California Clays

Welcome to California Clays, your home for all things competitive shotgun sports. As an amateur competitor and passionate student of the game, Henning Mathew dives into the world of clay shooting through interviews with some of the best to ever point a shotgun. He interviews World, National, and State Champions, their coaches, and key figures across the industry. They explore the techniques, stories, and insights that fuel the sports we all love, from Sporting Clays to FITASC, Helice, Trap, Skeet, and the International disciplines. If you enjoy learning and celebrating the world of competitive shooting, make sure to Subscribe for new videos and conversations from California and beyond.

California Clays is a sports podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 37 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts California Clays, a sports show with 37 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  California Clays

  Todd Hitch - Back 2 Back US Open Champion

  Sep 26, 20262h 3m

  How does someone go from a relatively new competitive shooter to one of the best sporting clays shooters in the world in just a handful of years? That’s what I wanted to understand in this episode. Todd Hitch is a back-to-back U.S. Open Champion, former Junior World FITASC Champion, Spanish King’s Cup Champion, Team USA shooter, and one of the most dangerous competitors in both Sporting Clays and FITASC. But Todd’s résumé is only part of the story. What makes his rise so interesting is how quickly it happened. In this conversation, we go back to the beginning and break down how Todd developed his game, how he practiced, what he learned from other great shooters, and how his approach evolved as he moved from a developing competitor to someone expected to win major championships. Todd has accomplished in less than a decade what takes many shooters a lifetime to achieve, so this episode isn't just about how a champion shoots. It's about how a champion gets built. If you're trying to improve your sporting clays or FITASC game, there is a lot to take away from this conversation regardless of what class you're currently shooting. And if you enjoy the podcast, hit like, subscribe, and please leave a comment. Thanks for watching. #SportingClays #FITASC #ToddHitch #ClayShooting #ShotgunSports #SportingClaysTraining #CompetitiveShooting #CaliforniaClays

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  California Clays

  Ben Husthwaite - Champion. Coach. Controversy.

  Aug 14, 20262h 11m

  World Champion, international coach and one of clay shooting’s most polarizing personalities, Ben Husthwaite joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about winning, coaching, controversy, gun fit, shooting myths, personal growth and his goals for another World Championship.

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  California Clays

  Tom John - 9-Time CA State Champion

  Aug 9, 20262h 23m

  Nine-time California State Champion. CA Sporting Clays Hall of Famer. Team USA shooter. Coach. And more than three decades competing at a high level in sporting clays. In this episode, I sit down with Tom John to talk about his incredible career in clay shooting and the evolution of sporting clays in California. Tom won his first California State Championship back in 1993 and has had a front-row seat to the growth and changes in the sport ever since. We talk about the shooters, clubs and personalities from the early days, how targets and competition have evolved, and what it takes to remain competitive for more than 30 years. We also get deep into Tom’s shooting and coaching philosophy, including how he uses his eyes, how he reads targets, how he trains and what he looks for when working with other shooters. Outside of shooting, he’s spent years working behind the scenes in Hollywood, including driving and transportation work on major film and television productions. This is a conversation about shooting, coaching, California sporting clays history and a lifetime spent learning how to break targets. If you enjoy the episode, please SUBSCRIBE to California Clays for more conversations with the shooters, coaches and personalities who make up the clay target shooting world.

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  California Clays

  Grace Choe - 3-time CA State Lady Champion

  Jul 30, 20262h 10m

  Grace Choe is a three-time California State Lady Champion, a Ladies Pro Squad competitor and someone who has made an impact on California sporting clays both on and off the course. In this episode, Grace talks about how she got started in the sport, the evolution of her shooting and what it takes to compete successfully at the state and national level. We also discuss what she has learned from shooting alongside her husband, nine-time California State Champion Tom John, how California sporting clays has changed over the years and the work Grace has done as a member of the California State Sporting Clays Association board. Grace brings the perspective of a champion, a longtime competitor and someone who is actively working to help grow and improve the sport.

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  California Clays

  Cory Kruse - World & National Champion

  Jul 10, 20262h 11m

  Today I’m joined by Cory Kruse, one of the most accomplished sporting clays shooters in the game. Cory is a 2-time National Champion, World English Champion, U.S Open Champion, coach, content creator, and the man behind Sporting Collective, an app and website built to help shooters train, learn, and better understand the game. He comes from a pretty incredible shooting pedigree, having been trained by Olympic bronze medalist Dan Carlisle and growing up around some of the best shooters in the world, including Anthony Matarese. Cory has seen the game from just about every angle, as a junior, a champion, a coach, and now as someone helping teach the next generation of shooters. So today we’re going to talk about his journey through the sport and how he thinks about the game today. Sporting Collective App & Website Training content, target breakdowns, and coaching insight for shooters. Download the app or learn more at: sportingcollective.com

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