I really struggled through my first 300 trap targets this year, really struggled. Shooting 20s from the 16 yard line kind of struggle. I was questioning my gun choice, the eye exercises I've been doing, whether I needed new glasses, if I jarred the rib or comb setting on my gun, etc...
I found some old notes yesterday I had kept from last year and I saw multiple times, "hold the gun high over the house, look down below the barrel for the target." What have I been doing? Holding high over the trap house and looking even higher. Targets were getting a huge jump on me and I was chasing after them, never getting a good look, constantly being surprised.
Went back out today and shot a 24 and a 23 from 16 yards.
Without those notes from last year when I was shooting well, how long would I have struggled? Needless to say, I am keeping an even better diary now. So simple and so easy to fix. Now I can go back to the more important work of trying to pick up that extra one or two targets, with confidence in my overall approach.