20th January 2007 - Return to coaching

Very hot, no clouds, barely any wind movement

126 arrows @ blank butt, 20m (42 arrows) and 70m

Things worked on:

Shoulder alignment.

• My shoulder alignment could have been better by ~10 degrees.
• Simple solution was to face along the shooting line and allow the shoulders to follow the direction of looking.
• Then, turn the head only, careful to ensure that the hips and shoulders do not move back.
• There will be some tension felt in the transverse adominalis, but that should be there.
• And it works very well.

36 arrow Gold Game

• Played the gold game, but 36 arrows, in 3 arrow ends, at 20m using the 80cm insert.
• 33% easier to hit due to the size, but 33% harder mental pressure not to miss.
• Playing the game focuses on sequence, not on form.
• Having a good routine and sequence can reduce the damage of errors.

Focus Sequence on KEY WORDS


At the end of setup routine need to have distinct key words to activate.

• Hold
• Aim
• Execute

However, my cycle is different to my coach, so my own relies upon the end of my draw routine, where the exhale part (inhale during draw, exhale half breath) becomes my hold phase.

For me, my key words are

• Exhale
• Push
• Keep Pushing

A lot of mental pressure and you need to maintain the sequence until it is just automatic
If something is not right, does not feel right, Let Down and reset
The shot cycle will be smoother and faster when sequence is second nature.

Shot Clock Practice

A 15 second shot clock was set up on a laptop.
I didn't believe that it was possible for me to shoot consistently using only a 15 second shotclock.
I was proven wrong as I manage to shoot pretty much everything I shot in the 15 seconds per shot.

Problems for me though

• Loading time is too long, from quiver to full draw
• Pauses in my sequences are too long, they will need to be reduced once my sequence is more smooth and automatic
• Require more confidence in my shot routine!

Also need to do more Shooting SPT.