TP - Taking back the control

[Ron Vought]

So for the next step...We seem to think that we conquered target panic once and for all while standing 15-20 yards in front of our backyard or indoor target range and hitting the bulls eye all day long. Now we are out on the 3-D range shooting at unmarked distances. We incorporate some added stress by having some negative thoughts about missing the 30 yard deer target, maybe some jabbing from the guys in the group dnd the dreaded loss of that expensive arrow (TP gremlins talking). This in my opinion is a good test of whether or not the target panic is controlled or still exists. If we can carry over our stellar shooting from a controlled environment to a stressful environment and the outcome is the same then we made progress.

Ron

[Ravenhood]

Agreed , plan on it when weather warms. If TP starts coming back I at least know what to do. I have a plan.

[Green]

Yes, the drill I am working with is one that I intend to use shooting tournaments starting this weekend.  Like practice swings before the actual shot in golf.

[Dan Jones]

Green,

Here's how I used to shoot: Pick a spot and then the proverbial "bore a hole" in the spot; then I'd attempt to calmly execute a shot - start draw and. . . . whoosh! Arrow gone.

 I think, as Fred Bear said, my eye was triggering the shot before my mind could control it.  Or, perhaps more accurately, my eye overpowered my ability to control the shot, and despite many, many efforts to regain control, I was never successful on a lasting basis.

Here's how I shoot now: Face target and look at it without focusing on a specific spot; then draw; anchor, pick a spot and focus on it until the arrow is gone.

I think that my first approach to shooting was more "natural" or "instinctive," and I'm sure that it is better for hunting, but I strongly suspect that it carries the risk of the panic.

As I've said, I reached a point of either quitting archery or changing hands, and I chose the latter and wish I'd done it years ago. I don't shoot as well as I before succumbing to the panic and it doesn't feel "natural," but I control the shot . . . at least for now.

Good luck to all who suffer from the panic.

[McDave]

One of the things Joel Turner says which I agree with is that it is not really necessary or desirable to maintain a focus on the target.  That once you have aimed, your mind will bring the arrow back on target automatically without your having to try to make it happen as long as you continue looking at the target.  That it will drift on and off target during the time you hold, but it will always return on its own to the point you want to hit.  Rick Welch says essentially the same thing.  He says to look at the target but think about your shot execution.  We only have so much attention that we can focus, and if we have focused all of it on the target, we have none left to focus on our shot execution. Possibly one reason target panic can be caused by focusing overly much on the target is because our mind rebels against doing something that is basically a waste of resources, kind of like using a sledge hammer to kill an ant. I find that if I just look at the target rather than trying to "burn a hole" in it I actually shoot better, and not just when I'm trying to fight target panic.

I don't mean to imply that you shouldn't pick a spot when you want to shoot a deer, because otherwise you're just trying to flock shoot it, which doesn't work very well with an arrow, as I'm sure Joel and Rick would both agree.  But once you've picked a spot, you can let the same natural process take over and focus most of your attention on the shot execution.

[Trond]

If I may be so bold to borrow this thread with a question. I find that my grouping is a lot better when shooting at a blank bale with nothing to aim at, than when trying to hit a specific point. Is this the dreaded Target Panic? I am practicing form on a (almost) daily basis, and having done so at a target face. I guess it is almost impossible to ignore those black dots, and I subconsciously "have to" aim at them. The result has been inconsistent shooting. Today I tried to place an old mattress in front of my target and started to fling arrows at it, just thinking about my form. The result was really tight groups of arrows, placed almost dead center in the mattress.
Is this Target Panic?

[Ravenhood]

I dont know if I were to call it target panic. I would call it Shooting better With a Freed up Mind

[McDave]

Trond,

I wouldn't classify what you describe as target panic.  Target panic is where you have difficulty coming to full draw and holding for whatever period of time you intended to hold (if you intended to hold) without prematurely releasing the arrow.  In another form of target panic, you might be able to come to full draw, but are compelled to release the arrow prior to aiming it at your target.  Target panic is usually accompanied by feelings of nervousness or anxiety that are unrelated to any real threat, other than shooting in front of other people, or whatever other situation brings it on.  Many times, a person with target panic can draw, hold, and aim perfectly well when they don't intend to shoot an arrow, but clutch when drawing an arrow with the intention of shooting it.

It could be that your symptoms are caused by losing some of your physical awareness when you divert your focus to aiming, so you are tensing some muscles that shouldn't be tensed, or doing any of the other things that you shouldn't be doing when you want to shoot the bow.  Learn to stay in touch with your body and keep the same feeling of relaxed control when you aim that you have when shooting at a blank bale.

[Trond]

Originally posted by McDave:
Trond,
Learn to stay in touch with your body and keep the same feeling of relaxed control when you aim that you have when shooting at a blank bale.

That is sound advice. I will continue to shoot at a blank bale for a while just to tune in my form, and reward my self with a good stump-hunt at the end of each training-session.

[Ray Johnson]

I had terrible TP for years.It came in all sorts of ways.I would overcome it(I thought)and it would return.I have to say that I am "cured" so to speak.I started using the feather to nose(Rick Welch method) a couple years ago and over time I just got over it.My focus is solely on touching my nose with the feather.Aiming is secondary and really doesn't begin until I am at full draw.I can hold as long as I want and there are many times that I can hold too long and ruin the shot.