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.

TB:  How do you handle a less than satisfactory performance?

RP:  I give myself a half hour to feel disappointed and chastise myself.  After the half hour is up I look forward, as the score on the sheet will never change.  I hate to lose, but I realize that focusing on the negatives will not help me win.  Looking forward to the next event with a positive attitude will.

TB:  Do you do any mental preparation before the season?

RP:  Yes, but only for a few weeks prior to the start of the season.  I do most of my mental training on the practice field – working both the physical and mental aspects.   After forty skeet seasons behind me, I try to take a vacation from the competitive grind during most of the off season.

TB:  What is your greatest mental attribute that is responsible for at least some of your success?

RP:  I could talk about visualization or focus, but I believe that to be successful in sport, you must have a dream – If you don’t have a dream, then how can it come true?  Secondly, you must be able to trust yourself, which is the key to bringing your full potential to the competition field.  Most find it much easier to trust themselves on the practice field.

TB:  Given the nature of your business, you are constantly bombarded with distractions at tournaments, and that without doubt extracts a toll.  How do you mentally deal with that, especially when preparing to compete?

RP:  Experience has helped greatly. It took many years, but I am finally learning that if I have prepared properly, distractions are much less distracting.  If I am properly prepared, I have trust in my ability to perform, regardless of what happened five minutes or five seconds ago.  I’m learning that if you let a distraction affect your performance, it will suffer.  Sounds easy, but for me it was not!

TB:  Any other comments that you believe are pertinent to the conversation about your game both physically and mentally?

RP:  I was blessed with pretty good hand/eye coordination, but know from experience that a great mental game can overcome almost any deficiency of natural gun pointing talent.  More than once, I have had squadmates that have had less than average natural ability, but through sheer desire, and a very focused mental game, rose to World Champion status.

There are scores of us who want that Gold Ring – who have tremendous desire and work ethic – who try as hard we can to achieve our goals – but I believe that the Champion is usually the one who is able to shoot with ultimate trust.  In other words he is able to “get out of his own way” and let all of his practice experience flow through, uncluttered, and confidently during competition.