Realistic mental training?

[Jpsmith1]

The trend, the 'fashion' in the archery world seems to be practicing to shoot under physical stress.

Run wind sprints and shoot. Ruck a distance and shoot.

While this may be beneficial in terms of fitness, it doesn't seem to induce the same levels of mental stress that a real life shot opportunity does.

What I'm looking for are ideas to incorporate more realistic mental stress into my shooting and practice routine.

Anyone have any input?

 

[fishsticks]

Shoot competition. Local target leauge nights, weekend 3D shoots, tournaments anything that puts you in front of people you don’t know and situations you aren’t familiar with.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Shoot competition. Local target leauge nights, weekend 3D shoots, tournaments anything that puts you in front of people you don’t know and situations you aren’t familiar with.

I've done this and never felt any real level of mental stress.

I am the shooter that I am and, while I'm working my ass off to be better tomorrow than I am today, I don't compare myself to others because I know I suck and I'm never going to be better than they are. All I can do is out work and out last them

 

[wnelson14]

Put the archery target somewhere, where if you miss it will have consequences.

In front of a vehicle, shoot through your vehicle window, those steel targets where vitals are foam only and if you miss you break arrows, etc.

obviously do this in a safe matter.

 

[Billy Goat]

I've done this and never felt any real level of mental stress.

I am the shooter that I am and, while I'm working my ass off to be better tomorrow than I am today, I don't compare myself to others because I know I suck and I'm never going to be better than they are. All I can do is out work and out last them

You have to care to have mental stress.


Competition will build pressure, not if you don't care tho.


You can't build the mental stress if you don't let your mind care.



Why do you think you can't get better than they are?

 

[khart_6882]

Find something you hate to do. Cold plunge, running, whatever. Set up a tough shooting scenario, every miss in a 5 shot group equals 5 minutes of your least favorite activity. Kind of an actions have consequences situation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jason Snyder]

Why not just have the expectations that every shot sequence should be perfect?

You could always have your shooting partner kick you in the junk if it’s not a perfect
shot sequence.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Shoot competition or local with some money on the line. There won't be anything that can replicate drawing back on a screaming bull at 10 yards though, that's what makes it so special.

 

[Jason Snyder]

First question is do you know what a perfect shot sequence is and feels like?

Second question is, can you do that repeatedly on demand?

If you can’t answer yes to both, you need to accomplish that before you worry about stress or anything else.

 

[Jpsmith1]

You have to care to have mental stress.


Competition will build pressure, not if you don't care tho.


You can't build the mental stress if you don't let your mind care.



Why do you think you can't get better than they are?

I'm not sure. I've been shooting pretty regularly since I got back into archery in 2010. I've improved, but I've definitely 'plateaued' the past couple years.

I'm a solid 270-275 on a 3D course maybe a 260ish if I'm carrying a heavy ruck (40-60#) which I'll do a few times a year.

Thing is, competition, while it's fun, isn't what matters, right? What matters is when that animal is in front of me, and THAT is where the wheels fall off and I fall apart. If I miss foam or miss an X, there's another arrow, another end, another shoot next week, next month or whatever. I think that's why I don't care about competition. I don't, or maybe I won't bet money to raise the mental stakes because I know everyone else is better than I am, so I'll just lose.

I *MAYBE* get one opportunity at a buck every year with a bow and I have yet to connect in any real way. I've missed clean, I've clipped hair, I've made brisket shots that earned me a fat smeared arrow and a broken heart and I've made decent, killing shots that I failed to recover due to poor fieldcraft.

What I'm trying to find or to figure out is a way to induce a level of stress similar to that of a deer coming into the red zone so that I can practice mentally coping with that stress and be better at making that shot when it does happen

 

[Billy Goat]

I'm not sure. I've been shooting pretty regularly since I got back into archery in 2010. I've improved, but I've definitely 'plateaued' the past couple years.

I'm a solid 270-275 on a 3D course maybe a 260ish if I'm carrying a heavy ruck (40-60#) which I'll do a few times a year.

Thing is, competition, while it's fun, isn't what matters, right? What matters is when that animal is in front of me, and THAT is where the wheels fall off and I fall apart. If I miss foam or miss an X, there's another arrow, another end, another shoot next week, next month or whatever. I think that's why I don't care about competition. I don't, or maybe I won't bet money to raise the mental stakes because I know everyone else is better than I am, so I'll just lose.

I *MAYBE* get one opportunity at a buck every year with a bow and I have yet to connect in any real way. I've missed clean, I've clipped hair, I've made brisket shots that earned me a fat smeared arrow and a broken heart and I've made decent, killing shots that I failed to recover due to poor fieldcraft.

What I'm trying to find or to figure out is a way to induce a level of stress similar to that of a deer coming into the red zone so that I can practice mentally coping with that stress and be better at making that shot when it does happen

I'm not trying to be a dick about it, but the mental preparedness is all about caring.

