What's holding you back?

[kgoss33@gmail.com]

I've often wondered as of lately anyway, what's holding me back, alot of what i've read and experienced first hand is, that when you reach a certain level of consistency, archery becomes EXTREMELY mental. I completely understand, what i dont get or at least havent mastered yet, is how to work on the mental part, like i can work on a release, or consistent grip. I understand not every shoot, whether it be league, a tournament, or just on the range, wont be a victory, or result in a perfect score, but what i need to peg down is how to hit a good consistent average, and not very much from there. It's a work in progress, it's all a game, and i NEED to understand that to advance, and have fun.

That being said, i know what's stopping me for the most part, and I know it's not a great idea to talk about what you do wrong, and im not here, im more or less identifying what i need to fix in order to get to the next level.

Im just curious to see what other people are getting held back by, or maybe you've made it, i want everyone's opinion on here, id love to get some pros in on this, just so see what has helped them advance to the places id love to be.

[Daniel Boone]

Would be shoot against better archers.

Shoot as often as you can in ever venue.

There a few pros here that hopefully can give you some insight.
DB

[XQuest]

Originally Posted by kgoss33@gmail.com

I've often wondered as of lately anyway, what's holding me back, alot of what i've read and experienced first hand is, that when you reach a certain level of consistency, archery becomes EXTREMELY mental. I completely understand, what i dont get or at least havent mastered yet, is how to work on the mental part, like i can work on a release, or consistent grip. I understand not every shoot, whether it be league, a tournament, or just on the range, wont be a victory, or result in a perfect score, but what i need to peg down is how to hit a good consistent average, and not very much from there. It's a work in progress, it's all a game, and i NEED to understand that to advance, and have fun.

That being said, i know what's stopping me for the most part, and I know it's not a great idea to talk about what you do wrong, and im not here, im more or less identifying what i need to fix in order to get to the next level.

Im just curious to see what other people are getting held back by, or maybe you've made it, i want everyone's opinion on here, id love to get some pros in on this, just so see what has helped them advance to the places id love to be.

That said and everything else somewhat good just keep pounding those targets.Play some games with yourself to make you shoot higher scores.DB is right also about shooting with better shooters,it will raise the bar for you.....nobody wants to be the worst shot on the bale.Quit worrying about it and keep shooting.....it will come...patience.

[kgoss33@gmail.com]

I appreciate the input. i will only improve everytime i shoot, and forget about any bad sessions.

[Hawkins305]

I'm right there of shooting good but when it comes time to clean it I get to the last round and my nerves get the better of me. I have done this 4 times now this year. I say we must learn from it rather than forget it about it. But I could be wrong. I have been keeping a log of my shoots and I try to re-step in my mine what I was thinking about and keep track of it so I can try and get stronger there on my finishing with focus of shooting X's and not score but right now that's my nemeses of letting the score get to my thoughts before I release the shot and it's week shot for me. But I say we must keep at it for one day with great mental focus that will pass and you and I will just be shooting X's......not score. Darn game, but you know you love it..

[wilkersonhunter]

Thats why i let someone else in my group keep score on a 3d shoot. i will look at my card one time at the half way point and thats it. my personal goal this year is to average a 300 or better on a 30 target ibo scoring course. so far i have shot 4 tournaments with scores of 304,304,314,320. its all a mental game now.

[Daniel Boone]

Here some good stuff from one of the best ever.


http://www.skvidarbue.no/diverse/Bra...ellenthien.pdf

[jame]

The mental game is the toughest thing to master imo. Its hard to never have a negative thought go thru your mind. There are ways to help you mental game. Come up with a shot process. SOmething small like 5 to 6 steps. SOmething easy to remember. So now when you step on the line all you should be doing is going thru your shot process mentally. Your mind can only think about 1 thing at a time. So if you fuel it with nothing but good material then thats how you are gonna think.

Once you have reached that level of success you desire or become a great archer then its time to practice propper. Keep up with your weakness. DOnt set back and ponder on them and get your mental game down. Work on an individual weakness you have when you are practicing. Dont just keep score. If you will work on your individual weaknesses you have at the time then you will do nothing but strengthen them instead of just shooting a fun game of score.

Raise the bar up some. I do agree with DB and Xquest but the bad part is alot of us dont have a lot of great shooters in our area. Like me. I have 1 buddy that lives about an hr away but he doesnt like shooting alot of indoor. Thing is he could be one of the best. His 1st game on a vegas was this yr and it was a 300 with 24x's. There are certain shooters who have brothers that are just as good as they are ( The Wilde's) or they have best buddies that are just as good or close to it. I and many others just dont have that option without traveling a long way. So its tough to get that competitve feeling we need without trying other things.
Put some consiquences on your own game. Set a goal you want at that time and work as hard as you can to reach it but put some consiquences on it if you dont reach your goal. Like if I dont shoot a 300 with 60x's today then no golf or no fishing the next day. Things like this will pressure you up. This way when its time for the big dance you have been making yourself shoot in pressure situations for awhile. Like the old saying goes. Take your practice game to the tournament.
Good luck and I hope some of this may help you in a future Tournament.
Jame Jamison

[JAVI]

Don't practice score, practice process..

Concentrate on the process not the result. Results come from the process.

Set goals with rewards for reaching those goals

Use score only to gauge your ability to follow the process.

When you score do not practice.

