Are you an archer who has recently experienced target panic? You’re not alone when it comes to experiencing this common archery issue. In fact, both new and seasoned archers can experience this mental block, and at any time. As with all sports, beginners will experience one or more challenges during the learning process. For those who think they’ve done something wrong; it’s not your fault. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, know it can make itself known years later.

Archery is a fun sport and requires participants to learn discipline, focus, and patience. While it may be tempting to shoot through target panic, know this can potentially make the issue worse. Instead, you’ll need to address this learned response so you can properly overcome it.

Ready to learn everything there is to know about this common archery issue, as well as what you can do to conquer it? Understanding what panic is and learning how to overcome target panic is your next step.

What Is Target Panic?

Many archers experience panic in anticipation of taking a shot. Since this form of panic can manifest itself in various ways, what are some of the more common? Common signs consist of an overall feeling of nervousness, anxiety, and even fear.

These signs are often experienced at different levels of intensity, as every archer will experience it in their own individual way. Once an archer begins to experience one or more of the signs, difficulties often experienced consist of premature hold, premature release, and an inability to achieve full anchor position.

Since this stage fright effect is one that often differs from one archer to the next, what are some specific examples? Experiencing nervous flinches when getting ready to shoot, a fear of releasing the arrow too soon, an inability to hold steady, and even feeling terrified when shooting while others are watching. Because you don’t want this archery issue to become a habit, the sooner you address it, the easier it’ll be to overcome.

The Cause Of Target Panic

So what causes target panic? This psychological condition is all about control. When shooting, there’s a hardwired connection between the eye and actually pulling the trigger. This can result in an instinctive action of flinching (and more) when shooting, which is normal. Therefore, panic isn’t caused by the steps required for shooting arrows as they aren’t difficult to perform. Instead, it’s the associated thought process that you need to focus on.

Since you’ll need to be in complete command of your actions at all times, it’s necessary to retrain your brain. Paying close attention to your surroundings when shooting is essential. It’s also crucial to focus on how you feel during every step of the shooting process. When you do, you’re more likely to understand why you’re experiencing any level of panic. Are one of the causes below the reason why you’re experiencing panic?

• Shot Anticipation. As mentioned above, the simple anticipation of taking a shot can trigger target panic and a bad release.
• Fear, Anxiety. When one’s nerves take over, fear and/or anxiety can easily set in and cause one to panic and take a bad shot.
• Draw Weight. Heavier draw weight is harder to pull and control, making new archers experience panic and a bad shot (commonly referred to as “over-bowed”).
• Target Size. The fear of not being able to hit a small target can create a panicked feeling for many archers.
• Distance. Panic can also set in when shooting targets that are very far away because aiming becomes amplified/more sensitive.

Ready to find out how you can conquer target panic? Understanding the proactive measures available will help you overcome this challenging archery issue.

How To Overcome Target Panic

How do you overcome target panic? Archers who experience panic for the first time want to know what they can do to conquer this obstacle. Your subconscious mind is what controls how you shoot. It also controls how you react before, during, and after taking your shot. So, you’ll need to learn how to control your subconscious.

How do you control this involuntary and intuitive response? You’ll need to create a series of actions to support your brain’s ability to function one step at a time. Performing these actions slowly is essential, as this allows your brain to calculate and assess each step.

Each of the options below can help you overcome target panic. Know that concentrating on form, as well as shot sequence are essential areas of focus. The goal is to gradually retrain your brain until those feelings of panic begin to fade away.

Also, if choosing a release aid option, make sure it fits in with your personal shooting style. The last thing you want to happen is to choose the wrong release aid. Why? Because the wrong choice can impede your ability to practice good form, as well as negatively affect your shots.

Which of the 3 below options is right for you?

1. Switch to a Different Release Style. Target panic release aids are the most common solution chosen to address this issue. Did you know that caliper releases and thumb releases are often associated with panic? Switching to a new release design can help.
   
