What exactly is target panic?

[PeteA]

Could someone kindly explain what target panic is? I've read about it in may posts, I could even have it but I'm not sure what it is.

[ChuckC]

It is a lot of things.  It is basically your mind not letting you do what you would like to.

Some things I have seen or heard...

Being able to draw and aim, but not being able to get the arrow, or sight to the actual point of aim.  Sometimes that person will get it close then throw the bow up, or down or wherever toward the target is because they cannot (mind will not let them) bring it to that aim point normally.

Being able to draw and aim, but not be able to release the arrow.

Being able to draw the arrow, but not get it to anchor point before the mind makes you release it, or release it before you are wanting to. Some times you will see someone aiming and start to release and then catch it or double clutch the release.

Everybody says " you are using too heavy a bow" but most of these folks can draw the bow fine, anchor it and hold it as long as they are not aiming, or if their eyes are closed.  

Many afflicted with this (I just did this last fall) switch to shooting the other handed because for some strange reason, it doesn't seem to transfer ( I shoot just fine lefty).

I am certain that there are other ways, but simply put, your mind takes over and doesn't let you do it.

I have had it for years.  As far as I can see it has nothing to do with "fear of missing". When I did it right I hit was I was aiming at.

Do yourself a favor. .  don't get it.

ChuckC

[RecurveRookie]

I'm not an expert.......IMHO...it's when you release before you're ready.  Your mind doesn't like your body holding that bow at full draw.  It's a mental thing.

[tradarcher816]

Sensory overload, causing your mind to steer your movements to the point of least resistance, (whatever eases the overload). In the case of shooting, cutting corners, and or rushing the shot. Not a good thing to let set in.

[Bowwild]

When you miss your target for no apparent reason and then feel bad about the miss. Your subconscious then begins to find ways to interfere with your shot process to provide an excuse for missing.

I'm not going to describe some of the ways it interferes because someone without TP but with a result-oriented focus can "catch" it in a heart beat. I found TP during an indoor league when I lived in NW Indiana.

When it started I first lost the ability to shoot in front of people (tournaments). Then I couldn't shoot alone on field courses. For most of those years I came to hate practicing. I was able to control it while hunting for 10 of the 11 years. The last year I wounded a turkey and a buck during the same evening hunt. That evening I vowed to fix it or quit the sport.

The key to prevention and defeat of TP is to focus on the process of shooting instead of investing all in the result.

Folks in the archery industry claim TP has run about 70% of those who take up archery out of the sport. More terrific people who love archery and give back to the sport in heroic measure are tortured by TP.  
 
It doesn't matter if you are over-bowed, under-bowed, or bowed just right. A person who can draw and hold an 80 pound bow will have no control over TP even if drawing a 20 pound bow.

I tried most of the so-called remedies to beat it but none of those worked. Every remedy that is result-driven (even a blank bale is result driven if the process isn't the focus) failed me and fails most people.

I had it for 11 years before defeating it in 1996.  I will never forget the sheer joy of a TP-free shot in my backyard during the fall of 1995 when I lived in St. Charles, MO!

[Terry Lightle]

BAD TROUBLE

[McDave]

There are really two types of problems that people commonly call target panic, and it would probably be better if they had different names, because they require different cures.

The first type is caused by the subconscious mind jumping the gun on the shot.  You want a surprise release, so your body won't react to the shot until the arrow has left the bow, so you have turned the job of releasing the arrow over to the subconscious mind.  This works fine for a while, until your subconscious mind starts anticipating the shot and releasing early.  Since you don't have any conscious control over your subconscious mind, you can't just decide to stop releasing early.  All the cures for this problem have to do with re-programing the subconscious mind to not release the arrow until you are at full draw and ready to shoot.

The second type of target panic has to do with the conscious mind.  Your own mind is your worst critic, and you may find that there is a voice in your head telling you how you ought to shoot the shot.  When you miss the shot anyway, the little voice starts picking your shot apart, and introduces doubt that your next shot is going to be any better.  The doubt creates anxiety, and the anxiety creates tense muscles.  You may feel like the connection between your mind and body has been broken, and that you have lost most of your physical awareness of what your body is doing during the shot.  Rather than contracting the muscles you need, and relaxing the rest of them, you contract opposing muscles at the same time and begin to work against yourself.  The solution to this problem is two step: first, through mantras or breathing, you stop the little voice, which really means that you stop all cognitive or conceptual thinking during the shot process.  Cognitive and conceptual thinking is never about what is happening right now; it is about what happened in the past, or what may happen in the future.  The only thing that is happening right now is what is going on in your body and what you can sense with your eyes, etc.  It is only awareness OF those things (and not thoughts ABOUT those things) that can help you during your shot.  After the little voice has been stopped, the next step is to regain and increase your physical awareness of what your body is doing during the shot.

[Bowwild]

I like your explanations Dave.

#2 was me and I stunk the place up just like that too for a long time!

[jonsimoneau]

If you don't know what it is then consider yourself lucky!  Don't learn anything about it! Keep it out of your head!  good luck guys.

[Tajue17]

yeah don't even try to think about it,,,, if you start to think you have it and develope it you'll screw yourself right up and some people give up archery and/or bowhunting because it gets so bad they lose confidence and it just stinks..


alot of people mistake tired muscles for real target panic becuse it can be the same simptoms..

[jrchambers]

I discovered how to cure it, and any one who likes to shoot will not like it but it works.
a couple years ago I got it bad I couldn't relax and could not for the life of me let go of the string until I was shaking.  I shot like crap.  so one spring I was prepping for spring blackies still shooting like crap I killed one at 8 yards. put my bow up for a year and a half    :eek:
when I did pick it back up the target panic was always in the back of my mind so my only focus was relaxed and smooth, my shooting improved ten fold in one day.  I felt like I couldn't miss and still feel that way.  Im not saying a year is needed but some time might be if you have it. let your brain forget some stuff that you don't need because it will never forget what you do.

[Jock Whisky]

Do yourself a favor and focus on the shot process, the shot sequence as opposed to hitting the target. Accuracy will come if you are executing all the steps correctly. Aiming is only one of several steps and no more important than any other.
Sometimes I think TP is a catch-all term for an incorrect shooting process.