Hello,
I help competitive shooters perform when it counts.
You've invested thousands in equipment. You train and compete consistently. You know your technique.
But when it turns to competition day, your mind gets in the way.
I know this frustration, because I've spent 15+ years working with shooters who face the exact same challenge, from club level to Olympic podiums.
The $64,000 Question
Let me ask you something direct:
How much have you invested in shooting?
Tens of thousands? More?
Premium guns. Quality ammunition. Technical coaching. Competition travel. Countless hours of training time.
Your equipment is world-class. Your technique is solid. Your dedication is obvious.
So why do you consistently shoot worse in competition than you do in training?
It's not your guns. It's not your coaching. It's not your dedication.
It's that you've never systematically trained your mental performance with the same discipline you've trained everything else.
That's what I help you fix.
Why I Do This Work
I didn't get into shooting psychology to work exclusively with elite shooters.
I got into it because I saw incredibly skilled people. People who'd invested years and significant money into the sport, sabotaging themselves mentally when it mattered most.
I saw the value of psychological skills in my first session, with my first shooter, back in 2008.
The same mental challenges that top shooters face? You face them too:
The pressure that builds as you approach a critical shot
The second-guessing that creeps in mid-competition
The frustration of shooting well in practice but folding under pressure
The mental noise that disrupts your process
The difficulty in letting go of bad shots and refocusing
The difference isn't the level of competition.
The difference is whether you've trained your mental performance with the same commitment you've trained your technical skills.
My Background
I'm Paul Hughes HCPC CPsychol, an International Sport Psychologist who's dedicated my career to one specific thing: helping serious competitive shooters perform under pressure.
For nearly a decade, I was Lead Psychologist for Great Britain's World Class Shooting Programme. I've worked at three Olympic Games (Rio, Tokyo, Paris), multiple World Championships, and countless World Cups across the globe.
I've supported shooters in all kinds of shooting disciplines worldwide to increase their averages, hit new personal bests, and become regional, national and world champions.
But here's what matters most:
I've amassed thousands of hours on shooting ranges. Not in a traditional office, but in actual competitive environments where pressure is real, where one shot determines the outcome, and where mental performance is the difference between success and disappointment.
Here's what that experience taught me:
The gap between training performance and competition performance isn't about talent. It's not about equipment. It's not even about how hard you train.
It's about having a psychological system as disciplined as your technical system.
Who I Work With
My clients aren't beginners still learning technique. They're not casual weekend shooters.
They're serious competitive shooters:
The committed club competitor who's been stuck at the same level for years and wants to break through to the next grade
The well-equipped shooter with premium kit who shoots consistently in practice but significantly worse in competition
The regional champion who wants national podiums but struggles when the stakes are highest
The national-level competitor preparing for major championships who needs to perform when it counts
What they all have in common:
They're technically solid. They're properly equipped. They train consistently.
And they're ready to invest in the mental performance that's been holding them back.
They've stopped making excuses. They're ready to do the work.
Some shoot Sporting Clays. Some shoot FITASC. Some shoot Rifle or Pistol. They're based worldwide: UK, US, Europe, Australia, South America, Middle East.
They compete regularly. They've invested significantly in their sport. They know their technical game.
They're not looking for motivation. They're looking for systematic mental training that works under pressure.
They understand that mental performance isn't optional at the competitive level. It's the difference between where they are and where they want to be.
What Makes This Work Different
Most shooting coaches add mental tips as an afterthought.
"Just stay calm." "Focus on the target." "Believe in yourself."
That's not mental training. That's wishful thinking.
Real mental performance training is systematic. It's based on proven psychological principles. It's practised with the same discipline as your technical routines.
The 4R Performance Method I've developed isn't theory from a textbook. It's built from thousands of hours working with shooters in actual competitive environments, refined through work with Olympic medalists and World Champions, and now structured for competitive shooters at every level.
It's acceptance-based psychology applied specifically to the mental demands of competitive shooting.
It works. And it's been working for shooters worldwide, from club level to championship podiums.
My Approach
I don't do motivational speeches. (If you're not motivated already, I'm not for you.).
I don't do "just think positive."
I don't focus on helping you to "feel good" when you shoot.
I teach systems.
I help you focus on what you need to do, when it matters, whatever you think or feel.
What that means in practice:
Mental routines that work when pressure is highest. Attention management strategies that keep you in the moment. Reflective practices that accelerate your development. Acceptance-based approaches that help you perform with discomfort instead of fighting it.
This is practical, applicable work, not abstract psychology.
Not fluffy, fake-positive thinking nonsense that might work once but leaves you forever searching for a feeling instead of a performance.
Everything I coach, I coach because I've seen it work in the most pressure-filled competitive environments in the world. And I structure it in a way that lets you implement it progressively, building from foundations to mastery.
The Reality Check
Let me be direct:
If you've spent more on your last gun than you've spent on mental performance training in your entire shooting career, your priorities are backwards.
Not because equipment doesn't matter, it does.
But because world-class equipment with undeveloped mental performance is a waste of money.
Every competition where you underperform is a wasted entry fee. Every podium finish you lose to your own mind is opportunity cost you can't get back.
You didn't invest thousands in equipment to let your mind sabotage it. You didn't dedicate years to training to shoot worse when it counts.
My job is to help you deliver the skill you've built under the pressure that matters.
My Current Work
Today, I work with Qatar's Olympic Shooting Programme whilst running my online Shooting Mindset Academy and training programmes for competitive shooters worldwide.
Why both?
Because working with Olympic-level shooters keeps my methods sharp and proven at the highest level. And making those methods accessible to serious competitors globally is what drives me.
You shouldn't need to be on an Olympic pathway to access world-class mental performance training.
If you're committed to competitive shooting, you deserve the same psychological methods that help elite performers deliver when it counts.
What You Can Expect
If you work with me, or join one of my programmes, here's what you'll get:
Expertise rooted in elite performance
15+ years, three Olympic Games, World Championships, thousands of hours on-range with performers at every level from club to championship podiums.
Methods proven under pressure
Not theories. Systems that work when performance is on the line, structured for your level of competition.
Shooting-specific psychology
Not generic sports psychology. Mental training designed specifically for the demands of competitive shooting.
Practical, systematic approach
Clear progressions. Actionable strategies. Measurable improvements.
Honest, direct guidance
No fluff. No motivational clichés. Just proven methods and straight talk about what it takes to perform under pressure.
The Bottom Line
You've already proved your commitment to competitive shooting through your equipment investment, training hours, and competition schedule.
The question now is: are you ready to invest in the 20% that determines 80% of your competitive results?
Your mental game is trainable. Just like your technical skills. Just like your physical conditioning.
The methods elite shooters use are accessible to you.
The question is whether you're ready to do the work.
If you are, I'm here to help.
I'm glad you found me.
The Sport Shooting Psychologist
Ready to Start?
Download my free Mental Performance Guide to understand how to build a brilliant performance mindset, and what elite shooters do differently.
Plus: Explore how you can access my support through The Shooting Mindset Academy, intensive cohorts (coming soon), or personalised 1:1 coaching (for non-Olympic disciplines only due to my Qatar commitments).
Paul Hughes HCPC CPsychol
The Sport Shooting Psychologist
Lead Psychologist, British Shooting (2014-2022)
Sport Psychologist, Qatar Shooting & Archery Association (2025-2028)
Rio 2016 | Tokyo 2020 | Paris 2024 | Los Angeles 2028
