It’s unavoidable – you’re going to make a bad shot. However, that’s okay because every archer makes a bad shot from time to time. What matters is how you deal with those shooting mistakes. The way you respond is going to heavily influence your overall success as an archer. After taking a bad shot you need to learn how to regain your focus so you can quickly get back on track. Once you’re able to learn from and retain focus after a bad shot, you’re well on your way to becoming a great archer.
What Is A Bad Shot?
To shoot with accuracy and consistency, it takes 100% of your focus on every single shot. That said, you’ll still make mistakes, which can be quite frustrating. Bad shots are common and even expected as you’re only human. No archer is perfect as every archer takes a bad shot, even the pros. It’s simply a matter of minimizing your mistakes so you can shoot better than the competition (even if you’re just competing against yourself).
The important thing to remember is bad shots are not judged by where the arrow impacts, but by how well the shot was executed. This means you must perfect your shooting process to lessen your mistakes. The impact of the arrow is simply feedback to let you know how well you performed your shot process. From there, you have two options: learn from your mistakes or self-criticize. Professional archers use this feedback to their advantage by looking for ways to improve and dismissing any self-defeating thoughts.
The Two Main Sources Of A Bad Shot
There are two primary causes of a bad shot:
- Thinking about bad shots you’ve taken in the past (stuck in the past)
- Being overly concerned about where your next arrow will land (anticipation).
Whether it’s one or both of these sources that are the cause of your inaccuracy, understanding the details is necessary so you can begin to overcome them.
Past Mistakes
When you make a bad shot, it’s difficult to brush it aside. Don’t get stuck thinking about your past mistakes. If your mind is starting to feel consumed by past mistakes, you must learn to let them go and become unaffected. When your mind is consumed by your previous mistakes it’s easy for you to be overly critical of yourself. This becomes an issue when you’re preparing for your next shot. Since this mindset isn’t supportive or productive, you must learn to approach things differently.
So how do you stop thinking about your previous shooting mistakes? When you’re thinking about the bad shot you made previously and how that made you feel, you’re letting your previous shooting mistakes interfere with your future shooting abilities. Once you feel your mind starting to focus on your past mistakes you need to shift your mindset so that you’re focused on the present.
Shot Anticipation
The flip side to past mistakes is anticipation. Shot anticipation is thinking about where your arrow will impact. This will interfere with your shot as you’re overly concerned about where the arrow goes. When all you’re thinking about is how to make your arrow go in the bullseye, you’re likely to do anything necessary to make it happen. This means you’ll be susceptible to “punching” or “plucking” the string to release the arrow at the “perfect time”. This will cause even more frustration because it works against you and you’ll become less accurate.
Shot anticipation (target panic) has caused many archers to quit. If anticipation is an issue for you, you’ll need to learn to let go and trust the process. Everyone who’s shot archery for some time understands target panic and you will (or have) too. Given time, dedication, and persistence, it’s something you can overcome with proper training.
Focus On The Present
So what do you focus on?…the present moment! As an archer, you need to closely examine any previous mistakes you’ve made (without self-criticism) as this provides you with an opportunity for growth. The key is to make adjustments as necessary and be sure to always stay focused on the present moment. If you find that you’re trying to force the arrow into the bullseye, stop! Target panic will soon overcome you, causing you to shoot worse and worse.
Once you learn to be unaffected by previous shots and not overly concerned about where the arrow will go, you can expect your accuracy to improve. Simply focus on what you can control and stay in the current moment. That means trusting the shooting process you have practiced and simply focus on aiming, the rest will take care of itself.
How To Regain Focus After A Bad Shot
Your goal is to minimize mistakes and shoot with accuracy. This requires a consistent, systematic approach (mentally and physically) before taking each shot. Perfecting both your mental and physical shot process is important because you can expect a similar outcome with every shot you take.
There are six steps involved when it comes to regaining your focus after a bad shot. Simply follow these steps to create a pre-shot routine you can use after taking a bad shot. Your goal is to feel confident and secure before taking your next.
1. Assess What Went Wrong
Okay, you made a bad shot. This is the time you ask yourself, “what went wrong?”. You must evaluate what you did differently during your shot process so you can understand what caused the inaccuracy. It could be any number of things such as a bad release, incorrect anchor point, bad follow through, or even a strong gust of wind!
The goal here is to draw attention to your shot process to understand any shortcomings. After every shot, you can analyze, identify, and work to remedy any issues you may have realized. Once you’ve identified the issue, use it as an opportunity for growth.
2. Breathe & Shake It Off
Don’t let a bad shot feed your inner critic. This means you need to acknowledge any negative feelings you have about your shot and simply let those feelings go. It should only take a matter of seconds for you to recover, as your rational mind can reframe those thoughts into a positive light. Negative thoughts only distract you and lower your confidence. Obsessing over past mistakes doesn’t serve you, so it’s best to take a deep breath and shake off the negativity.
3. Regain Focus & Composure
Now that you’ve shaken off any negativity, you need to regain your focus and composure. Some might say, “get your head in the game”. You’ve identified the problem, acknowledged and released the negativity, and currently bringing focus back to the coming challenge. From here, you need a plan of action.
4. Decide On Plan Of Action
Now that you’ve identified the issue(s), it’s time to create a plan of action before taking your next shot. Ask yourself what needs to be done in order for that not to happen again. For example, let’s say you punched (grabbed) the trigger and threw the arrow off target. You know a surprise release with back tension is best, but rushed the shot out of anticipation. Knowing this, you may decide to ignore feelings of anticipation and simply focus on making that surprise release. This would be your plan of action and from here it’s time to execute the shot you envision.
5. Execute Your Shot
With your plan of action, it’s time to take another shot with the necessary adjustments. Mentally prepare for the shot, take a deep breath or two, focus on the target, and execute the shot process giving extra attention to your trouble spots. That said, don’t let other areas of your form break down. This is where perfect practice allows you to simply “run the program” of shooting with great form…freeing up your mind to focus on what’s necessary.
6. Repeat The Process
Repeat the process as necessary. Great archers always look for opportunities to improve. Bringing focus to form flaws gives yourself the opportunity to incrementally improve. These may seem like small adjustments, but over time, add up to consistency and accuracy. Repeating this process for every bad shot allows you to grow as an archer. Following this step-by-step approach will help you self-correct, improve, and gain confidence as an archer.
Conclusion
Minimizing the number of bad shots you take is your goal. You can do this by minimizing any mistakes you’re making before, during, and after taking a shot. When you do take a bad shot, you must regain your focus quickly to prevent additional bad shots. Simply follow the steps above to recover so you can get back on track.
If you find yourself making a number of mistakes or don’t even know the mistakes you’re making, you may need professional instruction/coaching. This is important because learning good habits from the start is always better than fixing bad habits later. If you need help in this area, Archery Foundations is a great place to get started. Otherwise, keep practicing, keep improving, and you’ll become a great shot!
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