Make sure your goals for competitions are realistic


And probably the greatest tip anyone can give you …. don't change the process just because you had a bad shot... this is the biggest cause of meltdowns in the game.. Trust the process..

[Allen]

Great stuff in this tread!!!

Good question.

One thing that Dave & Jessie told me is that early in their careers the thing that put them over, was when they developed confidence in their shot. Not the phony "self esteem" garbage that they try to teach kids in public school, but real confidence in their shot based on good experience.

Allen

[Gator eye]

Me

When I practise, on my own, down in my basement it's my relax time. I love falling into the grove where you just can't miss. My dot can be way below or to the side of the center but somehow the arrow still ends up in the center. No thought, no pressure, just shooting arrows in the center. It's fun.

Then put me in front of people trying to shoot the same scores I shoot in my basement and that groove is just hard to find.
I usually miss most or all of my "X's" in the first half. Once I miss enough times to get me down to my average score, I quit caring about my score and I relax and shoot great.

I'm my own worst enemy.

[Gator eye]

Originally Posted by JAVI

Don't practice score, practice process..

Concentrate on the process not the result. Results come from the process.

Set goals with rewards for reaching those goals

Use score only to gauge your ability to follow the process.

When you score do not practice.

Make sure your goals for competitions are realistic


And probably the greatest tip anyone can give you …. don't change the process just because you had a bad shot... this is the biggest cause of meltdowns in the game.. Trust the process..

Good advice...I'm always trying to change my shot if it doesn't work that day.

[Brown Hornet]

Originally Posted by JAVI

And probably the greatest tip anyone can give you …. don't change the process just because you had a bad shot... this is the biggest cause of meltdowns in the game.. Trust the process..

I have buddies that will miss an X or a dot outside and beat themselves to death trying to figure out why they missed. Stick with the process of what you have done all the other times to NOT miss and go back to it because you obviously didn't do it that time.

[stubby'smom]

I'm my own worst enemy too. Are there any specific mental exercises to enhance the mental game? I sometimes do blind baling and that seems to help. Probably should do more of that. Many times I can't keep the same focus on the x for 60 or more shots. My brain wants to wander when I get down to the last few ends and I usually have some bad shots and even scratches because of it.

[Hawkins305]

Originally Posted by Daniel Boone

Here some good stuff from one of the best ever.


http://www.skvidarbue.no/diverse/Bra...ellenthien.pdf

Thanks for that site tip DB, that was an awesome read!!

[Daniel Boone]

I listen to the audio tapes from LannyBassham.com

His book with winning in nind is awesome mental game stuff.

Many top gun pros use this.

Tips from Lanny (He was a gold medalist rifle shooter)

Dont ever think about missing.
Dont think negative.
Dont think about score Doesnt matter untell the last arrow.
Have a shot process and know it.
Mind can only do one thing at a time- AIM and let the rest happen in subconsicious mind from practice.


If your serious seek a good coach and be willing to pay for his service.

[kgoss33@gmail.com]

First off, thanks everyone for the advice, means alot.

That being said, i have a shot process, but it goes unspoken most of the time, and it could be better. Is there a shot process out there thats better than another, i get that it's more or less a list of things to make sure are done in order to be as consistent as possible, mine goes like this (just how i can think of it now, again not much pre-shot thought goes into it, i am going to change this today however.)

Nock an arrow, hook my release, place my hand on the grip, look at the X, mentally rehearse the arrow centering the X, draw, aim, pull thru my shot, center the X, then positively reinforce my good shot. Repeat.

[Supermag]

Here's a problem that I've run into from time to time. When dealing with unmarked yardage, how do you seperate the shot from the yardage estimation or do you? I've had times where I've either had a perfect shot but blew the yardage or pushed the shot and was dead on with my yardage.

[kgoss33@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Supermag

Here's a problem that I've run into from time to time. When dealing with unmarked yardage, how do you seperate the shot from the yardage estimation or do you? I've had times where I've either had a perfect shot but blew the yardage or pushed the shot and was dead on with my yardage.

With yardage, you're going to know if your shot was on, and it was just the number, when you pull a perfect shot, glass the target and realize your high or low of the 11, or 12. Your shot would effect this scenario by glassing the target, feeling confident with your number, shooting the shot and not being please w how it felt, glass the target and your on yardage wise, but missed the 11, or 12 left or right.

[Supermag]

Originally Posted by kgoss33@gmail.com

With yardage, you're going to know if your shot was on, and it was just the number, when you pull a perfect shot, glass the target and realize your high or low of the 11, or 12. Your shot would effect this scenario by glassing the target, feeling confident with your number, shooting the shot and not being please w how it felt, glass the target and your on yardage wise, but missed the 11, or 12 left or right.

I was talking more mentally about getting that seperation between the two and positively or negatively enforcing one and not the other.

[kgoss33@gmail.com]

Lol, im an idiot, my fault.

anything i've read about yardage it just comes down to believing in your number, and making a strong shot. yardage isnt nearly as mental as the mechanics of a good shot, I guess maybe getting to level i want is more of a chipping away at things, rather than leaps and bounds. I'll get there either way.

[JAVI]

Originally Posted by Supermag

Here's a problem that I've run into from time to time. When dealing with unmarked yardage, how do you seperate the shot from the yardage estimation or do you? I've had times where I've either had a perfect shot but blew the yardage or pushed the shot and was dead on with my yardage.

Once you have your shot, you will know when you missed a part of the process because you will have learned that the result (score) isn't the goal. Yardage is another animal altogether.