You put pressure on yourself to succeed in hunting, why not put pressure on yourself in practice?


That's what you need to learn, I mean none of it matters, doesn't matter if you need one more X or one more deer, you fail, sun will come up tomorrow. Miss and loose, or miss and go to the grocery store, ain't none of it life or death. One you are passionate about, the other you aren't.

You won't take your practice seriously until you care about it too.

Years ago, I was in the same boat. I usually got 1 opportunity, I started to practice a lot more and take it a lot more seriously because I didn't want to loose the one opportunity due to my shooting.

 

[wesfromky]

I *MAYBE* get one opportunity at a buck every year with a bow and I have yet to connect in any real way. I've missed clean, I've clipped hair, I've made brisket shots that earned me a fat smeared arrow and a broken heart and I've made decent, killing shots that I failed to recover due to poor fieldcraft.

What I'm trying to find or to figure out is a way to induce a level of stress similar to that of a deer coming into the red zone so that I can practice mentally coping with that stress and be better at making that shot when it does happen

Shoot at more animals. Get tags in other states, shoot more does, take up small game hunting.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Shoot at more animals. Get tags in other states, shoot more does, take up small game hunting.

This is all well and good if you actually know how to consistently execute a perfect shot sequence in practice.

This is a case of you don’t know what you don’t know.

 

[NXTZ]

Man, Billy Goat is really spot on with his advice. If you’re trying to use competition as hunting practice, but not placing value on those shots, you‘re kinda wasting your own time.
“Thing is, competition, while it's fun, isn't what matters, right? What matters is when that animal is in front of me, and THAT is where the wheels fall off and I fall apart” I’m not trying to be a prick, but look at any professional or high level athletes-they place a ton of value on their training.
Come crunch time, we don’t rise to the occasion, we fall back on our training. Hunting is obviously important to you, take the mindset of being a better hunter and apply it to your training.

 

[Elkangle]

Read 'with winning in mind by Lanny bassham

Also read 'golf is not a game of perfect by Bob Rotella


Alot of what Joel turner discovered from Buddhist monks is in these two books from the 80s

 

[Marbles]

Real life shot opportunity stress is based on the person. It is mental conditioning.

Every chance you get, if you have your bow, string a blunt arrow and draw on game animals to normalize that part of it. If hunting, then just draw on every non-target animal you see. The goal is to train the brain that drawing on an animal is nothing special and a no stress situation.

Get a dog shock collar, crank it all the way up and put it on your leg or arm, then every time you miss the target have a friend light you up. That will either help, or make things really, really, bad, but it should induce some mental distress.

The mental way I get around shot stress, and other higher stakes stressors, is focus on process. Get the process correct, because that is what you control, then there are better odds of a good outcome. Focus on the bow, your form, your breathing. If you are shaky, then slow down and do some box breathing. Tell yourself, and mean it, you will not release an arrow unless the process getting to the point has been solid.

Outcomes are never completely in our control. Focus on process, and drawing on an animal becomes the same as drawing on a target. The question then becomes, have you practiced on targets in the awkward positions or under the physical stress of getting to the shot.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Shoot at more animals. Get tags in other states, shoot more does, take up small game hunting.

Hard to do when you suck at hunting.

 

[Jpsmith1]

This is all well and good if you actually know how to consistently execute a perfect shot sequence in practice.

This is a case of you don’t know what you don’t know.

I can execute my shot sequence on demand.

Where that begins to fall apart is when I shit my pants and forget my name when a buck shows up, and I really need to clarify that this is a problem with bucks and not nearly as much with does. I'm happy to explain why if you think it matters.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I'm not trying to be a dick about it, but the mental preparedness is all about caring.

You put pressure on yourself to succeed in hunting, why not put pressure on yourself in practice?


That's what you need to learn, I mean none of it matters, doesn't matter if you need one more X or one more deer, you fail, sun will come up tomorrow. Miss and loose, or miss and go to the grocery store, ain't none of it life or death. One you are passionate about, the other you aren't.

You won't take your practice seriously until you care about it too.

Years ago, I was in the same boat. I usually got 1 opportunity, I started to practice a lot more and take it a lot more seriously because I didn't want to loose the one opportunity due to my shooting.

So, I can shoot to 80 reasonably well. Well enough to score on a medium 3D target at that range. A deer or larger, let's say.

I missed a buck at 27 this year and I've missed closer deer.

 

[Marbles]

Where that begins to fall apart is when I shit my pants and forget my name when a buck shows up, and I really need to clarify that this is a problem with bucks and not nearly as much with does.

Well, the only solution to that is mental reconditioning. Draw on bucks, but do not fire, intentionally let them go. It will make for one crappy season, but might make for a lot of better ones down the road.

Stop putting such a high importance on getting a buck in your mind.