National Sporting Clays Association
National Sporting Clays Association
NSCA Blog

Shooting Instruction


NSCA's Certified Instructor program prepares instructors to train shooters at all levels for enjoyment and competition. For new shooters, a qualified instructor can help make that first experience an enjoyable one, chipping away at beginner's frustration and providing a good foundation for future shooting fun. At higher levels, NSCA instructors can shorten the journey toward any shooter's goals.

  • Find an Instructor

    Locate an instructor for any level of shooting experience in any part of the country.

  • Become an Instructor

    Become an NSCA Certified Instructor or upgrade your certification to the next level.

  Sporting Clays Instruction Articles

Instruction Email Scam Resurfaces Instruction Email Scam Resurfaces

In an apparent scam that recycles every several months, NSCA members and staff have again been receiving emails lately from an individual who claims he wants to book instruction for a group of shooters from foreign countries. When recipients respond, the person elaborates with details about the group’s plans, including the need for hotel accommodations. In the past, instructors who responded to these emails have been asked to pay for hotels,... [more...]


Smith, Roth Expand Academy to 2 Days Smith, Roth Expand Academy to 2 Days

In response to demand from their students, NSCA Level III instructors Rick Smith and Donny Roth are expanding their popular Advanced Sporting Clays and Mental Game Training Academy to two days. The first two-day academy will be June 29-30 at The Clinton House in Clinton, SC. Academy Instructors, (L-R) Donny Roth, Rick Smith, Larry Penley Smith and Roth are joined in the classes by Larry Penley, golf coach at Clemson University, who addresses mental... [more...]


Get Ahead with Clays Academy Get Ahead with Clays Academy

Need a little help getting off that plateau and moving up in class? Frustrated by the lack of consistency in your game? Just want to be a better shooter? Maybe it’s time for some in-depth training at the Sporting Clays and Mental Game Training Academy. NSCA Level III Certified Instructors Rick Smith and Donny Roth will host the 8-hour clinic on March 16 at Harris Springs Sportsmen’s Preserve in Waterloo, SC. They will be joined by Larry... [more...]


<em>Shooting Tip:</em><br />The Longer the Ride, More Likely the Miss Shooting Tip:
The Longer the Ride, More Likely the Miss

NSCA Certified Instructor Don Currie offers his fourth rule of movement: The longer “the ride,” the more likely the miss. The moment the comb of the stock reaches your cheek, the quality of the visual information reaching your brain begins to degrade. The longer the stock is at your cheek, the more likely it is that you will miss the target. The bottom line is, you will never be able to see a target as well with the gun in your cheek because... [more...]


Level III Instructors Offering Academy Level III Instructors Offering Academy

Rick Smith, NSCA Level III Instructor Two NSCA Level III Certified Instructors, Donny Roth and Rick Smith, are offering their third and final Sporting Clays / Mental Game Training Academy of the year on November 3. The Academy will be held at the Harris Springs Club in South Carolina. The two instructors are joined in the Academy by national championship Clemson golf coach Larry Penley, a member of three different Halls of Fame and considered an... [more...]


Instructors Being Targeted by Scam Instructors Being Targeted by Scam

A few months ago, NSCA informed instructors and clubs of fraudulent activities targeting NSCA Certified Instructors around the country. This week, we have learned of other instructors and clubs who have been targeted with similar schemes. The instructors and clubs tell us they are being contacted through email by someone who is supposedly setting up a shooting event for a corporate group. Some of the reports say the person claims to be from England. The... [more...]


Member Benefit: Insurance from SIAI Member Benefit: Insurance from SIAI

If you aren’t taking advantage of the insurance offerings of Sportsman’s Insurance Agency, Inc. (SIAI), you’re missing out on one of the most valuable benefits offered to NSSA-NSCA members. Whether you’re a shooter, club manager, instructor, director or officer, there is a plan developed just for your and your equipment’s protection. As the only insurance plans endorsed by NSSA-NSCA, each of these programs was developed... [more...]


Learn Advanced Clays Techniques Learn Advanced Clays Techniques

NSCA is hearing rave reviews on a sporting clays academy focusing on advanced fundamentals and techniques and taught by NSCA Level III instructors Rick Smith and Donny Roth. The Sporting Clays and Mental Game Training Academy aims to give shooters a new focus on fundamentals and the mental game of shooting. One shooter said he met Rick and Donny at a Level I instructor school, then drove 870 miles for the academy. He found the program and instructors... [more...]


NSCA Instructors Plan Academy NSCA Instructors Plan Academy

If you can’t quite reach your shooting goals or move to the next class, maybe a new focus on fundamentals and your mental game would give your game the kick it needs. Two NSCA Level III instructors are offering the Sporting Clays and Mental Game Training Academy to address those needs. Rick Smith, NSCA Level III Instructor Instructors Rick Smith and Donny Roth will focus on advanced fundamentals and techniques at the Academy. In addition, they... [more...]


Young Guns at Quail Creek Event Young Guns at Quail Creek Event

Young Guns at Quail Creek and the National Wild Turkey Federation’s JAKES Take Aim Program announce a fundraising sporting clays shoot on Saturday, March 24, at Quail Creek Plantation in Okeechobee, Florida. Young Guns at Quail Creek is a group of students ranging in age from 8 to 18 who are affiliated with the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). Founded in 2008, Young Guns meet twice a month to learn the basics of sporting clays shooting... [more...]