Putting in the Work

  In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, I really enjoyed shooting target archery. Every time I went to the range, I felt like it was impossible to miss, and if I did miss, I knew it probably wouldn’t happen again that night. I was lucky enough to run through a few years without ever scoring below 57xs during a 5-spot tournament or league or under a 447 during a 450 league. It was awesome, but looking back on it, I know I took it for granted. I don’t think I realized how difficult a feat like that is for most archers out there, especially at that time. Now, there are many more people who can do that type of thing regularly. 

  As time moved forward, I found myself struggling to achieve the same type of results. Although I could still shoot respectable scores, the great rounds were not nearly as consistent. Looking back on it, I can probably find a few things that led to the gradual decline. 

  I got sucked up in the shorter draw length craze, and before I knew it, I had shortened my draw length by almost two inches. I kept plugging away but began feeling tension I had never felt in my archery career. It seemed as if it coursed through every part of my body. Some days it took its toll and destroyed any hope of doing well, but other days, I battled through it and came out on top. 

  Eventually, the shoulder pain got to a point where I could no longer draw my bow. That’s when I found out that the shortening of my draw length had created many of the issues in my shoulder. After having it surgically repaired and being told I would never be able to shoot a bow again, I began the long trek back. I started with a PSE Chaos set at 17 pounds and kept plugging away.

  When I started shooting again, I lengthened the draw length a little bit, but it was still way too short. That’s when I went to Heritage Archery Academy to see Mike Price. He told me I needed to lengthen the draw length and start from there. That’s what I did, and I worked on that for the entire last year. I had some highs and lows, and my average in every type of archery dipped below what I had become accustomed to shooting. But that was okay because I had told myself I would give up time to make the changes that might help me get back to putting up the same type of performances that I did in the late ‘90s. It would be up to me to put the work in.

  As all of you followed me last year, I battled draw length issues and could never really settle into a place that I felt completely confident and comfortable. Although I’m still battling that issue, I feel like I’ve made progress, and I’m comfortable with where my bows are set right now.

  The hobby I concentrate on first and foremost is hunting. Hunting comes before anything else in my world, so I put everything I have into that. That’s why I avoid shooting my bow in any type of competitive manner from August until December. I always need that time to recover and recoup from the year of tournament archery. It gives me the ability to relax and focus my attention on the one thing that drives me unlike anything else. 

  When December rolled around, I sent a message to my good friend Mark Myers and asked if he was still up for giving me some help with an area we had talked about at the IBO World Championship in August. I asked him if he thought he could help me put some of the demons behind me and head in a better, more relaxed place while competing. He told me he thought he could do it if I was willing to put the work in. I told him I could easily put the work in.

  After going to Mark’s place, the JAM Training Center, he broke some things down for me and showed me a few things that I’ve had going on that I needed to focus on and work toward improving. As with anything, I couldn’t wait to get home and put the changes into action.

  I went home that night and blind-baled for an hour. The next day after work, I did it again for two straight hours. I had a lot of things to work on, so I focused on them. A few days after that, I decided to head to the range to try the new process while aiming at a target. I couldn’t miss. I scored a 652 with a bowhunter setup and called all my buddies to tell them how easy it was to shoot. I expected great things in the days to come. My shots broke easily, and the arrows found their way to the middle of the target. The amazing part was how easy it was to execute a shot. Weeks later, that first night back to the range still amazes me and makes me understand that it is possible, and I can do it every time I shoot.

  I spent the next few weeks in my basement. My goal was to keep working on the steps that Mark provided me with and figure out how to incorporate them into my routine, so they would flow effortlessly. The program he gave me allowed me to keep my conscious mind active until the moment I needed my subconscious mind to take over, at which point everything would be on autopilot and the shot would break. My goal is to get my shot timing under control and make it consistent. There will always be times when a wrench gets thrown in due to outside interferences, but the consistency is what I’m working toward.

  While working on things throughout December, I made many other changes. I put new strings on my bow, and I changed from shooting 4-finger releases for the last six years to shooting 3-finger releases. This was upon Mark’s recommendation, and I feel pretty good about the change. It allows me to have a more consistent line from shot to shot, and it also allows my hand to relax a little more quickly.

