Tom Kozera

Intro

* Certified Firearms Instructor for 10-years+.
* Competitive Pistol & Shotgun shooter.
* Military Simulation Aggressive Force-on-Force Training at Ft. Cavazos (Ft. Hood) for 15-years+ through Airsoft MilSim as SQL+ RTO + DEMO expert.
* Recreational athlete practicing swimming, bicycling, weight lifting, and hiking.
* Highly Technical IT administrator, analyst, and developer with 30-years+ of Information Technology expertise in all fields of computing, networking, data, and cyber security.

Certifications

* NSCA Level 1 Certified Instructor (Audited the NSCA Level 2 class in November of 2025)
* NSCA & FITASC Regional Certified Referee & Trapper
* NRA Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun Certified Instructor & Chief Range Safety Officer (CRSO) (10-years+)
* Texas License to Carry (LTC) Certified Instructor (10-years+)
* Fully Insured Instructor at many shooting clubs.

Lesson

* Sporting Clays, Skeet, Trap, FITASC, 5-Stand are all available at the Greater Houston Sports Club - Shooting Venues.
* Personal Lesson for 1 to 4 people tailored for all ages and skill levels. Larger group lessons and clinics are also available.
* Normal recommended lesson duration is 2-hours but longer lessons and half or full-day clinics are available at the same hourly rate as listed.
* Focus on specific areas of desire to learn such as safe gun usage, gun fit and eye dominance assessment, introduction to sporting clays, various target presentations and types, pair shooting tactics, the complete shooting process, shot planning, pre-shot routine, performance analysis, equipment evaluation, gun mounting strategies, mental game training, competition preparation and dress rehearsal, and consistency building.
* Custom creation of a Deliberate Structured Guided Practice plan for recurring lessons and coaching sessions for repeat students.
* Recommending a phone call or a video chat to discuss the plan for the lesson, experience levels, equipment and logistics, areas of focus, objectives of training and goals to achieve.
* Recommending regularly scheduled lessons bi-weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly to continue working on the learning curriculum and practice for continuous and steady improvements in skill so students on regular schedule will receive a 10% discounted rate on recurring classes.
* Call or text +1(832)650-0366 or email Tom(dot)Kozera(at)Gmail(dot)com for any questions.

Equipment

* Greater Houston Sports Club details available on the web page.
* Bring your own gun, ammo, target card, and all equipment if possessed and desired.
* Borrow and use my own Browning Citori 725 Over/Under 12-gauge 32-inch barrels with an Adjustable Comb and custom balance buffer if required.
* Eye and ear protection available to use and borrow if required.
* Club guest fee is $20 per guest/student with 4-times maximum visits to the club per year and then $100 per visit after with management approval.
* Ammo purchase available at the Club house (~$100+ per 250 shells).
* Cart / Buggy rental is available for $35 + tax = $37.98 and highly recommended for Sporting Clays, FITASC, and 5-Stand due to long distances.
* Target card rental and target fill-up is available for purchase at the Club House. (Targets 100: $38 + tax = $41.14; Skeet & Trap (Round of 27 Targets): $6.25 + tax = $6.77, FITASC and 5-Stand (Round of 27 Targets): $9.50 + tax = $10.28).
* Recommending a minimum of 100-shells and 100-targets per hour for lessons and more for high volume deliberate focused and guided competition training. (e.g. 250-shells+ and 200-targets+ for a 2-hour lesson.)

Disclosures

* Ammo, Targets, and the Guest Fee are not provided as part of lesson, must be brought or purchased by each student or group.
* Instructor Liability Waiver must be signed by each student at the first lesson.
* Separate Greater Houston Sports Club Liability Waiver must be signed electronically at check-in to the front desk of the Club House by each student and Safety Rules must be followed.
* Students under 18-years of age must have a parent or guardian accompany them.
* Payments accepted are Cash, Check, Zelle, PayPal.

Cancellation Policy

* More Than 24-Hours+ - Reschedule or Full Refund
* Less Than 24-Hours- - Reschedule or Half Refund
* Less Than 12-Hours - Reschedule or No Refund
* Emergency Situation with Picture Proof - Reschedule or Full Refund
* Range Closure, Course Closure, Special Event Conflict, Weather, Unsafe Conditions, Holiday - Reschedule or Full Refund

Teaching

* Teaching appropriately to all ages and skill levels of shooting; from very young to old, and from novice, beginner, intermediate, journeyman, advanced, expert, to master.
* Focus on single students requiring guided sessions for structured deliberate purposeful practice and mental training or groups of students or friends for casual, corporate, executive, charity, or group competitive training.
* Evaluations of eye-dominance, gun fit, ammunition, eye wear, ear protection, hats, clothing, equipment, accessories, and shooting style to determine the current situation and recommend any adjustments or improvements for best performance.

