perfect practice, zen and the monkey

[dick sable]

So, how often has this happened to you?  Lately, I've had some time to shoot and work on form and back tension in the basement.  Totally undisturbed.  At times things go great - - I can concentrate and really "feel" it, and the arrow is flying off the bow like never before. Then, at other times, things don't go so great.  I stand there and think about the shot sequence, and as I'm drawing the bow I simply can't get rid of that drunken monkey running amok in my mind.  You know, --- that conversation you and the boss had, or the girl at the local gas     station, what bill has to be paid, why is the dog feeling down and out?  Hundreds of things that just won't let you JUST SHOOT!
Perfect practice is priceless - - you just gotta let that monkey go! But how, -- easier said than done! Any tips?   :confused:

[Ragnarok Forge]

Work on your mind control.  It is called getting in the bubble and we all struggle with it.  There are lots of books on how to slow the thought patterns and then focus all your attention onto what you are doing.  Practice that as often as needed until it becomes second nature.

I like to raise the bow, get a good deep hook on the string and then focus all my attention on the spot I want to hit.  When I can no longer hear anything around me I know I am there and it is time for the shot sequence.

[Shakes.602]

Archery to Me is akin to a Long Ride on a Harley: Clears the Head because you have to Concentrate on ONE Thing, and it whipes out the Days Accumulation of Brain Garbage!!

[raideranch]

If you get in a habit of just going through the motions while shooting you can lose your concentration.  Don’t stand at the same distance and shoot straight on at your target all the time.  Try to vary your angle and distance to the target constantly.  If this is happening to me I stay at full draw another couple seconds.  For some reason if I do this I can go from barely hitting the target to splitting arrows.  Maybe its because I’m not rushing the shot.

[Lowrider]

I seem to have the opposite problem.  When I think about the shot I seem to always blow it. Other times I will have things on my mind and be in total concentration on them and the shot just happens and will be perfect. Then I come back out of that state of being into reality and start shooting off again. I have often wondered is this a right brain-left brain thing.

[Chris Shelton]

well I think while I shoot too.  But that doesnt seem to bother my ablity?  I am always multitasking, even now, while typing this responce I am currently thinking of something else.  I think everyones subconcience mind is always working on lifes problems, but I am always thinkin of the next step.  however the main thing is that you need to block out everything while you shoot, not while you are shooting, but when the time comes that you need to release, pause your thoughts, put them on the back burner and focus on the target.  

My buddy and I will actually talk to one another on the 3d course occasionally while we are taking a shot, lol

[Don Stokes]

Don't think about monkeys, don't think about monkeys, don't think about monkeys...

Don't think, and don't think about thinking. When you get there, you'll be there. Easier said than done, but possible.

Now, tell me about that girl at the gas station!

[Mark in SC]

I have found that if I concentrate on the drunken monkey it drowns out the voices.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Sometimes when I have a really bad day at work, there isn't any way I can shoot well!  I often go to the woods to free my mind and know I cannot shoot until my mind is again relaxed from stress.

On days like this its best not to try to shoot better. Just shoot to help get your mind off things and be ok with not being perfect.  If you start breaking arrows from missing, well its time to stop shooting.

[lpcjon2]

I try and shoot when my kids are outside making as much noise as possible then I close them out and shoot.It makes it easier to shoot when the pressure is on.

[Earthdog]

Replace that little voice with a jingle that sticks in your mind from TV or a favourite song.
Part of Elvis's promised land has taken me to few pretty effortless wins in competition.
I personaly belive that if I had to "work" at shutting out distractions,,I probably couldn't do it,,,,,,but by turning a simple song or jingle into a mantra,I don't need to "work" at it,,,it just happens because I've replaced the voices.
I've said it in the "I just missed again" threads.You can't think of more than one thing at a time,,so in this case intensionaly repeat one very simple thing over and over in your mind,and just let your shooting happen.
After all,the skill is already there and we just need to let it out unhindered by interfearing thought.

[rickshot]

My take…‘cause I shoot for different reasons. Accuracy is its own thing; exercise is less in need of explanation; meditation is another. They can all be run together yet they can constitute “perfect practice” on their own.

When it is (like) meditative it is my best/only form practice and can be done in relative darkness because the accuracy is treated more as incidental. This becomes a study/awareness of every physiological nuance of the process with repeated emphasis on breathing (much like martial arts training). The meditation part in this is not fighting the thoughts that keep entering your head but knowing that it’s a continuous stream and just letting them pass from one to another...by returning to your breathing and "experiencing" the shot process.

Letting the thoughts go will get you closer to a “blank screen” meditative state rather than a “FOCUS on something” state…which is only being begged by all the things that convince us focus requires effort. The paradox is that when you are “focused” everything is effortless.

Yup…easier said than done…and easier to do than explain. Good Luck, Enjoy, Rick.

[canshooter]

Firstly, archery is about fun so I never stress myself over a bad patch. I know next time will be better. I also find that after a few ends my mind goes blank...I forget the  days stresses, but I also try to shoot in a flowing fashion without over analyzing. If things are going wrong the corrections usually happen pretty much on auto pilot.

[McDave]

Noise in your head is related to short, shallow breathing.  Short, shallow breathing is related to noise in your head.  One cannot exist without the other.

You cannot feel anxious or agitated and breathe slowly and deeply at the same time.  Try it.  If you are anxious or agitated, and remind yourself to breathe slowly and deeply, you will feel calm and clear while you are engaged in breathing slowly and deeply.  You might feel anxious or agitated again the instant that you forget about breathing slowly and deeply, but breathing slowly and deeply cannot coexist with feeling anxious and agitated.

I'm not talking about power breathing here, sucking in a lungfull of air like you were planning to lift a heavy weight.  Just slow and steady breathing, taking in just enough air that you can comfortably breathe slowly and deeply.

[Paul WA]

Ive been getting some coaching lately and trying to use back muscles I have not used in 50 yrs of shooting is tiring and tough. I no longer can shoot 100 arrows per session, sometimes 20 will do it and Im exhausted but if it helps me improve I will do it...PR

[rickshot]

Well put Mr. McDave…

I might add that taking the breathing thing as being typically involuntary and usually operating without conscious thought/effort, becomes something else when we monitor/control it. This somewhat parallels “thoughtful” practice sessions that eventually lead to the experience of: “I don’t recall the process, but next thing I knew the fletching was sticking out of his side.” Effective practice has the potential of making the shot become more of a “reflex” action…barring less than essential thought.

Also, with the breathing, anxiety that approaches elevated stages of “I can’t breathe” are typically because the shallow breathing keeps the lungs “topped off”…kind of negating any instruction to “breathe”…when what is really needed is to exhale deeply. You often see this when someone completes a task under pressure and the first thing they do afterwards is visibly blow out…then take a deep breath. And, leaning on the same example, it’s relatively easy to appreciate that “controlled breathing” only takes a few concentrated breaths to “reset” the system, then it manages to follow the new program on its own.

Hope there was some sense to that. Rick.

[Pinecone]

Good thread and excellent points made about the value of the "breath" as it relates to relaxation and clearing the mind.  A good Yoga DVD can give more insight and specific breath exercises that can help to develop a deeper, more rythmic breath...which by the way has many health benefits in addition to aiding the archery shot.
In my experience, very few of my "bad" shots have been related to a physical failure of some kind.  Most have been a failure of the mind...lack of complete focus; a misfire in concentration.
Being relaxed can really help with this, as it allows the body to do what it already has been trained to do. As I have learned, once understood, the physical mechanics of the shot are easy...chanelling the attention of the mind is hard!

Claudia