  As I practiced every day, I began to realize that some things in every person’s shot are unique to that archer. Although all the methods that are being taught are textbook methods that will help people easily achieve an accurate shot, some other people have their own systems that also work well. That’s when I realized that I still need to do a few things in my shooting that probably don’t follow the textbook guide. I believe these things allow me to focus better and execute more consistent shots. As with anything, I’m sure there will be naysayers, but this is how I feel. It’s almost like deer hunting, and I’ll use the book I just wrote as an example. I wrote about the wind, which I knew would cause controversy. I’ve received comments from readers who agree and disagree about it. I just shared what works the best for me. It doesn’t mean it’s the right way to do things, but it has made me into an incredibly successful deer hunter, and I will never argue with that success. Therefore, I think it’s important to listen to great coaches and take things from them, but you must also know what works the best for you and how you can easily replicate it.

  Okay, enough babbling. Now that I’ve caught you up on the beginning of my indoor season and what I have going on, I’ll share my experiences at my first tournament since incorporating Mark’s process and a few changes he recommended. 

  I got to Jason VanHillo’s annual New Year’s Day shoot at Nimrod in Massachusetts and visited with many of my friends I haven’t seen since last summer. It’s always great to see them after being away for a few months. We caught up on a few hunting stories and taste-tested a lot of the food that everyone brought.

  Then, it was time to toe the line and start shooting after the first line cleared the range. When I saw that Jason Kennedy was in the next lane down the line, I knew I would get a good idea where I stood. Since he and I are both shooting in the Bowhunter division at Lancaster, I figured it would be a good test to get ready for that tournament. Deb and Barry were in the lanes on the other side of me. 

  When the round started, I felt my normal anxiousness that goes along with any tournament, no matter how big or small, that I go to. In the first few scoring ends, I had a little more movement in my sight picture than normal, but things felt good. I focused on following the steps Mark had outlined for me and made sure to hit every one of them.

  Amazingly, I felt like the old me throughout the round. Although I was nervous, the anxiety never ate me up. I just stood there and did my thing. If I had more movement than normal, I just flashed back in time to when Tim Strickland told me that motion is correction, and the subconscious mind will correct the placement of the sight before the shot is fired.

  When I finished the round, I was happy with my progress. The score wasn’t the greatest, but I still managed a 447 with 20-something Xs. One thing that I noticed is that I never once thought about my score. This is the first time I’ve had this happen in a while. By following the steps and focusing solely on executing every step of every shot, my mind went to a place that was calming and bred optimism. It was an incredible experience. Although I knew that I had dropped three 9s during the round, I never really thought about it. I was sure I had one of them. I executed a good shot, but the pin must’ve been where the arrow landed. On one of the other 9s, I missed a step, which made me realize how important it is to nail the steps. The best thing is that I instantly recognized what had happened -- bonus points for me. Instead of the 9 on the scorecard, that slot on the card became an 11 in my mind.

  After all the scores were added, there weren’t any big surprises, and Jason and I ended up with the same score. We both shot a 447, and Jason finished with a couple more Xs. I felt good knowing that I was even with a guy who will surely be in the hunt at Lancaster. Jason is a great shooter, and I respect his game.

  When the brackets were set for the eliminations, I knew I would have to shoot well to advance. No matter who anyone draws, the match format always makes it difficult to advance. You can’t afford to make any mistakes because you’re only shooting a few arrows.

  Luckily, I got through my first match. We both shot well, but my points added up to be a little higher than Matt’s total. The best part about the match was that I was in total control of myself and my shot. I continued following my steps, and my shot timing remained constant. I executed good shots throughout the match. 

  When I looked at the other shooters who advanced, I realized I was going to have to face Joe Santos, one of the longtime great shooters of New England. I knew I would have to be at my best to beat Joe because when I was watching him earlier, it appeared that his shot was phenomenal. 

