As the sand runs out of the 2015 hour glass, some review and introspection is always valuable. What went well? What challenges occurred during the year? What plan of action was undertaken to improve? Did changes bear fruit?

A thorough review of the prior year should lead to an action plan for the new year. I’ll review my year and perhaps that will serve as a template for you.

What went well? I performed very capably at all the major shoots I attended. USAA Nationals, Vegas and USAA Indoor Nationals. I placed highly in each of these events and shot well. I broke a National record while shooting the Illinois State Indoor Championship. So those outcomes were quite good. I shot with a great deal of confidence and my shot held up well under the stress of competition.

What challenges occurred? I believe I shot Outdoor Nationals with a substandard tune. I struggled with fitness toward the end of the outdoor season and it has bled into the start of indoor season. Those struggles have led to some degradation of confidence. I may have made some unintended technique changes to compensate for my fitness level. Some of my recent performances reflect outcomes well outside of my norms.

What plan of action was undertaken to improve? Did changes bear fruit? There were two focus points in 2015. 1) Improve fitness 2) Improve shot timing. On both these points I fell down to some extent. My fitness level did improve mid season, but it fell as the grind of the season wore on. My timing outdoors improved, but indoors was a different story. Perhaps a mental impediment with feeling I needed to aim better. In all, these still need to be improved upon.

What is the plan of action for 2016? 1) Improve my fitness with a defined regimen. 2) Honest evaluation of my current draw weight. Is it appropriate for me? Can I shoot the number of arrows needed with proper form? If not, I’ll need to source different equipment to compete effectively. 3) Move back to the shooting technique of the summer. 4) Continue to work on shot timing. 5) Increase opportunities to put my shot under stress.

Ok, so there you have it, my year in review and my action plan for 2016. Note that my action plan did not include any outcome goals. They were 100% process goals. Perhaps this is a mistake and I may revisit my action plan later in the year to reflect some outcome goals. But as I stated in an earlier post, you can’t expect to obtain any outcome goal without solid process goals.

I would encourage you to engage in some introspection at this time of year and work to develop a plan to have a successful 2016 shooting season. Happy New Year everyone!