110%?????....about 30% too much

      Let me share a few thoughts on  effort in archery. There is a culture in sport that anything less than 100% effort...110% for the mathematically challenged, is not doing your best. This may apply to some sports such as powerlifting, sprinting, wrestling and some others. For archery ,about the only time you should be giving all our effort is while learning and subsequently conditioning the subconscious, in new skills.

     As archers we WANT the mind to relinquish control to the subconscious. so by giving all out focus we are in fact hurting the process of making a good shot. when we are learning we have to give focus to what we are trying to do. if we are working on a consistent grip we must consciously place the hand in the same spot, make sure the pressure point is the same, and make sure we relax the grip to avoid torque. we must do this in practice  until it becomes natural and repeatable. Muscle memory and the subconscious will , at some point, place the hand where you used to think about placing it.

    Same goes with increasing back tension, when in training you need to think about the small motion of rhomboid contraction, scapula rotation and bringing LAN 2 around the spine. Without thinking about this you will not be aware of feel of a good execution. Feel cannot be over emphasized here, if you know what it feels like, your subconscious will know if something is awry.

    Did you notice I said training and not practice? Training and practice are different. When we train we give lots of focus to what we are doing. we actually do NOT want to do this in practice, practice should be your shot . Why would we practice thinking about anything? We want to practice our subconscious shot.

   Now here is where I may differ from some other coaches. I feel like practice should always be scored. Practice should be being used to gauge where we are and if we are making forward or backwards steps. We should never score in training. for one thing  scoring takes focus off what we should be giving 100% too. I don't care if a training shot misses the bale....if the grip was the same when working on grip then the shot is perfect. practice ends should have no focus on any aspect of the shot, just marching through the shot process. Focus on making the steps and score the shot.

   Now this does not mean a coach should not make corrections. If a correction is suggested the archer should take one "mental shot" or 2 with focus to what is incorrect . For example if Stella McStellapants is not getting to hold and ripping one down range as soon as they get their anchor set, I would say "make sure you transfer to hold". Stella would then close her eyes, and go through every step of the shot until anchor is met ,then take extra mental care to feel the transfer. After one or two she would draw her bow and make the shot. For reinforcement purpose this aspect of the shot may have a little focus, with emphasis on feeling the transfer.Then back to practicing the process of the shot.

    Score is only a tool to measure progress.

Blank bale is training.....
Holding drills are training.....

     Practice what you are trying to do in competition, this include the mental side which should all be auto pilot subconscious execution.



Up next overcoming  target panic strategy .