little surprised. I don’t know how you do it, but it’s as if you are looking through our eyes when we shoot.

The gun safety lesson and handling protocol was excellent. It was good for my son to hear about handling a gun safely from someone else. Like you said, there’s no such thing as an accident, just a failure to exercise caution.

Thanks again,
Greg Read
Jacksonville Jaguars

I started shooting Sporitng Clays in November of 2006 and could only manage scores in the 40s and 50s. I am left eye dominant and shoot left handed, and the first time I met David, he quickly pointed out that my Caesar Guerini had a right hand stock which didn't fit me, and I would shoot better if I had it changed by the manufacture to left hand. David helped me get the stock replaced and I picked up about 10 birds right away shooting consistently in the 60s. It was time for me to seek professional help to learn some sound fundamental shooting techniques. That’s when I called on David. During the lesson, David promptly noticed I was shooting a shotgun like it was a rifle with my right eye closed. With some excellent coaching, I was able to switch to shooting with both eyes open. I immediately picked up 10 more birds. Yes, I can shoot in the 70s now, when I get out of myself, thanks to spending time with a quality coach and instructor like David Dobson. It will be time for another lesson soon, and hopefully I can pick up another 10 birds. I would recommend David to anyone struggling with the game of shooting.

Bill Dodge
Jacksonnville, Florida

You are truly a teacher and I have learned a lot from you in the past five weeks. Your approach to teaching is right on target. Learning to shoot a moving target is the universal skill needed for any of the shooting sports. I have a long way to go but I feel you have given me a foundation to work from. Expect to see me in the next registered skeet shoot. Please feel free to use me as a reference in the future.

Scott McLean
Vice President, Information Technology
Acosta Sales and Marketing

I just wanted to let you know how much Chris and I enjoyed working with you Saturday. I think we're on our way!!

Please let me know the brand of glasses you recommend so we can get that taken care of. We'll probably shoot with Bonnie this weekend if she's available.

Again, thanks for everything!! Look forward to shooting with you in a couple of weeks...

Rick Welch
Account Executive
Global Staging & Communications, LLC

Love the new website! It answers every question that a new shooter would have and I wish this was available when I started. I will be hitting this site often.

It was great to see you this weekend at the Annual Fish Fry tournament at the Jacksonville Gun Club and thank you again for lunch. As you know, this was my first registered shoot and only six months after my lesson with you. I shot in the 12, 20, 28 and .410 ga events and finished D-3 in 28 ga and E-2 in 12 ga. Your coaching has given me the basic shooting fundamentals and confidence to compete and succeed. During the tournament when I began to miss targets I went back to the basics you taught me and regained my composure and started breaking targets again. I found that everyone at the tournament was very helpful and encouraging. This is a wonderful sport and I am hooked for life!

Thank you again for your support,

Scott McLean
Vice President, Information Technology
Acosta Sales and Marketing

Thank you very much for the Excellent coaching this past weekend. Although I have been reticent at practicing my gun mount, I did manage to write down a good deal of what I learned with you and Addie.

You have a very good teaching style and I am sure I will be contacting you in the near future to squeeze in another couple hours of shooting lessons.

Thanks very much and have a great day!!

John Calvin
VP / Controller
Crowley Maritime Corp.

I wanted to give my son, Alex, a present for his 13^th birthday that would be both a testament to his entry into his teenage years, as well as help him develop into a responsible young man. I have always known that the discipline, responsibility, and maturity that comes from handling weapons is an excellent way to focus and develop young minds, but I didn't feel comfortable with any of the programs that I found available locally. Fortunately, I stumbled across an article in the paper about David Dobson and the coaching he provides to all ages, and all skill levels. Not only did Alex start shooting with David, but I did as well!

The program that David teaches has been a tremendous boost for Alex's confidence, and has taught him the importance of the fundamentals in all things. As a result of the discipline that he has learned shooting sporting clays with David, he has grown in other areas of his life. His self-esteem is better, his approach to challenges is more positive, and he is doing better with tasks at home and at school.

Personally, I am hitting more targets now than I ever thought I could. Breaking targets is a great feeling, and the time I spend with my son, as well as seeing him learn and succeed at sporting clays (he is consistently outscoring the old man) is awesome!

Thaddeus Foster

Before Dave, I’d never used a shotgun. Before shooting lessons, I never had a good answer to “what do you do for fun?”. I called him for a safety lesson before a family hunting trip, and he introduced me to shotgunning, skeet and sporting clays. The clays traveling at 50 mph from left to right were very impossible looking at first, but as with anything, a little knowledge and a lot of practice make even the most impressive targets explode. Dave introduced a method and reinforced and built upon it repeatedly, and now I have an interesting new hobby and new shooting friends, too. I hope one day to have my own kids train with Dave. To anyone thinking of picking up a shotgun for the first time, I can highly recommend Dave Dobson and the Performance Shooting School methods. I’ve seen accomplished shooters looking for an ‘edge’ and longtime shooters with bad habits benefit from his training. We are fortunate that someone of his professional caliber is available to aspiring shooters of all levels.

S. Scott Kramarich, MD
Riverside Spine and Pain Physicians, P.L.

Thank you for your time yesterday fine tuning the gun fitting that Todd Nelsen did for me last week. For the first time since I started shooting clays I am convinced that my gun fits me correctly. It is amazing how different and responsive a fitted gun makes! As you told me over a year ago, proper gun fit is fundamental to shooting and without it you develop bad habits to compensate for the ill fitting gun. As usual, you were right. I know that it will take several weeks to adjust my sight pictures but I am now correcting for the last time.

Scott McLean
Vice President, Information Technology
Acosta Sales and Marketing

Happy New Year's Eve! I want to thank you for helping me become familiar with my new Gamba Daytona, as well as for the always professional and expert instruction. As you can readily tell, I have accumulated some rust, forgotten some fundamentals and let some bad habits creep into the game. But what was the most special element was that I learned from a trusted friend and caring coach. Thanks Dave!

Mal Haughton