Photos courtesy of Todd Bender
At the NSSA World Championships, everybody wants to go home a champion, but how do you satisfy that most elusive goal? Skills and ability are crucial, but proper mindset and focus are of equal importance. The following may give you some direction on achieving what you desire.
I never won a championship I tried to win. In fact, trying to win a championship will almost guarantee it won’t happen (as illustrated in my second story). Instead, one must focus on execution, not outcome. Pay attention to your process, trust what you’ve trained. Of course, that’s easier said than done.
In 2007, ’08 and ’09, I broke back-to-back 550x550s at the World Championships. I was the first and, to this day, the only shooter to shoot two back-to-back, and no one had ever done it three years in a row…until 2009.
At the World Championships in 2009, after the 550x550s in 2007 and 2008, the day before the 12 gauge started, I was in the parking lot of the National Shooting Complex and a guy walked up to me and said, “Hey Todd, you gonna break another 550×550 this year?” The question wasn’t malicious, but I wanted to hit him. That thought and that mindset was the last place I wanted to be. I wanted my mind to be as far away from that as possible. I looked at him and said, “I don’t know, but I’m gonna break the first High One tomorrow,” and walked away. Then what are you going to do? I’m gonna break Low One.
Imagine if I had started that tournament in 2009 trying to be perfect for the next five days. I’d have broken a 21×25 in the first round. What got me through that subsequent week? Running my system, running my process, sticking with what got me there in the first place. I broke my third 550×550 in a row that year, but I did that staying true to what I had trained, trusting my process and releasing concern over any and all outcomes. I executed and let it happen. Sure, easy to write about in hindsight, but in actuality, that’s the only way that was pulled off.
2014 World Championships
I’ve written about this story before, but this is a perfect time to reiterate. Everyone has heard the old adage “one target at a time.” The above scenario and the following story present that thought in its purest definition.
I went into the 2014 World Championships shooting well. I broke 400×400 at the U.S. Open three weeks before. In fact, I was shooting so well I couldn’t even miss in practice in the weeks right up until the day the World Championships started. I could just point the gun north, and they’d freaking break! I was about as ready for a championship as I could be.
On Saturday, I began the Mini World preliminaries with a pair of 99x100s in the 12 and 28-gauge events. Obviously a little disappointing, given how well I was shooting. On Sunday, I broke a 100×100 with the 20 gauge and followed that with another 99×100 in the .410. All in all, I was pleased with my shooting in the prelims, and I was ready for the Main.
I broke a 99×100 in the Doubles event on Monday and then missed again in the 12 gauge, one each in the 75 “splits” on Tuesday: 148×150. With the exception of the 20 gauge in the Mini World, I had been in Texas for four days and had missed a target in every event. It was like Groundhog Day — wake up, go shoot…miss, go to sleep, wake up the next day, go shoot…miss, etc. I was frustrated. I was shooting great but not breaking 100x100s and, hence, not getting in the shoot-offs for championships.
Lanny Bassham has labels for this particular mindset that hampers the performance of all top athletes. It is called “over-thinking” and “over-trying.” Trying to make things perfect. The most heinous of mental errors and the greatest enemy of good performance. Having the awareness and the presence of mind that you are in that state, and the ability to correct such situations is easier said than done. But the following is the direction one would want to follow to get the outcomes you desire and avoid the trap of trying to be perfect.
I returned to my hotel after the 12-gauge event in San Antonio that evening. I was despondent. I’d had it. I was shooting great but couldn’t break 100-straight, after not missing for a month leading up to the event. I just wanted to take my marbles and go home.
Then, from out of the blue, I received a text message from Pete Brock. I’ve been friends with Pete and his brother Stan for the better part of 30 years. Both Pete and Stan were first-round picks in the NFL draft and had extensive careers as offensive linemen in the League. Pete played 13 seasons with the New England Patriots, and Stan played 16 years with the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers.
Pete knew I was in Texas competing at the World, so he was just checking in to see how I was doing. He had texted: “How are things going in San Antonio?”
I unloaded on Pete. It was going nowhere fast. I was shooting great, but couldn’t break a 100×100. Which meant I couldn’t get in shoot-offs. Which meant I couldn’t win championships. I was upset.
Pete then texted a very simple question to me: “Can you make it one more down?” My less-than-positive mood immediately changed. I did an immediate 180, because I knew the story.
Pete Brock played his whole career with the New England Patriots, and over his career, played every position on the offensive line. But he was best known as the starting center under quarterback Steve Grogan. One year they were playing the Dolphins at home in New England. On the Patriot’s first offensive drive, in the first play from scrimmage, Pete got hurt. After the play, he got up out of the pile of bodies and began to limp back to huddle. John Hannah, member of the NFL Hall of Fame, was Pete’s guard.
Hannah, returning to the huddle, looked at Pete and said, “You all right?”
