Needing a Pep Talk... :(

[Thunk]

A much better archer than I once told me that at each 10 yard or metre increase of distance, the level of difficulty doubles. Whether that's actually true or not I don't know; but if you remember it you won't feel the need to beat yourself up when you can't immediately do at twenty what you were doing at ten.

[Witchie Poo Cat]

Thanks guys, Im feeling much better about things now. Thanks for sharing your stories with me, it really does help. I think whats getting to me is that I KNOW what Im doing wrong but even when I try to correct it, I cant and that frustrates me so much! I keep thinking "why did you do that again?".

I did forget to mention in my original post that on the day I went shooting on my own I had just had a sports massage (think pain and suffering!) on my shoulders and upper back and I was in a lot of pain (still am actually). Although it didnt actually feel like the pain was causing the problem (I felt my bow shoulder was tired but not painful) it probably did have quite an effect. The effect of the massages are cumulative so I know after Ive had 3 or 4 the pain that I always have in my shoulders will go completely and so it will all have been worth it, but for the time being Im suffering, and so is my shooting! The good thing about the massage is that it loosens up all the muscles, I can feel a difference already, so hopefully after the treatment is finished it might actually help to open up my stance more so I should really try and think longer term rather than the short term.

Paul - Thanks for your support. I dont feel like I want to quit but I do feel annoyed at myself for repeating the same stupid mistakes time and time again. I think I need to focus a bit more and just stay calm. Am hoping the weather improves tomorrow, am looking forward to getting another couple of hours shooting done!

[geoffretired]

WPC
Making stupid mistakes is what learning is all about. If we are honest it's how we learnt most of our skills. Riding a bike, who never fell off or never put a foot down?
"Stop putting your foot down!" shouts the adult.
"I can't help it, " replies the child.
To stop making the mistake requires more than that.
"Do this instead" is the way to reduce/prevent the mistakes.
Like tying shoe laces. Some children go wrong at a certain stage in the process.
To get the laces tied is not a matter of NOT doing that wrong bit. It's a matter of having the right bit put into the process at that particular stage. " What you did wrong was to take the end under here. What you need to do is take the same end over this, instead."
So, find out what bit you do wrong and know what the right bit should be to put in it's place. Then start working on getting the right bits put in. It may take a while to get it perfectly right, but that's why most of us keep shooting.