car crash investigation

[geoffretired]

This is archery related. When coaching, I like to use everyday situations to get the messages across. e.g. When you drive over speed ramps, you don't shake your head;it gets shaken. I use that analogy to get across the message that the follow through is a natural reaction to suddenly not having X pounds to hold. I then explain that the car crash investigators back track the skid marks etc. to try to work out how the accident happened.I explain how this can be linked to archery so the student can see the importance of their own follow through and how it can be related to their execution of the loose.I back track on the follow through to get an idea of how the loose may have been executed.
I am all in favour of the bio-mechanics approach and sports science, this is not a dig at that. I feel, for some archers, the everyday life approach can add clarity to their learning. After all they are the learners. It is the quality of their learning that matters.As an example, I talked to a struggling archer who just could not get has foot positions right. He was listening to different people telling him different things. He was confused!!! Once I found out he was a very good woodcutter, the teaching was easy. I won't bore you with the details, but we linked the importance of standing "a certain way" when cutting wood to standing a certain way for shooting. That did make sense to him and he was sorted. HE KNEW how to stand from then on and confusion disappeared.
What sort of strategies do other people use in order to get the messages across?

[Marcus26]

For follow through I use the example of throwing a ball. You don't stop the arm movement once the ball leaves your hand, you keep going. Everyone understands that.

[Rik]

That's a good one for most of the shot process. Especially the bit where people manage to screw up even a simple "throw" if they try and do it too deliberately...

[Cakemeister]

I think you've always got to be careful when coaching not to say 'a good follow through looks like...' in case people try & mimic it artificially. If you can find a good analogy for the process, then once the archer understands it then the rest follows naturally.

[geoffretired]

Cakemeister, how true that is. Making it "look good"is a great danger as you say.Even worse, when they copy an unnatural one.
Is there a perfect follow through? If that was copied, would it be possible to "fake" it?
If there are lots of good ones, do they have common features?

[Barry C]

It is interesting. I remember many coaches who told you what to do upon releasie. i.e your body should move in such and such a way. They created archery with huge form flaws but with a nice looking follow through. Maybe its best never to mention it but to coach the problems out that cause strange follow throughs.

[geoffretired]

I like the idea Barry. You are so right. Telling people how to look is not the same as explaining what to do.