  I felt incredibly strong during my first three shots, and every one of them landed inside out in the 11-ring. I figured that was a big deal since my Black Eagle PS26s take up almost the entire ring. Joe dropped one point during the round. Going into the second round, I felt great. I followed my steps, and the arrows once again pounded the center of the target. I had just shot three more arrows into the 11-ring without any of them touching the line. Joe matched me with a 33, so I knew that I needed to follow the steps and do the same on my last three arrows. After shooting my last arrow of the match, I rested my bow against the wall. Joe asked me if I gave him anything, and I said, “I don’t think so. The middle one could be a hair high, but I think I caught the top of the X.” In my mind, I was certain that I had just centered the last three.

  As I walked closer to the target, I saw that my first two arrows were high on the 10-line, nowhere near the 11. Joe ended up getting all three, and I dropped two, so my two arrows that I dropped cost me the match. I couldn’t figure out why the arrows hit where they did. I’m thinking I might have gotten a little too strong, forcing the arrows to hit high. I’m also wondering if the issues I’ve been having with this bow came out at a bad time. 

  When I got this PSE Supra Focus, the limbs were “hot” as the factory and dealers say. It was a 60lb bow, and I was told it was a few pounds over max – no big deal. When I bottomed the bow out, it bottomed at 67lbs, which it totally unacceptable in my book. That’s more than a little “hot.” In my eyes, that’s a 70-pound bow coming in a few pounds shy of where it was supposed to be. I didn’t worry about it because I’ve seen a lot of things that are a little off when bows come from the factory. I figured the string and cables might have been a little bit off, which could account for the high poundage. Since I was waiting on my strings from GAS Bowstrings, I figured the bow would probably come back to a reasonable number when I put them on.

  After spending the day at John Vozzy’s with John, Sean Roberts and George Connors, I was disappointed to see that the bow was still maxing at 67lbs after we got the strings on it. The specs are dead-on, too. Since getting the bow, I have heard many of the same issues from others. They claim that they have received this same model, and the limbs are “hot.” 

  Anyhow, back to what I was talking about. I marked the limbs, and they don’t seem to want to stay in place. After shooting a number of arrows the limbs back out even more than they already are backed out, which changes the nocking height and can change the impact of the arrow. After looking at my limb bolts when I shot the two arrows, I could easily see that they had backed out from the marks I had on them. Either quality control in Arizona is an issue, or my bow had the wrong limbs put on them and that thought it was acceptable to send them out that way. Now that I know others had the same issue, I hope to get the problem rectified and get the correct limbs on it that make it a 60lb bow.

 In reviewing my first tournament of the year, I must say that I’m very pleased with many things. My shot timing was flawless. This allowed me to stay in a good rhythm, which made it easier to stay focused. It also reduced the amount of anxiety and tension in my body. My pin hovered with minimal movement in it – a bonus for this 50-year-old Type 1 diabetic. My conscious mind stayed active in the places it needed to and allowed me to stay on track throughout the shot process. I got beat in the elimination matches, but I couldn’t have shot any better. I shot seven out of nine 11s in the match where I was eliminated and felt like I should have gotten all nine of them. It’s hard to beat a guy who doesn’t miss during the match. I gave it my best and simply got beat. 

  I’ll keep working on things. I’ve done a lot of work this week on two different things. I started seeing the results from the work last night when I shot a round while using a fiber optic pin. I realized at the tournament that I was staring at the pin and following it around. The pin was just too big, which was causing me to miss when I shouldn’t have been missing. After changing to a .019 green fiber and using my light pack, I could easily see where the pin was in the target. It has become much easier to center the pin in the 10-ring. With the smaller pin, I have also noticed that I’m holding well. This change has allowed my mind to relax more during the shot. I’m now able to stare at the spot I want to hit and just let the pin do its thing while I do my thing. It seems to be much more relaxing for me.

  I’ve been spending a lot of time on refining the last few steps of my process, too. I will continue working on that part. I enjoy the work. It makes it fun to go to the range. Then, when I go to tournaments, I can practice what I’ve been practicing. Every round is just a practice round, no matter where you are or what title it has on it.

Congratulations to Jeff Wagoner for winning the New Year's Day shoot at Nimrod. He got on a roll and sat everyone down. Here's a picture taken during his final match.

   Good luck and shoot straight ---------------------------and outwork your competitors if you want to beat them. There is no substitute for hard work.