   One release option to consider is the hinge release system. This works well as this option has no dedicated trigger. It fires through a hinging motion that allows the string to slide off of a small hook. This makes a great choice for archers who experience panic due to punching release aids with a trigger. Target panic trigger release options are worth the time looking into due to their excellent ability to retrain your brain.
2. Blind Shooting aka Blank Bale Shooting. This practice option requires you to shoot without a dedicated aiming spot. Blind shooting is a no-pressure option as you’re not forced to focus on a specific target. Instead, all you need to do is close your eyes, allowing you to only focus on perfect form. Since you’re not aiming at a specific target, your entire focus is placed on the basic steps of the shooting process.
   
   To take blank bale shooting to the next level, try aiming and shooting at a very large target from a few yards away. This makes aiming very simple and de-sensitizes your panic when focusing on a target face. Over time, those dreaded feelings of panic you experience will begin to fade away.

3. Aim Without Shooting. Aiming your bow and arrow without actually taking a shot also works to combat panic. This brain retraining option requires you to pull back, aim, hold, let down, and repeat…all without having to focus on arrow impact. While easier said than done, know the more you practice, the easier it’ll be to focus on pure aiming. The repetitive action of aiming without releasing the arrow works by breaking the habit of anticipating the jolt of the shot. Over a short period of time, negative reflexes like punching the trigger and flinching will soon diminish.

Wondering how long it’ll take for you to experience positive results? The average amount of time it takes beginner archers to overcome target panic is three weeks.

Talk It Through

Talking yourself through the process of shooting while performing one of the above solutions can also help. This requires you to choose and use certain words and/or phrases while shooting to help you overcome target panic. There’s a path to creating the perfect shot, and part of that path requires you to plan out every step of your shot. Once you create your plan and start using it, you’ll immediately know when your shot is not going as planned. The goal is to choose words to calm your nerves when shooting.

What words can help you when drawing the bow, as well as when anchoring, holding, aiming, and releasing? Here are a few phrases you can say, and yes, you can repeat the same phrase over and over if that’s what helps you focus.

Examples of what to say when:

• Drawing the bow – relax your mind
• Anchoring – be consistent
• Holding – trust the bow, steady
• Aiming – focus on the shot
• Releasing – be calm

3 Tips to Beat The Panic

Follow the tips below to help you overcome any level of Panic you’re experiencing.

• Tip #1 – Relax. Relaxing is key! When archers feel stressed, it only increases their overall feeling of panic. Instead, taking deep, slow breaths can help you feel more relaxed. Focus on perfect form and judge your shots on how they feel, not where they impact. Great form and a relaxed mind will improve your scores.
• Tip #2 – Back Tension Release. Learning how to shoot a back tension release has worked wonders for many archers. Why? Because it encourages you to use proper archery form. It also teaches you how to use back tension to properly fire your shot vs. punching the trigger. If you don’t use a back tension release, focus on squeezing the trigger through back tension.
• Tip #3 – Engrain The Sequence. When you have target panic, it’s easy to focus on the arrow’s impact. Instead, focus on your form and engrain the sequence of a well-executed shot. Over time, this will become 2nd nature and something that will require less mental strain.

My Experience With Target Panic

Personally, I have struggled with target panic myself, even up to this day. I shot a caliper release for years and developed the inability to put my pin on the bullseye with my finger on the trigger. I would move my pin and punch the trigger at the last possible second, hoping to hit the bullseye. This hurt my scores and my ability to shoot with good form. Many people quit archery after battling target panic, but I overcame it and so can you.

Conclusion

No need to worry if you’re experiencing target panic, every archer experiences it sooner or later. This common issue is not permanent as there are multiple approaches to solve it. The trick to defeating it is how you deal with it. Choosing from the above controlled processes will help you overcome the issue. Once you put in dedicated effort, you’re likely to start breaking bad habits in a number of weeks. It will be slow at first, but get out there, break those habits, and improve your accuracy!