Michael Maskell on Sporting Clays, Olympic Shooting & Mental Mastery – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight

Michael Maskell brings decades of elite-level shooting experience, international competition, coaching knowledge, and mental discipline to this episode of Clay Mastermind. A five-time Olympian representing Barbados in International Skeet, Michael shares his journey from growing up in a shooting family to competing on the world stage against the best shotgun athletes in the world.

Throughout the conversation, Michael discusses the realities of competing at the highest levels of shotgun sports, including the discipline, sacrifice, preparation, and mindset required to sustain success over decades. He reflects on his Olympic experiences, the challenge of training from a small island nation with limited resources, and how mental preparation became one of the most important tools in his career.

Dawn and Michael focus heavily on the mental side of Sporting Clays and shotgun sports, including confidence, focus, target planning, pressure management, conscious preparation, and subconscious execution. Michael shares his perspective on why many shooters misunderstand the phrase “shooting from the subconscious,” explaining that instinctive shooting still requires conscious planning, presence, and clear intention before the shot.

The conversation also explores the evolution of Sporting Clays and how the sport has become increasingly mental as equipment, target-setting, and shooter skill levels have advanced. Michael explains why modern Sporting Clays does not always require extreme target difficulty to challenge top competitors, and why the mental game often becomes the deciding factor between winning, plateauing, or falling behind.

Michael also discusses Master Class competition, the mindset shift many shooters experience when they reach higher classifications, and why some competitors stop progressing once they begin measuring success only by class instead of true performance. His insight highlights the importance of mental training, preparation, and long-term commitment for shooters who want to compete at a higher level.

In addition to his Olympic and Sporting Clays experience, Michael shares how working with sports psychologists helped him develop relaxation techniques, mental triggers, visualization, and recovery skills. He also discusses the role of physical fitness in performance, including his recent personal transformation, significant weight loss, and renewed commitment to training.

This episode offers valuable perspective for Sporting Clays shooters, competitive athletes, coaches, and anyone interested in the connection between mental training and peak performance. Michael Maskell’s experience, honesty, and depth of knowledge provide a clear look at what it takes to improve, compete, and perform under pressure at the highest levels of shooting sports.

Michael Maskell Links 

https://www.maskellshotgunacademy.com/

Phone: (812) 322-6905

Email: maskellshotgunacademy@gmail.com 

American Shooting Centers Instructor Profile: https://americanshootingcenters.com/instruction-and-coaching/?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

Dawn Grant Links  

https://dawngrant.com/ 

https://mindmastered.com/  

https://ameliashotgunsports.com/ 

Free webinar here: https://dawngrant.com/pages/clay-shooters-mind-game-mastery