an answer.. not THE answer

[avalon]

Reading some of the posts lately, there are some people proposing one solution/training plan/method etc, as if it's the right and only way of doing things. In my own job, I have come to understand that there is rarely one definitive answer to a problem, and I suspect, where the human mind and physiology are concerned, there are even more possibilities...
In my own archery 'career' I have also found this to be so

[Little Miss Purple]

quite so avalon... archery is NOT a 'one size fits all' sport.

[clickerati]

in complete agreeance with you, claire. and like tracey, have said the very same about one size not fitting all.

[ASW1973]

there is finnesse and nuance in honing a skill. BUT if you told a child there is an infinite number of ways of writing then they would never learn anything. There are rules to any skill and without them there is no beginning or basis of skill. So yes one size does fit all at the most basic level, most peoples defense of individual differences is to explain their failings.
A successful athlete picks a "school of thought" and commits to that as gospel. These are their rules!
On this forum their are many different levels of athlete and the message is different for whatever level one wants to achieve, HOWEVER, if the individuals start talking about performance at high levels there is very little flexibility of approach.

[pHz]

Originally Posted by clickerati

in complete agreeance with you, claire. and like tracey, have said the very same about one size not fitting all.

true enough in a way i guess

but there ARE a (small ? ) number of proven APPROACHES (within which the specifics may alter slightly from individual to individual) and i guess when you step outside these is when you are taking a chance

maybe moo-mop will spot this thread as hes written about this in a number of other threads IIRC - from an archers PoV rather than a coaches

slainte rob

[moo-mop]

RSS feed, so of course I spot all the threads.

But I'm not sure what to say...
From the technique point of view I do tend to think we are more similar than many try and make out we are. I think there are methods that are 'proven' to work and if you don't follow those methods then this is very risky - only in rare cases do you need substantial deviation, due to injury etc. You can watch videos of all the top archers and see little difference in fundamentals and my goal is to have all of the aspects of my technique within the range of these proven techniques.

It does come to a point when going and restarting would never be worth it in terms of the gains though. This might be because if you are unlikely to be able to put the commitment in to follow through that change or if you can't find anybody with the experience to be sure that it really is a sensible change.
This is quite common if you've been shooting without a coach and developed your own way for a number of years; but it concerns me when people quote MB/GMB archers as examples of proven technique because I do know you can have awful technique and still get these scores. There are pictures of me on the Cambridge university site from 1998 if you don't believe me.

I also feel the same about goal setting, only you can set your goals, but there are proven methods for going about this.
I like to tell people about the specifics of the particular method I've used, but I recognise there are other methods. Mine was introduced to me from somebody well known as an archery coach. It's been a big big help to me, firstly when I was getting better at archery through 2005 and 2006, and also now when I know I'm not going to do so well (due to less commitment to archery and a 'more demanding career') so that I keep going and don't give up. When I talk about it I hope, at least sometimes, it's a bit more human and a little less academic.

I do go very academic and 'off on one' on the tuning though... I am still trained as a experimental scientist after all, I just don't do the experiments on eg technique if someone else already has. And like many an experiment the answer to my tuning questions tends to be 'I can't say' and because of the way I've done the experiments I know if I can't answer it then others can't be sure of their answer either.
I know the tuning technique of one engineer who averages scores around my best scores and their faith in their kit still astounds me.

Of course times move on and we all learn more and adapt. I post on the board to learn because one day (not yet) I will stop shooting but maybe would like to learn how to coach. I still think that involves getting people as close to proven answers as they are willing or able to go. Those who coach could answer that better though.

[ASW1973]

the voice of (pedantic) reason cheers james

[pHz]

yeah thanks m-m

its that phrase 'within the range of proven techniques' that has stuck with me since i first read it here

slainte rob

[Little Miss Purple]

see... even the answers you are all given shows that one size doesn't fit all!!! Starting with a basic technique or being within a range... open your eyes people and hear what you are saying!!

[not dead yet]

whats an experimental scientist...... you the one that gets blown up when it all goes terribly wrong....

dont stand next to me on the line...lol