This is a new feature that will interview top competitors in a number of disciplines and reveal how these “champions” are thinking as they compete at top levels. This insight into the Champion’s Mind should be not only interesting but beneficial in helping shooters build a mental game and allowing them to realize their real potential, both mentally and physically.

Kurt Grates – NSSA World Champion

Pete Brock – NFL Offensive Lineman

Robert Paxton – NSSA World Champion

Upcoming Interviews:

Doug Koenig – Action Pistol World Champion

Glen Eller – Olympic Gold Medalist, Doubles Trap

Tony Murphy – USAF Ret. F-15 Fighter pilot

Vincent Hancock – Olympic Gold Medalist, Skeet

Kim Rhode – Olympic Gold Medalist, Doubles Trap

Kurt Grates has been on top of the sport of skeet shooting for a number of years.  When he is not running Great Lakes Sporting Arms, he is traveling the country competing and helping shooters with their equipment needs.  Amongst a number of All-American selections and 400x400s, are Kurt’s performances and conquests at the highest levels of the sport, the 28 Gauge World Championship in 2002, and most recently the 20 Gauge World Championship in 2009.

TB:   Kurt, you have a very positive and confident personality, is this innate or strategically managed?

KG:   That is a good question, I think I am a very optimistic person naturally, but I do make a definite attempt to stay positive in concerns of my shooting, I strive to never say negative stuff on how I shoot or about the shooting conditions.

TB:   Most top shooters agree that you are one of the best doubles shooters in the sport.  How much of this training and how much in confidence?

KG:   Both, I train very hard on my doubles game probably eighty percent of my practice is doubles.  I try to be more aggressive in practice to help get my timing and shot placement at the optimum location, so when I’m in shoot-offs and I get a little  careful, I end up still hitting the targets with good placement.  I used to have a tendency to shoot them (targets) a little later. Being able to shoot and see the targets correctly gives me the confidence that when I am shooting good, I really do believe that I will never miss. It kind of snowballs from that point, as I start shooting better and better, giving me more and more confidence. Sometimes I feel that I can be too confident and miss, because I take it for granted. I think that there is fine between line of letting go recklessly and cautiously shooting.

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Pete Brock played twelve professional seasons with the NFL’s New England Patriots (1976-87).  Besides being one of the greatest lineman to play in New England, Pete is also an avid shotgunner.

Pete played every position of the offensive line in the 154 regular season games that he played for the New England Patriots. Pete, and his brother Stan Brock (New Orleans Saints, 1980-92, San Diego Chargers, 1993-95), were both first round picks in the NFL Draft.

Pete, one of the most versatile linemen to play in the NFL, also has a sense of humor.  He earned the nickname “Deep Threat” when he caught a 6-yard TD pass from Steve Grogan in the Patriots 38-24 win over the New York Jets.  Pete brought the play from the sidelines and told Steve Grogan in the huddle that the play was “222 to me” rather than 222 Tight End Delay.

Today, Pete lives in N. Attleboro, MA, with his family.  He is a successful businessman, and still very involved with Patriots organization, doing charity work, game-day color and play-by-play analysis.

Interview coming in 2010

Few athletes have reached the pinnacle of their sport, fewer can stay at the top.  Robert Paxton has done so over four decades.  This is the true test of mental toughness, and one of the most difficult things to do, maintain longevity in sport.  Robert has won more World Championships, shot more 400x400s, and earned more positions on All-American Teams than most people can dream of.  Robert is also respected as one of the best target gun dealers in the nation, running Paxton Arms since 1978.  But more importantly, Robert Paxton is recognized as the true gentleman of the sport.

TB:   You have been on top of the sport for over four decades.  That’s pretty impressive, what do you accredit that to?

RP:   I would say the love of the sport –and my addiction to competition.   In the end it’s the people who make the sport, and over the years it is personal relationships that keep me motivated.

TB:   You are very competitive by nature, that can be a good thing, but how do you channel that to have a positive effect on your game?

RP:  Being competitive means that your goal is to compete and win.  Therefore it also means putting in the necessary work on the practice field, and working the soft tissue between the ears. Being competitive is tremendous motivation to find the most effective ways to improve my game.

TB:   If you were to give a shooter advice on beginning and or improving their mental game, what would you tell them?

RP:  That one must have a fairly solid physical game before the mental game can contribute.  Once that is achieved, work on trust and confidence.  Learning to shoot with confidence, and being able to trust yourself to perform, as you know you can are mental keys that if applied properly, can help achieve full potential.

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