“No, it’s my knee, I think it’s pretty screwed up,” Brock replied.
Hannah looked at Pete. “Can you make it one more down?”
Brock responded, “Yeah, I think I can.”
They ran the next play. Pete got up, now in more pain, and Hannah repeated, “Can you make it one more down?”
Again, Pete said, “Yeah, I think I can.”
On that first play from scrimmage, Pete broke the base of his femur and tore all of his lateral meniscus (cartilage). Seventy-seven offensive plays later, broken femur and all, Pete Brock played every offensive down in that game — 77 offensive downs in the NFL, on a broken leg!
So when Pete hit me with the question: “Can you make it one more down?” I felt like a complete fool. I knew what my response had to be. Pete’s message to me was clear.
I returned to the National Shooting Complex the next day for the 20 Gauge Championship with renewed intent. I was down, but not out. Instead of wishing the next three days were already over, my new mindset was to enjoy the remainder of the event and “play the game.” All that day, before each shot, I thought to myself, “Can you make it one more down?” I continued that thought even after breaking the 100-straight in the event and eventually through the overtime rounds of the shoot-off: “Can you make it one more down,” until I won the 20 Gauge World Championship that night. True story.
I finished the rest of the tournament shooting as well as I had begun, but with a better attitude. I finished the next day with a 99×100 in the 28 gauge and the final day with a 100×100 with the .410.
I could have given up during that World Championships and, as a matter fact, I pretty much had. But thanks to a random intervention from a good friend who got me to refocus on my process, I finished with what most would consider a good, if not great shoot.
Champions trust they’re going to execute, they trust their process, they trust they’re going to win.
How cold is the glass?
I taught Lanny Bassham’s Mental Management Program to the SEAL Teams for a number of years. They found great value in that. The team I worked with had a sports psychologist on staff. On one of my visits, she asked to sit in on one of my sessions. And during a discussion on “trust,” the sports psychologist asked me to define “trust.” Holy crap, what do I do now? This is the story I came up with to define trust, and she bought it. It’s a true story.
A few years after I graduated Trinity University, I visited my old local hangout, Bombay Bicycle Club. I sat down at a table occupied by an old friend and one of his friends. His friend was an nth degree black belt and multi-time World Champion in the martial arts, so we had something in common. We began to discuss our respective sports and he asked me, “Where are you in your sport?” I responded, “I’m Number Two.” He said, “Why is that?” I said, “Well, there’s this guy, he’s my best friend, we shoot together, his name is Wayne Mayes, that’s why I’m Number Two.” He then said, “Yeah, but why are you Number Two?” And I responded again, “Well, there’s this guy…”
Bombay Bicycle Club has the best frozen margaritas in San Antonio, and that’s what we were drinking. So, the martial arts World Champion looks at me, pointing at the glass with the frozen margarita in it, and asked, “How cold is the glass?”
I calculated. Well, it’s frozen, there’s alcohol in it, so I replied, “18°.” He angrily replied, “Wrong!” I thought a little more and asked quizzically, “14°?” In a louder voice, he said, “Wrong!”
This continued for a minute, back-and-forth. No matter what I said, I was wrong. He finally looked at me and said “Okay, put your hand on the glass.” I complied. He then asked, “Can you feel how cold that glass is?” I replied, “Yeah I can feel it.” He then asked “Do you know how cold that glass is?” I said, “Yeah, I can feel it. I know how cold that is.” He then looked me straight in the eye and said, “When you know, you’ll be Number One.”
That was my definition of “trust.” Champions know…and trust in their abilities, and they trust in their ability to execute. Therefore, there’s no need to over-think or over-try. They just execute, trusting their training and their skills.
Championships are won by athletes who are not adding anything more to their routine or formula for success. They are also not accepting anything less than what they’ve trained for and what they know they can accomplish.
So, the key to winning championships is not the outcome, but rather the process, focusing on your execution. You don’t try to win championships. If you pay attention to your process, the outcome will just happen. The battle is not winning championships; the battle is staying the course, staying positive and making it “one more down!” SS
Todd Bender has been performing at the highest levels of the skeet game for over 40 years. Here are a few of his achievements: Highest HOA in the history of the sport .9972; 26 Open NSSA World Championships; NSSA World Championships (2007, 2008, 2009) shot perfect scores of 550×550. In 1987 Todd was the first shooter ever to shoot three consecutive 400x400s and the only shooter to do it twice (which also included a 550×550 in 1991), and was on the NSSA Men’s All-American First Team 35 consecutive times. Todd maintains a hectic travel schedule around the world with his shooting clinics and tournament schedule. He has written for Shotgun Sports since 2005. Todd’s instructional DVDs are available on page 57 in this issue. For information about Todd Bender Performance Systems International and for Todd’s 2025 Clinic Schedule, go to the Clinic Schedule Page at toddbenderintl.com.
