Tournament Nerves

[Barry C]

Try hard but dont care where the arrow goes. Its only concern where it goes that causes stress or choking. Relax, breath and enjoy life.

[avalon]

I only get really nervous if I don't feel I've prepared properly. I've always got my confidence from knowing I've put the work in. A phrase I once heard...
Perfect Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

If you've prepared well, then you should go into a tournament feeling happy. I agree with others too, no one else at a competition will pay too much attention to what you're doing, so plan to focus on yourself throughout the tournament and not on what anyone else does

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Barry C

Try hard but dont care where the arrow goes. Its only concern where it goes that causes stress or choking. Relax, breath and enjoy life.

<YODA VOICE>"Try not! Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."</YODA VOICE>
I guess I would say "focus on the process, rather than the result" - let the arrows go where they want to, your job is to just shoot them.

[tel]

Worth remembering that if anyone should be that interested in what your doing it will be their shooting that suffers - not yours!

[SLOWHAND]

I agree with everything thats been said, all of it is good advice. Heres two little tips that helped me overcome nerves and distractions.
The first one may seem like mumbo-jumbo but it helped me and it costs nothing to try. Before sighters look at the spot on the shooting line that you are going to shoot from and in your mind imagin that spot is the centre of a 3foot circle that is glowing with a soft green light.This is your circle of excellence, when you step into that circle you are calm, relaxed, focussed and the best you can be. You are not distracted by anything outside that circle and it is a barrier for anything negative.

The second tip can help with nerves and if you are easily distracted by noise.As you start the shot process repeat a phrase over and over in your mind(not out loud of course). I used the phrase 'if I wasn't an archer I wouldn't be here' throughout the shot from pre-draw to release.

I dont seem to need these aids anymore since I become so focussed on the target but they certainly helped me in the early days.

[PaulT]

Originally Posted by tel

Worth remembering that if anyone should be that interested in what your doing it will be their shooting that suffers - not yours!

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[silver streak]

Try Great Golf a cd by Paul McKenna. Only trouble is stopping falling asleep! lol

[Little Miss Purple]

I'm not nervous at a shoot but I do lose my concentration and throw silly points away - especially when morphymick is totting up my score against his!!!

[morphymick]

Originally Posted by Little Miss Purple

I'm not nervous at a shoot but I do lose my concentration and throw silly points away - especially when morphymick is totting up my score against his!!!

Me neither, I just check LMP's scores and it puts my mind at rest, sometimes.

Mick

[CPlater1]

the only time i got semi-nervous was at my first indoor competition (and first ever competition). i was in the first detail to shoot, on the shooting line, and then i heard lots of arrows hitting targets and i was a bit panicky. after a while i settled down, and now i just think of competitions as extra practice. they are something that will help me get better.