Much has been discussed regarding the National Training System, developed by Kisik Lee. In fact, the non linear draw was posited and practiced by Dave Keaggy many decades ago. Every student of archery should have a look the Keaggy article and pay close attention to ‘line of force’ as it relates to ‘direction of movement’. Your coach can help you with some of the nuances discussed by Keaggy and reintroduced by Kisik Lee.

This reprint from Archery World 1963 is a must read:

It’s always a bit of a melancholy time of year for me when the weather turns too cold to shoot outside. I’ve had folks ask what I do differently, if anything, when moving to indoor shooting from outdoor shooting. The short answer is nothing.

A little more nuanced look at the move will show most of us tend to slow our shot down because the target is smaller. This is a mistake and one I am often prone to making. The sight picture should be acquired just as rapidly and the shot timing should remain the same. I challenge you to make an on time shot versus one that is perfectly aimed and compare your results. You will be pleasantly surprised that the shot executed on time will almost always produce a better result than the shot which was held longer, ‘because I wanted the aim to be perfect’.

Another oft asked question is, are you shooting the same equipment indoors and outdoors? I have gone both ways. Last year my best scores, including a national record, were shot with my outdoor rig. Most of the indoor season I shot a dedicated indoor bow with larger diameter arrows. In fact, I have vacillated on this point for many years. The empirical evidence shows results which are better with my outdoor bow.

The big differentiation is the arrow used indoors. Many will try to use a larger diameter arrow to catch a higher scoring line. The maximum shaft size allowed by World Archery is 23/64″. In theory this sounds like an excellent idea. What do you give up by using a large diameter arrow? Speed. A slower arrow will magnify your mistakes down range. Flub a release? A small diameter, lighter arrow, may catch the nine ring, where as a large diameter, heavy arrow, may end up in the eight, or seven ring. The conclusion is, errors in form have a greater impact on a slower arrow.

Manufacturers are now producing some lighter, large diameter arrows. it will be interesting to test and compare scores with some of these offerings.

Soooooo, what’s an archer to do? For me it is pretty cut and dried. I will use a dedicated indoor bow and experiment like crazy for the 1st half of the indoor season. It is fun and keeps me thinking. When the important indoor events come around on the calendar, I then evaluate my two rigs, indoor and outdoor and determine which set up produces the most consistent results. Last year I shot Vegas with my indoor rig. I shot a pretty pedestrian score. I then went to Indoor Nationals with my outdoor rig and shot well. Was it the particular set up? In this case, the answer was yes. There was a ridged area on the point of my indoor arrow tip. It caused the clicker to bump every now and then, causing me to either shoot through the clicker, or flinch. Apparently I wasn’t aware enough to have caught this ahead of Vegas. Sigh.

Anyway, you should be able to shoot quite effectively with your outdoor bow, indoors. Depending on the time and expertise you have, it may or may not be worth your while to have a dedicated indoor bow. It’s something you should have a chat about with your coach!

Oh, and by the way, to all of you inveterate tinkerers out there, make sure you can find your way back to square one if you are pulling things apart! Again, something you should talk about with your coach.

Last evening we conducted our JOAD class in the first cool weather of the season. All the kids came dressed in a manner which made me realize I hadn’t done enough to teach them how to operate in cool conditions. I saw hoodies with draw strings, baggy coats, baggy sweatshirts and a young man with shorts and a T shirt, who was shivering. Needless to say the practice was not productive for many, as some were hitting clothing on every shot and others were uncomfortable and didn’t much care how they shot.

So how should an archer dress for cool weather? In layers. 1) The first layer should be a close fitting long sleeve shirt, like an Under Armour. 2) The second layer should trap warm air and be slightly looser than the first layer. I prefer a short sleeve t shirt over my base layer. 3) Next comes some sort of jacket, or vest. I prefer a convertible cycling jacket. The sleeves can be zipped off. I leave the sleeve on my string arm and zip off the sleeve on my bow arm. Some prefer a vest of some sort, with a compression sleeve on the string arm. These compression sleeves can also be sourced at running or cycling stores. If you need a place to start, try Bike Nashbar. Since jackets and vests are not made specifically for archery, you’ll need to tuck in collars so they do not interfere with your drawing process. 4) Next comes a hat. Yes! I know some are loathe to wear a hat, but the body sheds an enormous amount of heat through the head. If you want to be comfortable, wear a winter hat or an insulated cap. 5) Keep your hands warm by wearing mittens or gloves when not shooting. Keep a chemical hand warmer in your pockets and keep your hands in your pockets to warm when needed. 6) Depending on the temperature, wear thermal underwear or fleece lined pants. 7) Wear shoes and socks which are appropriate for the conditions. Remember shoes which give the feet room to breathe will allow air to circulate and keep your feet warmer. 8) Keep a positive attitude. Shooting in less than ideal conditions is hard for everyone. Those who do the best are able to focus on the target and forget about all distractions. If you start shooting with a poor attitude, it will be reflected in your scores. This applies for wind, cold, rain, or whatever is thrown at you. A positive outlook is the most valuable arrow in your quiver.

