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Hi Gebben:

Congratulations on your Nationals win...you are a wonderful example to all of us, in what it means to follow Christ...I thank you for that.

Now my QUESTION: Both, Lanny Basham and Henry Hopking are taking the credit for your obviously excellent MENTAL GAME.

Please HELP us mere mortals. What is the difference between the two teachings if anything -and what do you find to be the most helpful lessons??

If permissable, what kind of Pre-Shot Routine do you use?? Your help in this is GREATLY appreciated. We all could use some help here!! Thanks for sharing.

Respectfully,
Locked On

Thanks for the question Locked On. As you stated, the mental game is a very important part of competition. A little background info for you on how my mental game has developed, and why I worked with both Lanny and Henry:

My last couple years in high school I thought I was a pretty good shooter (captain of Junior All-American and Team USA in 02). However, in big tournaments my performances were not very good. As captain, in ‘02 I was the reason why the Junior Team didn’t win Gold. The following year my performances were very up and down. I graduated high school in ’03 and for my graduation present I took a class w/ Lanny Bassham. He taught me the necessary information that laid the foundation for a solid mental game. The next year I asked Steve Schultz if he would be my coach. Steve helped me learn how to get the most of the information I learned from Lanny. Unfortunately, the next 3 years of my life I went through some growing pains that halted the progress of my shooting. I found myself in some dark places. My shooting performances remained inconsistent during this time. In the summer of ’06, I decided I need to change things in my life. I met a girl during that summer that I really liked. She was an attractive girl that loved God. She challenged me to figure out what I believe spiritually, and it really got me thinking. I asked myself what I believed, and why do I believe what I believe? And, do I believe that what I believe is really real?

Sounds good right? It was, but instead of leaning on God during this time and finding out what my identity in Christ is, I wrapped my life around this girl. My identity as a person was in her and in shooting. Since I was mainly motivated by 2 people, a girl, and myself, my performances were really good at times when things were going well. If things would get rocky, my performance would often suffer. She eventually broke my heart, because God wasn’t the center of our relationship or my life, and I was completely enamored by her. If I didn’t have Steve Schultz there to keep my shooting in line, I would have never achieved what I achieved in ’07, including making the super-final in the ’07 World Sporting. He deserves a ton of credit for the way I shoot.

During this time of my life I was involved w/ a group called Athletes in Action. As a part of this campus ministry at the U of A, I was learning that Jesus should be the center of my life and that I need to find my identity in Him. It is tough re-wiring your thought process that you’ve had for so long but it’s worth it. The moments when you encounter the face of God are the most rewarding moments you will every experience!

Anyway, I attended a 7 day camp that AIA puts on called the Ultimate Training Camp in the summer of ’08. The camp has about 150 athletes composed of mostly D1 athletes from all over the country. It will change anyone’s life who attends. At the camp you learn 5 principles about incorporating God into sport and what that looks like. At the end of the week you partake in a 24 hr competition of many different sporting events called the SPECIAL (SCRIPTUAL PRINCIPLES + EXHAUSTION = CONFIDENCE in the ALL MIGHTY LORD). You basically experience physical fatigue in such a way that you have nothing left but to rely on Christ to get you through! It’s amazing. That is where I realized I had to give my entire life to Christ. Not just a piece of the pie.

So I began to realize that I could tie the AIA principles in w/ what I learned from Lanny. Steve Schultz really helped me develop a pre-shot routine that would include both sets of principles. Over the next year, I began having brief experiences where the pieces came together and I was really using sport as an act of worship. It’s awesome! The next stage of the development of my mental game is where Henry comes in.
Henry and I met in March of ’09. We connected very well and became friends very quickly which resulted in helping each other in certain areas of our lives. Henry taught me the things he knows about how to control your thoughts and really helped me incorporate the Biblical principles into my pre-shot routine as well. Henry is a very intelligent person.

As you can see, the things I learned from AIA and Henry complemented Lanny’s teachings very well, and Steve helped me execute all of that! I briefly mentioned some tough times I went through in college. Those experiences definitely helped me grow and really made me ask the question “why am I here?” These hard times caused me to turn to God, which has made me the man I am today. The Biblical truths I’ve learned over the last 3 years have taught me healthy ways to deal with obstacles and adversity. These truths have also allowed me to live and compete freely because I know that life is an away game and heaven is home.

I know that I don’t have all the answers and that I will make mistakes in the future. However, I’m going to keep pursuing Jesus and keep growing the relationship that I have with Him. I know this is a really long response to your question, but it’s real and hopefully will give you a little insight on my mental game.

I’ve incorporated information from mental coaches Bassham, Hopking, and Schultz, along w/ life experiences and Biblical principles to create a disciplined pre-shot routine that allows me to worship God while I compete! I guess this paragraph is the short answer to your question, haha!

