The Coaches paradox

[Yew Selfbow]

I think Bald Eagle has the right idea. Make sure everyone knows your available and walk up and down the line asking if everything is O.K.
Coaches are the absolute foundation of archery in this country and I've never met one yet that hasn't given good advice from a fresh pair of eyes.

[Bald Eagle]

Self pity, terrible thing in this sport! Be positive! You only shoot badly 'cos you tell yourself you do. You probably don't do it wrong, it just seems that you do.Try shooting by numbers,i.e. walk to the shooting line, take up your stance,nock an arrow, prepare to draw, etc. etc. When you are on the line, you are the only one there, you can't hear anything and all you can see through your "blinkered" eyes is the Gold. Keep looking at the gold right through the prep of your shot, muscle memory will take over and your arrow will be Gold! When you can do this you are as near to the "Zone" as you will ever be, you can train yourself to go through this sequence every shot. As soon as you cross the waiting line,all smiles away, ear muffs on, blinkers on, sequence starts!. Try it, it will work!

[Tarkwin]

I am in real need of help...my shooting tonight was so varied, I shot my best Portsmouth Dozen (108), unfortunately it was accompanied by some truly dreadful ones.

I have no idea why I can shoot 2x10's and then drop one into the 4. My stance was unchanged, my anchor was the same, drew to the same length, loosed and watched it sink into the black. I was doing this all night.

I got to the point where I didn't care any more, I just wanted the night to finish. It was that end where I scored 10,10,9. The next three scored me 20....

I want to just work on things, but feel pressure to score...maybe when we start shooting outdoors I can go to a quiet end of the line with a boss to myself.

T.

[Bald Eagle]

Tarkwin, you need help, help to enjoy your archery, help not to put too much pressure on yourself while shooting! Stop beating yourself up with "feeling pressure to score"Just go to the line, shut out every thing around you and shoot your arrows without thinking about scores, just aim for gold and you will shoot gold. Tell yourself"that was a good shot,that is how I shoot" but say nothing when you put a bad shot in. It's so easy to be negative but harder to be positive, usually you say to yourself "that was a lucky shot!" Lucky!! bo£%cks, you were aiming for it, you set the shot up to hit it, you hit the gold, it was an excellent shot!

[wingate_52]

Bald Eagle, I have been reading your replies for a while. They both are thoughtful and caring. Have you got a website with a collection of these thoughts and applications? Can you recommend any books on the mental approach that have had positive gain in your estimation? I can only agree with you and admire your wisdom.
I have been a member of my club for 10 months. There has been no coaching since the beginner’s course. A few kindly members have offered advice on technique and equipment. I have bought a few books, tried this and that and put up with some mild to annoying comments on the line in club comps. You are right about ones positive attitude. Do well and mentally smile. I am still improving and am near the top in the club. Plenty of practice will stand archers in good stead. A careful word of advice, such as yours can work wonders. Thanks and keep posting.

[cliveanne]

Originally Posted by tarkwin

I am in real need of help...my shooting tonight was so varied, I shot my best Portsmouth Dozen (108), unfortunately it was accompanied by some truly dreadful ones.

I have no idea why I can shoot 2x10's and then drop one into the 4. My stance was unchanged, my anchor was the same, drew to the same length, loosed and watched it sink into the black. I was doing this all night.

I got to the point where I didn't care any more, I just wanted the night to finish. It was that end where I scored 10,10,9. The next three scored me 20....

I want to just work on things, but feel pressure to score...maybe when we start shooting outdoors I can go to a quiet end of the line with a boss to myself.

T.

My first observation is that you shot some good arrows, with a load of cr@p. I think there is a possability that you let the good arrows go to your head, got a little exited & with the adrenalin still in your system, shot without realy concetrating on what you should have been doing. ( You tried too hard!) It happens. Your second paragraph says it all to me "I got to the point where I didn't care any more, I just wanted the night to finish. It was that end where I scored 10,10,9. . You obvoiusly had accepted the result, then shot the 3 good arrows because you stopped trying, you just did it. That's the way to go.
I found out some time ago, that by concentrating too hard, you start to concentrate on concentrating (I seem to remember this in another thread). Try to accept the fact you have just shot a good / bad arrow. it's gone, nothing you can do about it, & get on with the next arrow.
My thought is: There is no bad shot, even a miss is a good shot IF YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM IT.
Ok, there is a bad shot that is the miss you had & did not learn from it.
Others might not agree.

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Furface

Last week I turned up expecting to run a "Coaching " session where Coaching is available to those what want it. One archer turned up to shoot. When no one else arrived, I offered to work with him on anything he liked, but he said he knew all his own faults by himself, thanks.
So, a question. Coaches are told not to approach archers with advice or offers to "help". Most archers at my club say they're not interested in being coached, often because they believe it doesn't help. So no opportunities to demonstrate that coaching does help. How do others break this circle?

The idea of holding sessions on particular subjects is interesting... Usual areas for this sort of thing are "tuning", "string making", "stabilisation", that sort of general heading might pull a few people in.

The other alternative is to get people to agree to come along beforehand. One of the problems with coaching, from a coach's point of view, is that people don't think they need any, until problems start happening. But then they want firefighting - "Fix this please, now!". Ideally, what the coach wants is a balanced program over a long period, but that can only happen if the archer commits to it. For committment, you need communication and a conviction that it will help them achieve something. So maybe the first step for a coach is to find out what people want from their shooting...

[Andyakashrek]

In our club Monday nights indoors are for coaching, and every other Monday outdoors are coaching nights. If you turn up on those evenings expect the coaches to approach you, and they do a very good job of it too. Other nights are available for general shooting or if you prefer to go it alone. They also hold one evening a month for equipment nights where they will teach you whatever you ask for, stringmaking, fletching...........coaches are there for a reason, just ask them.

[Bald Eagle]

Well said Andy, it doesn,t cost to ask and we are only too pleased to help.

[Bald Eagle]

Wingate,
Thankyou for your appreciation, I do not have a "wbsite of wisdom" and the only books I have really taken to on the mental game are With winning in mind,by Lanny Basham, In pursuit of excellence, by Terry Orlick and Zen in the art of archery which I tried to read 5 times and I found it "heavy". I'm sure there are loads more to read on the mental side. Archery anatomy by Ray Axford I found to be great for understanding the muscle groups and bone structure, it's a must buy for archers in my opinion.