Methods

* NRA coaching method of teaching firearms safety, comfortable fit, correct usage, for best results and most enjoyment.
* Churchill method of instinctive shooting with focus on the subconscious and mental aspects of the most efficient low/off-gun mounting methods and intuitive shooting through the natural point-of-aim.
* NSCA standardized curriculum of shooting focusing on the application of the best & proper methods using the correct lead based on target presentation types for competitive style shooting using high/pre-gun or off-gun mounts using the:
* Sustained / maintained / constant lead
* Pull-away or touch-and-pull-away
* Pass / swing-through lead
* Intercept / cut-off (diagonal and straight-line) to the break-point
* Diminishing / collapsing / decreasing lead for the target to come to your lead (usually on the second bird of a true pair)
* Spot or break-point shooting with minimal or no-motion when the target approaches
* FITASC and AFS (American Field Sporting) low/no-pre-mount disciplines for instinctive shooting through mounting-to-the-break-point and subconscious trigger pull through intuitive lead recollection and acquisition shooting methods along with low mount choice using:
* Parallel mount to the Hold or Break-point
* Two-piece/step mount (cheek & shoulder then target line)
* Snap mount (over-the-line snap to on-the-line).
* Using best techniques and approaches condensed into compact lessons based on the methods observed being used by the top Master and Pro shooters, books and video courses by famous coaches and instructors, instructor lessons taken, and methods and techniques developed personally and incorporated from other shooting sports.

Training

* Training the complete shooting process through the various stages of:
* Environmental, weather, wind, and light condition considerations.
* Ammo and shotgun Choke constrictions choices based on target distance and dome / belly / edge angle.
* Reading the traps and plates and targets loaded.
* Stance, foot position, body form, kinesthetics, leaning, and movement.
* Gun hold, finding the gun balance and center pivot point, hand and finger positions.
* Choice of high / tight or soft / off / low mount methods based on target flight situation.
* Pre and post-transition target flight line approaches and tactics.
* Planning the shots for the best Visual Pick-up Point (VPP).
* Eye Focus Point (FP) selection at distance.
* Soft and Hard Focus (SF/HF) locations and timings.
* Gun Hold Point (HP) location for close or far on the line.
* Move and swing to the target to Connect and Control it (C&C).
* Area of greatest and best visual acquisition and shot timing opportunity (AO).
* Target Break-point (BP) choices for first and second target.
* Follow and swing-through without stopping during the shot.
* Gun move to the second target's Hold, Wait, or Break-point.
* Foot placement and foot dragging for second target break-point.
* Creating a consistent and repeatable pre-shot routine.
* Analysis of the post-shot results.
* Correction plan formulation after dual subsequent shot failures and misses.
* First, middle, and final pair considerations for consistency to avoid lost targets.
* Gun, Choke, Ammo, and Shot Pattern performance analysis at various distances with lead and steel shot.
* Tactical planning and application of the most advantageous shooting methodologies and techniques enhancing the hit probabilities based on reading the target's distance, speed, and flight-path for the target-line with the best visual, angular, and timing opportunity and the required best and most efficient gun vector movement paths for various clay presentations including:
* Quartering or cornering / outgoing or incoming
* Crossing or 90-degree perpendicular (fast, medium, slow speed)
* Looping or Flopping slow rising and falling
* Curling and twisting targets often creating diminishing leads
* Off-speed or half-spring very slow targets
* Trap taking-off outgoing straight or quartering
* Teal high-rising incoming or outgoing
* Crow high-rising vertically and stalling
* Chandelle high parabolic perpendicular or quartering
* Incoming straight-on mid-height or low to the ground
* Driven overhead outgoing from behind or high incoming
* Tower / lift / boom elevated versions of all of the above
* Elevated podiums shooting at below-the-feet targets or up onto hills
* Water or ground skipping (rabbue or battue usually or upside-down dome-down targets)
* Gravity dropped or simple no-power released targets
* Learning of the different types of available targets, reading of the traps, loading boxes, and target silhouettes moving through the air to understand what type of targets are being thrown and recalling the various specialties and peculiarities of the targets that require different methods of lead and engagement for targets such as:
* Standard (108mm) - Standard targets where difficulty is created by technical complex trajectories and transition points.
* Rabbit (108mm) - Grounded rolling thick and tough discs that require a stabbing like motion to engage and #7.5 shot if at medium to great distances.
* Rabbue (108mm) - Flying rabbit thick tough discs that require quick engagement to ensure breaks with #7.5 shot and constricted chokes.
* Battue (108mm) - Thin twisting disc that requires the most sliding lead when moving fast perpendicular or curling or quartering away.
* Mini (60mm) - Not used very often anymore and replaced by the Pro 70mm.
* Pro (70mm) - Very small and fast targets usually moving at deceivingly slow speed but look fast.
* Midi (90mm) - Smaller than standard targets and appear to move faster and look further due to smaller size.
* International (110mm) - Thicker and harder targets that allow withstanding more spring and speed to engage.
* Orange / Blue / Green / Purple / White / Black colored or edged / Flash / Crusher (dust puff-producing) - Alter the perception of speed and distance due to the different colors changing the perception of those target's from normal ones.
* Strategic instruction for single, report, following / rafale, and true/simo pairs using the best approach and most consistent execution plans for various styles of competitions including:
* Sporting (Main)
* Lite
* Prelim
* Super Sporting
* True-Pair
* 5-Stand
* Long/Short Bird
* Flurry
* FITASC - Parcours de Chasse (Sporting)
* ComPak
* AFS (American Field Sporting)
* Helices (ZZ Bird)
* etc.
* Competition planning and punch management for upcoming and improving shooters along with recommended venues and competition events to attend with strategies and tactics on the best approach to event registration, transportation, commuting, housing, ergonomics, diet, hydration, ergogenics, mindfulness, relaxation, focus building, meditation, and restfulness.