Gebben

Great post Gebben. Thanks. God is good;all the time.

wow!!! Gebben that was an awesome response. I would surely like to get my son Caleb hooked up with you. Do you ever work with young shooters?? Caleb is at Southeastern Illinois College shooting for the school and competing individually in nsca tournaments.He really needs the exact kind of help that you needed. He is a Christian and has been since he was about 8 but he has not meshed Jesus with his shooting. Can you help? I would love for Caleb to be able to meet with you at some time in the near future. Thanks and if you will respond I would greatly appreciate it. Brad Collins

Great response Gebben! Yes, God is good-all the time!

Matt Woodson
www.scattergunstore.com

Hi Gebben:

Thanks for your reply and being so very real in honest in your response. It is said that God will do whatever it takes in order to bring you to your knees...and come to him. If it were not for the experiences we have...which hopefully teach us...we would not evovle into the people we each have become. That is why God sends us people into our lives to push us in directions we might not go on our own!

God is using you as an example...and you are a fine one!!! I would say God bless you...but it is obvious he already has.

Stay well and the next time I see you I will come up and say hello.
Thanks,
Locked On

Don't get me wrong, worship whom or what you will, however .... this appears for all the world to be a veiled attempt to proselytize in a Shooting forum and is out of place. Flame me if you feel so inclined, but

Just sayin'...

Ron

He answered the question that was asked of him in his own sincere way. If this bothers you when someone answers a question as best they can then you have a real problem.
Gebben thank you for your reply.

I don't have a problem with Gebben's answer. On the contrary, it's spot on. It's the one that queried and the follow ons that have nothing to do with the topic at hand. Otherwise, I have no problems.

ron

I see it the same as Ron.

Can you be more specific on the question from Locked on ..what kind of Pre-Shot Routine do you use??

And ...What is the difference between the two teachings of Lanny Basham and Henry Hopking ??
Not steve.

Here in an atheists view point on proselytizing. What was said in response to my response was certainly not veiled.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM

Can you help me understand what you are saying? I have very strong opinions about the content of this thread, yet I would like for both of you to share some more about how the content of this thread (I'm assuming) offends you... Specifically why Gebben's post is ok yet the others are not???

Robert-

Danny

Not suggesting that you are anything other than a human just like I am. I posted that because obviously you all know I am Christian and I don’t know what you believe. I made the comment that this person on the video is an atheist. Hopefully you watched that video and can understand why some people think it’s important to proselytize. I posted the video w/ in love, peace, and gentleness. I apologize if anyone’s feelings got hurt.

Lanny and Henry teach very similar information. However, Henry teaches more on brain activity and how to control your thoughts to reach peak levels of focus. That’s the main difference.

As far as my pre-shot routine is concerned, I basically do this: I run through my set up, then visualize what I’m going to do, then clear mind, then say pull. If you want to get in to depth and what my exact thoughts are, I do offer instruction in this area. When I'm not shooting I practice my pre-shot routine so that I run in the same way every time. If I get distracted I just re-start it. The reasoning behind all of this is to give yourself a consistent way of thinking while in the stand.

Gebben

I was thinking the same thing as Ron with his initial comment but he put it alot more nicely than what I would have said

Hi Gebben:

Thanks for giving us the differences. I am interested in learning more of how you manage your thoughts in the box. What is the format for your instruction? Can it be done by phone or must it be in person? ...I think you are in Arizona, right? What are the costs for instruction?

Very interested, please let me know...if you wish to respond off forum, my email is jsiciliano58@aol.com. Thanks.

Locked On

I believe that what Gebben is saying is that all thing are possible through Christ. I can tell you from experience there is a peace of mind that we get from a relationship with him. My wife and I have had a very difficult last two years. Most of these things have been of a medical nature but for me some have been related to shooting. Without our relationships with Christ, I don't believe we would have made it. I really admire Gebben for posting the way he did. It takes a lot of courage to do this on a public forum. My suggestion is let Gebben answer in is own way and take what you can from it. If you are offended by a religious post, please pass it by. I am sure that Gebben is not trying to offend anyone so please let him have his say without negative replies. I am with you on this Gebben.

Mike McAlpine

Mike McAlpine:
"...My suggestion is let Gebben answer in is own way and take what you can from it. If you are offended by a religious post, please pass it by. I am sure that Gebben is not trying to offend anyone so please let him have his say without negative replies. ..."


+1

I don't understand the flames - if this "offends" then don"t read it. I think Gebben answered as he felt he should / needed to. I'm not a religious person, but think that if it's the way someone feels and in their mind it answers the question, more power to them - It does no one any harm.