I had the best experience ever tonight taking a class on proper shotgun use. It's amazing all the wrong things I had learned, and how simple it is to use it correctly. But, there's always a but though, I definitely am going to need to practice so I can not only become proficient, but gain confidence while handling my shotgun and do it safely.
I attended a class at http://www.calibers.net that was taught by (I hope I spell this correctly) Yousef Sansour http://www.sansourinternational.com
This class was simply put the best thing I ever did since I got my shotgun. It was really great how he listened to what skill level we were, and asking what we wanted to get out of the class because he then tailored it to give us what we asked for.
I can't describe all the great things I learned, but I will say that after struggling to shoot only about 30 rounds through my shotgun things have changed for the better. I literally couldn't hit the broadside of a barn for several reasons, but tonight I shot probably 60 rounds at ranges from 5 yards all the way out to 25 yards and I don't think I missed the target once. A few times I did flinch or didn't line up correctly, but the majority of my shots went EXACTLY where I was expecting them to go.
The real clincher was at the very end we shot slugs at varying ranges 5, 10, and 25 yards, and I was able to keep them within a 12" box.
I also learned how much I need to practice the basic operation of my pump shotgun, until I can get to the point where I'm not having to think about the operations, they come instinctively.
I can't say enough good things about this class, it was almost like having a custom one on one instruction, and it's really taught me what I need to do next.