Mental

* Zen-like mental training and deliberate practice methods to achieve the full Zone & Flow states during the performative and competitive stages of shooting to have complete inner-peace and calm through the execution of practice-taught and well-rehearsed micro-Zone & micro-Flow state entry by using deliberately taught mental representation building and neurovisual, aural, and kinesthetic memory recollections from previous practice sessions.
* Mental discipline building to control and smooth-out the emotional, hormonal, physical, and psychological effects of the highs-of-euphoria and lows-of-distress to maintain perfect calmness in the face of success or failure to continue consistent performance to avoid losing subsequent targets due to peaks and valleys of prior shot results and strings (e.g. initial, middle, or final pair lost targets).
* Consistency building through structured deliberate purposeful practice and directed guided training sessions with immediate feedback and corrections for the correct execution of all taught and learned skills, techniques, tactics, strategies, and methodologies.
* Learn the purposeful calm Tai Chi Cloud Hand Form 4 smoothness of breath control to the motions of the gun mount and swing-to-target to effect the Connect and Control synchronization with the target's flight speed and path to create the smooth and calm flow of gun to ensure precision and accuracy at the point of engagement with the target and to unlearn any of the bad habits like flinching, flicking, flipping, jerking, rushing, bumping, dipping, etc. of the gun to the target and lead.
* Kinesthetic learning of the Proprioception of your body's form, movements, and locations, correct stance of the rear foot's heel to the front foot's toe of the left-most BreakPoint (BP) of targets (for right-handed shooters or the reverse for left-handed shooters), along with finding of the center pivot point of the balance of the gun for every single gun mount motion to establish a hands-on feel of the gun with the rear-hand feeling the weight of the stock and the fore-hand feeling the weight of the barrels with the weight of the action perfectly balanced in-between the two, and keeping a deliberate mindful awareness of the forehand's pointing finger that will control the movement of the gun and enable a precise and accurate aim to the target's lead to establish the Connection and Control of the target during the motion synchronization part of the gun swing before the engagement with the target. (e.g. "Feel" the target with the pointing finger and sync the move of the finger on the gun with the target's flight path and speed.)

Referrals

* Transferable skill acquisition using standardized nomenclature and methods with further special personal referrals to other specific instructors, coaches, and Pro-level shooters to refine specific skills that they are known for teaching and using, and to receive a well-rounded experience with different teachers and methods from the wealth of the entire precision sport shooting community.
* Recommendations to specific gunsmiths, gun fitters, stock makers, eye specialists, mental trainers, shooting schools, courses, clinics, youth shooting programs, books, online videos, and other useful information, resources, equipment, personnel, and locations for all types of shooting.

Multilingual

* Lessons given in English, Polish, and lite Spanish (Español).