It would seem pretty standard fare to use video in the process of teaching archery. A practiced eye can spot errors and inconsistencies when looking at a student shoot, then effect corrections and modifications based on the observations. The enlightened coach can take video and make it even more valuable.

Take baseline video and compare it to what the student has done from one lesson to the next. The results can surprise both the student and coach. Sometimes the student believes he has made a change when the evidence says otherwise. A video is more convincing evidence than a coach saying you’ve slipped back into an old pattern of behavior.

Ask your student to look at video and relate new positions to how their body feels. This feel of the position is extremely important in being able to replicate the position.

Have your student watch video of shooters whom you believe have outstanding form. This can be really effective, as some people are very good at aping what they see, rather than trying to implement what they are told.

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, I wonder what a video is worth?

It was one of those low energy days and I debated whether to practice. It felt like it was going to be a perfunctory practice to stay in archery shape. You know, a joyless experience just because I should.

I got to my buddy’s house, where I have a 50m target set up in his backyard. I set up my equipment, just as I have done too many times to count. Then it happened.

I shot my first arrow and it was effortless. The arrow flew down range and hit the target butt, which had no target on it, only a well worn middle which indicates where the arrow should go more or less. I shot another arrow and another and another. I was lost in my shooting and having a great time.

I paused and noted the still, late summer evening, with a slightly sticky feel and puffy clouds floating in the air. I was smitten with archery, just like when I was a kid shooting my fiberglass bow and wooden arrows at a pumpkin.

I went down range to get my arrows noting the slightly crunchy grass and late summer clover. The weeds were high and there was pollen sticking on my legs. Back to the shooting line I went, or more accurately, a rutted bare area where I usually stand to shoot. The arrows continued to fly down range with little effort. It was fun. It was liberating.

I shot again and again, not counting the arrows, or ends. Dusk was approaching and I lingered over the experience. I packed my equipment and remembered why I shoot in the first place. It isn’t the trophies, the scores, the competition. I put the equipment in the car with a tinge of regret. I sure hope that little boy with a fiberglass bow comes out to play again.

Ok, ok, so no one wants to hear about choking while competing, or while preparing to compete. The fact is, if you have competed successfully at anything, you have choked, or are in denial about it!

There are countless stories about champions who have persevered despite choking multiple times before breaking out to larger successes. To be in a position to choke means you have achieved great skill and have put yourself in a position to win. Congratulations. Not many can say they have even put themselves in a position where choking is a possibility!

Well, now that we have ascertained that everyone chokes, what the heck should a person do about it when in faced with the situation? I have a couple of thoughts. One is to replace the fear of success with another emotion. Anger does it for me, but others may replace the fear with a cavalier attitude, or perhaps fall into a thoughtless state. What is clear is that you must push the fear out of the performance of the shot.

Putting yourself in a position to win is extraordinary and will allow you to work on the mental skills necessary to push to a higher level of success.

I’ll end with a personal example of a recent less than optimal outcome. In this years Outdoor Nationals, I was in a position to take bronze. I started with a 9,10,9. I knew my competitor was watching and feeling the heat. What happened next was unexpected. I shot a 6. I don’t know why and I’m not sure what was going through my head, if anything. I followed with a 9 and needed one more solid shot to get on the podium. I shot a 6. I flinched slightly thinking my clicker had gone off. It didn’t. I was lucky to hit the bale.

I am fortunate to have had lots of success shooting, but choking is part of competing. One thing I can say is, the more you put yourself in the position to win, the more opportunities you will have to work on your mental game, which is where the rubber meets the road for  top level athletes.

I’ve been asked if the photo you see of me posing with a perfect end, was staged. They often are and heck, someone with a blog, who is a coach, doesn’t want to pose with a bunch of poor shots. The photo was not staged and was shot on the last end of the 2013 USA Archery Outdoor Target Nationals.

Here’s the back story. I shot a very strong 70 meter distance to start the tournament and followed with an acceptable 60 meter score. On day two I shot myself out of a podium chance with a substandard 50 meter score. Dave Wearne and I were 4th and 5th respectively, going to the 30 meter distance. It’s hard to make up ground at 30m but I found myself with an outside chance of overtaking Dave through 5 ends. On the last end of the tournament, I had a slim chance of edging Dave. I knew it would take a special end. I told myself to relax and shoot one shot. The rest of the arrows followed  the first and I was able to sneak into 4th, by virtue of a higher 10 count, if I remember correctly.

Gary Yamaguchi (who won the tournament) took the photo. It is an end and a performance that is etched in my mind. I’ve won Outdoor Nationals in the past, yet this end, in this tournament, is as significant an end as I’ve shot.

I asked that question of some of our JOAD students and got a variety of answers. What surprised me more, was what was not in the quiver of some adult shooters with more experience.

