HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR SHOT

By Terry Wunderle

thought patterns lead them down the path of disaster.

Confidence is a factor that separates many archers from being one of the contenders and being a champion. Self-assurance allows the archer to relax and concentrate on making a shot with good form. Without this trust, the mind usually runs negative thoughts and dwells on the outcome of the shot rather than the execution.

How do you develop confidence? You do it by working hard! This is why we practice – because practice will prove that you can make the shot. A great archer does not have a weakness. He or she will work on every type of shot and condition that can be faced on a course, mastering uphill, downhill, side hill, open field, dark tunnel, and across water shots. A person should be comfortable when shooting in poor light, bright light, rain, fog or wind. This is accomplished by training in all of these conditions until they are mastered. Most people do not like rehearsing the more difficult shots because their groups open up. When faced with these situations in tournaments, the confidence in their ability erodes and the negative

Should your confidence come from shooting a 10 or winning? No! Your confidence should be in the performance, not the result of the performance. It should be in your ability to execute a shot with perfect form. If you can do that, the shot will be the best one that you can produce, which will enhance your chances for a 10. No archer can shoot a 10 every time, but some archers can shoot with nearly flawless form every shot. These are the champions.

The best way to describe the level of confidence that I would like for my archers to have is self-assurance on the verge of arrogance. The arrogance should be in the mind and not in the mouth. In other words, I like arrogance that does not show. No one likes being around conceited archers that flaunt their ability; their performance will reflect their ability. You should have unquestionable confidence in your capability to shoot a shot with perfect form under all conditions and know that you can remain focused on the shot execution, not the outcome of this performance.

You gain the confidence of a champion by being prepared. The equipment should be set up and working properly; and you should have practiced to the point that you know you can shoot every arrow with the very same form. If you are training for a 3-D tournament, you should have practiced yardage estimation until you have confidence in your ability to accurately figure yardage. You should practice mental imagery so that you know you can remain focused under pressure and your attention is directed solely at the arrow that you are preparing to shoot.

Only one person can put pressure on you and erode your confidence, and that person is you. When you let external stimuli like winning or scoring take on a higher priority, then you start questioning your ability. These typical thought patterns do not become a problem until they are given more importance than executing a perfect shot. You cannot control how another archer will perform, but you can control your performance. Concentrate and focus on making a flawless shot; then you will do the best that you can do. You cannot ask any more than that of yourself. If your performance is not good enough to win, and that is what you want, then you need to raise your level of ability. I would suggest that you focus your practice on any area that costs you points or seek help from a professional coach.

If you are only scoring 80% tens in practice, do not be unrealistic and expect 90% in a tournament. Strive to shoot and perform as well as you do in practice. Most archers who are upset when they come off the tournament course are that way because they knew they could and should have done better. Train and have trust in your ability to duplicate the practice shot, which will help you achieve to your ability. Confidence and focus produce good shots, and good shots produce a top performance.

[Terry has coached students to over 350 national and world titles and set over 450 national and world records. This article and more of his professional coaching tips are in his book, Archery: Think and Shoot Like a Champion, found at wunderlearchery.com.]