MB Archer Training Plan

[bkupris]

This is a serious question regarding training plans. I am trying to get a handle on the level of commitment in time spent shooting/exercising/mental preparation etc in order to reach MB. For those of you that may have achieved this recently or are maintaining it what was your commitment (training plan) for a 12 month period from November to September?

Thanks

Brian

[hypertigger]

last year, i was close to mb, and shooting 3 times a week (not inc competitions), cycling for 1 hr every day, gym twice a week for weights and a 2 hr yoga session once a week

[bkupris]

Originally Posted by hypertigger

last year, i was close to mb, and shooting 3 times a week (not inc competitions), cycling for 1 hr every day, gym twice a week for weights and a 2 hr yoga session once a week

Thanks Hypertigger

Did you phase your training in any way? Did you change the balance of time spent shooting vs exercise depending on the time of year?

Brian

[Legolas]

Originally Posted by hypertigger

last year, i was close to mb, and shooting 3 times a week (not inc competitions), cycling for 1 hr every day, gym twice a week for weights and a 2 hr yoga session once a week

Not sure who you are but with all that work you must look good.

[hypertigger]

Brian,

i've had a change in gym routine, since october (the different machines/weights exercises that i use/do has increased quite a lot), but i do a lot more shooting during the summer as we are only allowed to have 1 session indoors a week, but outdoors we have the field 3-4 times a week.

indoors i try to cram in as many arrows as i can in the session - i do score the arrows, but i don't really pay much attention to them. i go for good group sizes, and note what i'm working on, or what happens to the arrows if i do something really silly. so about 9 dozen in about 2 1/2 hrs.

outdoors due to light, it's about 6 dozen an evening. then most of the competitions i go to, are 2 12 dozen +practise.

i think i do push my body quite hard, my holidays are either scuba diving (in which i mean 3-4 dives a day), or playing orchestral/chamber music, so christmas seems to be the only time where i just sleep or recover from the year. however i do eat like a pig, so i guess it all balances out.

i think you need to ease yourself into this kind of routine - as you do need to let your body recover - winter time is easier for me, as my body has more time to recover from a gym session, before i go shooting. however i'm increasing the weight that i lift slowing all through the winter, and i'll stop that as soon as i go outdoors, so that i maintain stamina/strength during the summer.

as for mental stuff, i visualise all the time, whenever i'm bored, or when i'm trying to go to sleep - i visualise matches, just shooting, different distances.

legolas, if you really want to find out, you'll find a link to photos of me shooting in my journal

[bkupris]

Hypertigger

Many thanks for taking the time to give me all that info. What I am actually doing is research to try and improve my coaching abilities. I have studied several suggested training plans from Fita etc but I would like to see how they actually compare with real life situations like your own

Brian

[pwiles1968]

Are you interested in hearing from compound archers?

[bkupris]

Originally Posted by pwiles1968

Are you interested in hearing from compound archers?

Yes, of course!

[Deadeye Doc]

Whilst I was looking for training schedules, both for coaching and participants, I happened to come across a large Excel file produced by FITA and aimed at two specific international events, both of which were back in 2003. These indicate just how intensive someone at FITA believes training should be. Although the English was comparatively poor, the accompanying document explaining the Excel spreadsheet goes into considerable detail.

FITA - INTERNATIONAL ARCHERY FEDERATION - FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE TIR A L'ARC

I'm not quite sure why the FITA website doesn't give an appropriate individual URL, but if one looks on the website under "development" and scrolls down to "coaching" there are the appropriate documents in PDF and Excel form. Both of these "training plans" are reasonably useful when adapted to the individual archer. However, they are scary for the average club archer.

Personally, having retired I can now spend a great deal more time shooting. I shoot between 200 and 250 arrows between four and five times a week, currently mostly indoors. I cycle between 30 and 40 miles per week (which in the Yorkshire Dales means some massive hill climbs), and walk probably about 40 km in daily aliquots. As I have trained in hypnotherapy, NLP, and autogenic therapy, and ought to know something about my anatomy and physiology, and have an interest in sports medicine, I am well aware of both the mental and physical side and the motivational side of competing. I'm also lucky enough to have a friendly coach, and ex-GB archer.

The problem, as ever, is following a plan. I sort of have a (cunning) plan, which I worked out in conversations with both the Senior Coach and my own coach. So far I'm on track. My most important asset is support from my wife , who recognises how important this has become to me.

[bkupris]

Thanks Deadeye