terry wunderle
Creating Your Own shooting zone When you go to a tournament, do you find yourself too nervous to perform the way you do in practice? If so, it’s time to make a change and get your shot
ders, maintaining forward pressure with the bow arm, and pulling the bow apart. If your mind is completely engrossed in the act of shooting a shot with good form, there will be no room for the detrimental thoughts like score and winning, which interfere with the process. This in-the-moment thinking has to be learned on the practice range before it can be implemented in a tournament. The first two days should be spent shooting at a blank bale, so your total focus is on your form. Once this is established, shoot one arrow at the blank bale and one at the target until both shots are identical.
Place your confidence and attention on what you can control.
To rehearse for a tournament, start adding continued on page 54
under control. Most archers put their minds on autopilot and try to shoot from the subconscious mind. For some it works, but for others this flight plan sends them into the “Bermuda Triangle.” When tournament pressure takes over the thinking process, the subconscious mind cannot do its job. Apprehension over score and the desire to win will dominate the thought process and cause extra muscle tension. It doesn’t take much extra physical stress to alter the normal rhythmic shot that you produce in practice. As an archer notices the sight pin increasing in movement, the over-aiming process will kick in and the forward pressure with the bow arm will be reduced. This alteration in your normal form is a perfect blueprint for disaster. Observers have sometimes remarked that an archer was really “in a zone” when shooting like a machine in a great tournament performance. The problem is that most archers cannot achieve this mental state on a regular basis. You can, however, create your own “zone.” I completely advocate shooting from the conscious mind so you can duplicate every shot. In practice and in tournaments, talk yourself through every shot. Focus on relaxing the shoulscores, tournament info and more at www.nfaausa.com 53