MENTAL IMAGERY
- Part 3
Consistency -
The First Steps
Even as beginners we know
what it feels like to shoot a good shot. They stand out and you
begin to know they are right. The next trick is to make all the
shots feel that way, to make them all feel right, to make your
shooting consistent. But how?
One good method is to build
yourself a shooting sequence, something you can repeat shot after
shot. Numbers can help here. Number each part of the preparation
in a logical sequence that you can follow every time. For example:
1 Place your feet on the
shooting line, making sure your weight is even and your hips
are over your ankles and your shoulders are over your hips.
2 Nock the arrow onto the
string.
3 Place your bow hand into
the grip, making sure you are behind the bow and your hand is
not torqued to the left or the right.
4 Place your fingers on
the string, making sure it is in the first crease and not balanced
precariously on the pads.
5 Stand tall and straight,
feeling and checking that your bow hand and string fingers are
correct and your shoulders are low and relaxed.
6 Raise the bow to the
target, turning your head and checking you are in line with the
target. Feel READY.
7 Draw, anchor and release.
8 Follow through - be a
poser and analyse how the shot felt.
This is a very simple check
list that you can build on and add to as you learn more about
your particular shooting. It will help to make the preparation
more consistent and you will feel confident that you have built
the shot correctly.
Good Shooting,
Jan Eley
Jan is one
of this country's top lady recurve archers who was a member of
the Club until moving house a while ago. This article is reprinted
from InSight, the Stortford Archery Club newsletter, Issue
9, Summer 1996. |
Stortford Archery Club