Ok, the short answer first. Carry everything you need to effect minor to moderate repairs to your equipment and you, as well as necessary items to participate in a tournament

Now let’s drill down to some specifics. Yeah, well……….arrows. But you would be surprised at the number of shooters who only carry the minimum number required to shoot an end. Stuff happens. Whether it is a lost arrow, or breakage, have a few spares in your quiver and ready access to more arrows if needed. Remember, a broken arrow does not constitute an equipment failure.

1) Tab – Carry at least one spare tab. (Make sure you have used and broken it in!!) Tournaments do not stop because of rain. Shooting with a dry tab is an edge.

1A) Release – What are you going to do if your primary release breaks?????? Have another and be familiar with it. Often times shooters will carry 2 types of releases, depending upon shooting conditions. (windy=thumb, calm=hinge)

2) Finger sling – They have a tendency to get lost easily. Carry a couple of spares; they take little space in your quiver

3) Nocks – It would seem obvious, but……….. And know the proper way to index a nock and either adhere, or press fit them.

4) Arrow puller – Whitetail target butts, need I say more? Find a place on the exterior of your quiver to clip it.

5) Arrow lubricant – It can be as simple as a bar of soap or clear shoe polish, to specifically manufactured products. When you need arrow lube, you’ll be thankful it is in your quiver.

6) Arrow rest – Who wants their tournament to end because of a broken rest? This is another item which takes little space in your quiver.

7) Allen wrenches – Look at what is on your bow which would need to be tightened, or adjusted. I carry both a metric and SAE version. Try to get as compact a set as possible.

8) Multi Tool – Very handy for doing a variety of tasks, from cutting serving to extracting points.

9) A length of serving thread – Tying off an unraveling serving, or tying in a nocking point on the fly has saved my bacon on more than one occasion.

10) Spare string – It’s insurance and takes little room. Again this should be a string you’ve broken in and have nocking points affixed to it.

11) Pencils and calculator – It’s tough to score without a pencil! And the calculator…let me say Rick McKinney feels more comfortable when I’m using one!

I carry everything on the above list, except for extra releases. (I primarily shoot Olympic recurve these days.) On the compound end, I would carry a hood for my scope in case of rain. A spare peep, some D-loop material and other compound specific items.

There could be additional things you find handy and by all means add to the list! What I have tried to do is anticipate what my needs will be in a tournament. My list has expanded based on my experiences. I hope the list serves you well.

How often have you heard those words concerning a particular athlete? I think we have all heard it more than a few times. When I hear it spoken, it is almost as if there is an implied slight to the hard work an athlete has undertaken to achieve excellence. Anyone who believes outstanding performers are just ‘born to it’ needs to take a closer look.

A case in point. There is a local archer who has excelled in both compound and recurve archery. That shooter lives in a bit of a distant location and practices alone most of the time. But does that shooter ever practice!! There is no question that this shooter puts in long hours and thousands of arrows down range. This archer has had quality instruction and has a huge desire to be excellent. What casual observers see is someone who comes to tournaments and shoots ‘lights out’. The assumption is the shooter is ‘gifted’. Since the hard work is not readily seen, this shooter must be some sort of anomaly. Most assuredly this archer has earned the scores by working harder and smarter than other shooters.

Well, that was a long winded way of getting to the point of saying, there are no short cuts to becoming a proficient archer. Let’s take a typical JOAD program and look at the progression of awards. The first awards and pins are meant to inspire shooters to keep practicing and improving their skills. It then becomes harder to achieve the next level as young archers are required to increase yardages and scores. The realization comes at some point that the archer must exercise and practice more to handle the increased physical demands of shooting longer distances. As a coach, this is where I see many drift away from the sport. Nothing is given at the upper ends of any endeavor.

Every athlete has to come to grips with how to achieve their wants in any sport. What is it going to take? Depending upon an archers goals, a plan should be established concerning practice time, exercise regimen and instruction. Balancing work, school, home life and other activities, will not happen without some planning and structure.

Success does not occur by happenstance.

All of us evaluate our shots and performances throughout a shooting session, or tournament. At times we make poor shots and analyze, correct, accept and move on. Other times we make what we consider to be excellent shots and get a poor result. Our experience and expertise determines our reaction and actions after making what we think is a good shot which receives a poor result.

The inexperienced shooter does not have the body of knowledge to recognize this situation and is mostly unaware that he made a good shot and received a poor result.

The intermediate shooter will have a better idea that he made a good shot and will run down his check list of what may have possibly happened. Often it is a 50/50 proposition that it is an equipment versus form issue.

The expert shooter will know instantly that the shot was well made and inspect his equipment for an indication of what is wrong. I’ve most often seen cut fletchings  be the culprit to an errant arrow which was well shot. Of course there are other possibilities, from, cracked nocks, to missing points!

Archers across the spectrum of experience will attribute poor results to equipment. Regardless of experience, equipment should be inspected throughout a tournament to insure its integrity. So……is it the equipment, or is it me??? At some point you will be asking yourself that question. How you answer is often a function of experience.