USING POSITIVE MENTAL TRAINING TECHNIQUES

USING POSITIVE MENTAL TRAINING TECHNIQUES

By Terry Wunderle

One of my students was in the shoot-down round at a tournament. He went to the stake, set his sight, attached his release, and stood motionless staring at the target for nearly a minute. I knew the shot that was soon to follow would be perfect; and it was. This archer had prepared himself mentally to execute a shot with perfect form.

If an archer develops a picture of the perfect shot, he or she can enhance his or her performance in a tournament. It should be both a positive picture and a feeling of the best shot possible. To develop and strengthen your mental imagery and feeling of the perfect shot, make it a part of your routine to go to the practice range and shoot a blank bale with your eyes closed. Relax your body and practice shooting perfect form. Feel the muscles involved and the explosion of the shot. When you are comfortable with this feeling, try to duplicate it without the bow in your hand. Shoot the shot exactly the same as you did when the bow was a part of the process. Next, lower your arms and shoot the same shot mentally without arm movement. You should be able to feel the muscles and the shot execution even though you are not physically moving.

Finally, shoot the same shot, both physically and mentally, at a target. When the shot feels perfect and the arrow goes into the mark, proceed to close your eyes

and repeat the process several times in your mind. Feel the shot and see the arrow hitting the mark. This repeated exercise will give you the perfect picture and feeling for your mental imagery training. You will experience the form that you want in your mental training, as you develop it in practice and at tournaments. Making mental imagery a regular part of your regimen will give you confidence, ingrain your best shot into your thinking, and carry over into your performance.

Mental training is a valuable tool for archers as well as athletes in any sport; and most Olympic athletes use some form of mental training. In archery it plays a very significant role because precise muscle movement and calm concentration regulate archery performance. The use of mental imagery can enhance both of these attributes.

Laura Wilkinson, an Olympic diver, broke her foot in several places and could not physically practice for the Olympic tryouts. She did, however, practice her daily diving exercises with mental imagery. A couple of weeks before the tryouts, she started walking and won her position on the United States Olympic Team. I watched as she stood on the diving platform performing her mental imagery before each dive. Her walking was hampered by her injury, but her performance was not. She went on to capture the gold medal in Sydney, Australia.

As noted earlier, mental training prepares the body both mentally and physically. An archer practices it so the shot can be repeated exactly the same. Even though we think of this process as conditioning the mind, it also trains the muscles and nerves used to execute the shot. We are actually blueprinting the perfect shot in our mind and muscles. When the arrow is set and released in mental training, the same muscles needed to perform the actual shot are affected. The mind sends impulses to those muscles, which in turn programs them for the shot execution. You need to develop trust in your ability to duplicate the shot and not in your ability to score.

Score is the result of using good form. Repeated mental practice makes the shot become more routine, natural, and fluid. The confidence that results allows the archer to perform with ease when faced with a variety of situations and unexpected circumstances.

There are different levels of mental practice, with visualization serving as one part of the process. In visualization, you will see yourself shooting the arrow, just as if you were making the actual shot. You will view the situation while looking outward, rather than from the point of another observer.

Mental imagery is a higher level of mental training and takes longer to master. You are still visualizing the shot, but now you must become actively involved in the experience with your other senses. You are actually creating the complete shot scenario in your mind. You feel the back pressure, the explosion of the shot and the reaction of your bow arm. By seeing and feeling the perfect shot, you can program both the muscles and the mind so the execution can be duplicated under a pressure situation.

Mental imagery is very effective because with practice our muscles actually contract and respond in the same manner as if the bow were in our hands. The only difference is that one will experience very little physical movement. It is essential that you picture the perfect shot with the same rhythm as you normally use because the result will be the shot that you are programming into your mind and muscles. This level of mental practice raises your power of concentration and focus.

Imagery will also help an archer control anxiety, nervousness and muscle tension. The mind can create the tense atmosphere of a world championship. Think of yourself facing some of the most difficult shooting circumstances possible; then, view yourself remaining calm and shooting the perfect shot. Mental imagery will affirm your ability to shoot effectively. Picture yourself in a positive manner and you will have the confidence to perform in a positive manner.

[Terry has coached students to over 350 national and world titles and set over 450 national and world records. This article and more of his professional coaching tips are in his book, Archery: Think and Shoot Like a Champion, found scores, at tournament wunderlearchery.com.] info and more at nfaausa.com 51