Just one good shot!

[geoffretired]

What I like to know, when I'm coaching, is what the different parts of a shot are, in the mind of the archer. To be more specific, I like to know what the archers think they have to do at each stage.
For example, I often ask what they are doing with the sight as they reach full draw.Another one is, what is your drawing elbow doing in the later stages?
And a favourite, "What were you thinking about when you shot that last arrow?"
The archers in question, are normally club level and usually in their first couple of years in archery. The most common reply is," Don't know really, I wasn't taking much notice." That's a good answer in a way. That's followed by, " So, before you shoot the next arrow, what do you intend to do with the sight ( bow arm; drawing elbow; etc)?"
This is when the archers really start to communicate and two-way learning begins. I learn what they think; they learn how to avoid me next time.LOL
The responses show what they have learnt. Usually,they are trying to do something they don't need to do, or is better avoided.
A typical response to the bow arm question is," I try to hold it still."
After a few more Q+A it is clear that the bow arm is seen as a rigid support for the bow, and not really connected to the draw and follow through. The follow through is seen as the bit the string hand has to do after the release.
Once these ideas are out in the open it is so much easier to know where to go next to improve their shooting.

It's good to talk. What do others do to get inside the archer's mind? I don't understand the complex workings of the brain ,but getting archers to say what they try to do with their arms is at a level that I can deal with.