THE RESET

I love baseball. It’s great to settle down in front of the television to
watch a major league baseball game…especially if the Phillies are doing
well. But to many people, baseball is boring. They think all baseball
involves is pitch the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball,
etc. But there are many little things going on within the game that make it
interesting.

One of the things I enjoy watching are the rituals that some hitters go
through before they are ready to receive a pitch. They go through all kinds
of manipulations with the dirt, the bat, their batting gloves, their
helmet, everything. AND THEN….most back out of the box and do it all
again….after each pitch!!!!

However, what these professional baseball players are doing is nothing less
than what we should be doing as archers. In reality, they are adjusting to
the right stance, getting the proper body alignment, achieving the correct
grip, and mentally preparing for the next pitch.

After that arrow is gone and we’ve followed through properly (see blog
entry from 12/7), our body is not in the proper position to immediately
shoot another arrow. While our stance should not change, our posture needs
to be reset, the next arrow needs to be reset, our bow needs to be reset,
our grip needs to be reset, our string hand needs to be reset, and most
importantly, our mind must be reset.

I’m not saying to back completely off the line and start all over but
everyone should have a pre-shot routine that they go through before
shooting every arrow!!! At a minimum, that ritual should include a mental
check list of the following…

Stance and body posture
Nocking the arrow and hook the release
Grip the bow and bring it into position
Slow Draw and anchor the string hand
Aim! Aim! Aim!
Release
Follow through

AND THEN….RESET…and do it all over again.

If you develop a pre-shot routine, the process of repetition will soon
train your body. You will find that you no longer have to really think
about it and that your body will tell you when something isn’t right. And
listen to your body. If something just doesn’t feel right, let down, and
RESET.

And just like the major league baseball player, don’t dwell on what’s
already happened. You can’t get that bad shot back any more than a batter
can get that strike back.

And RESET your mind to focus COMPLETELY on the next shot. And by that, I
mean FOCUS ONLY ON AIMING when you come to full draw.

Remember…we don’t shoot three arrows at a time when practicing…we shoot one
at a time.

And don’t forget to check out my instructional archery videos at
www.youtube.com/archery64.

MY CHRISTMAS WISH

Well, it’s Christmas time again. And you know what that means….some people
are freaking out!!

There are gifts to wrap, cards to send, decorations to put up, a tree to
find, cookies to bake, stockings to hang, a meal to prepare, travel
arrangements to make, plays to attend, parties to plan….the list never
seems to end.

And since these people see absolutely no way of everything getting done by
Christmas, they start to get that look in their eyes that if they get one
more thing piled on top of them, they will collapse like a house of cards.
They are on the edge of being devoured by the holidays and the joy of the
season escapes them.

They don’t see the blessings they get by giving to others.
They can’t understand the happiness a card brings to a friend.
They miss out on seeing how colorful lights transform a simple house into a
magical place.
They fail to appreciate the excitement a Christmas tree brings to a child.
They are unable to smell the friendly warmth of baking cookies.
They can’t see the look of awe on faces around the table when Christmas
dinner is served.
They don’t comprehend the anticipation loved ones feel as they pull up in
the driveway.
They won’t recognize the delight a child has when on stage…and mom and dad
are in the audience.
They aren’t aware of the fellowship shared at simple gatherings.

Please don’t let the seemingly endless list of things to do take away from
the Christmas season this year. My wish is that everyone will take time out
to enjoy the decorations, the food, the family, and the beautiful spirit
that IS Christmas.

And what does all this have to do with archery? Absolutely nothing. Merry
Christmas everyone!!!

Subscribe to my instructional archery videos at www.youtube.com\user\archery64

FOLLOW THROUGH

FOLLOW THROUGH

One of the most under-rated and ignored aspects of archery shooting is the
follow through after the arrow has been released. There is a lot of
emphasis put on the pre-release phase of archery but the post-release phase
is just as important.

On a bow shooting 300 feet per second (fps), it only takes a 30 inch arrow
about .0083 seconds to clear the bow on release. That is literally less
time than the blink of an eye.

Now I know what you’re thinking…how important can follow through be if the
arrow clears my bow before I can even react to the release?

The truth is, the arrow clears the bow so quickly that it is physically
impossible to affect the shot between the time of release and when the
arrow is free of the bow. Humans can not react that quickly.

However, if your body is doing other things BEFORE the release and those
things continue THROUGH the release, the accuracy of your shot WILL be
affected.

Here are some of the things you could be doing DURING the release that
could affect accuracy…
Peeking up over your peep sight to check out your shot
Lowering your bow arm
Gripping the bow
Following the arrow with your eyes instead of keeping focused on the target

So what good does proper follow through do? If you do not get in the habit
of following through by keeping your entire body in the proper “hold”
position AFTER release, it won’t be long before any movements start
happening BEFORE release. When that happens, you will not hit what you’re
aiming at.

Now, you will not be able to hold your body perfectly still after release
but here are the two things you must try to do in your follow through…
Keep you eyes on the spot you are aiming at
Keep your pin sight on the spot you are aiming at

This should be done at least until your arrow hits the target. On a bow
that shoots 300 fps, it will only take .20 seconds for your arrow to hit
the target at 20 yards.

Follow through is a very important part of archery shooting. Ignore it, and
you’ll find yourself scratching your head wondering what you’re doing
wrong.