Beat Target Panic (Maybe?)

[JC Jr]

For some reason, my old account has disappeared and says I'm a guest.  Anyway.... if anyone has any questions, concerns or wishes a copy of the drills, I'll assume you can reach me via PM thru this new account.

Jim Casto, Jr.

[Sam McMichael]

I have no trouble reaching my anchor point or holding the draw as long as I need to. However, when I release I often pluck the string - I mean like playing a banjo! Is this considered a form of target panic or just a lack of discipline? If it is TP, will this program address this situation?

[JC Jr]

I believe you are suffering from a form of TP, but can't say for sure. It could be as simple as a form issue.  Curious... do you feel any anxiety just before you release. 

I believe the drills will address your situation regardless of the cause.

[anchorman]

Jim I am unable to reach you via pm I used to have the drills and have lost them in cyberspace..anyway I can get them again? Thanks

[JC Jr]

anchorman,

I just sent you a PM.  You should be able to respond by return path.

[David Mitchell]

Well, let's bring this back up in case somebody else needs to call for help. 

[BruceT]

     First off I would like to thank Jim for this amazing program that he has put together ! I have done it twice through to completion, over a two year period and I can almost feel with some cautious certainty, that I might be outta the woods, hopefully .
     My practice routine has changed immensely from flinging non stop to a more calculated , take your time kinda session, that has a few hold and let downs, built in as well . When I screw up I have a little better idea of what I did wrong, which can vary from not having back pressure, to simply not aiming with intensity.
  I have a few observations that I would like to pass on ;

  1– Care needs to be taken when letting down , especially with the heavier weight bows . If you’re  not careful, you can hurt your bow arm shoulder. I let down slowly, and lower the bow .

  2– Doing this program in the off-season is not any kind of hardship, at least not for me. January and February in Manitoba are cold, I did the program in my garage and was limited with the distance, but made it work .

  3– The fact that you have a sheet of paper , with days and expectations for certain days, to follow, gave me a sense of accomplishment . Even without releasing an arrow. Without this specific chart style of program , I really doubt I would have finished to entirety, and I did the program twice, and will likely do it again this winter. I guess a benefit of getting older and being retired .

  4– For anyone suffering from the “Demon” you need to give this program a shot, you won’t regret it !!

  Anyway ,Thanks again Jim ...Stay Safe !!

  Bruce Turner

[JC Jr]

Thank you BruceT for the report.  I simply wrote a roadmap from my personal experiences.  Your arrival at your current destination and success has been accomplished by your willingness to follow those directions, your hard work and diligence. I tip my hat to you.

Unfortunately, very few are willing follow the directions. They refuse to pay the price and never arrive at the final goal of gaining control over this damnable devil.

[McDave]

It is a big commitment to do your program, Jim.  The way I see it, people with target panic have three choices: they can either take the time out to do your program now, they can do it later, or they can quit archery.  I suppose for some people, target panic might be a transitory thing, and might just go away by itself after a while.  It’s probably worth a try; I tried that approach for I don’t know how many years.  I never got to the point of considering quitting archery, but that would have probably been on the table at some point if I hadn’t found your program.  There are magic cures like switching to left handed shooting if you normally shoot right handed, buying a new bow, or putting a dollar bill in the heel of your shoe.  They all seem to work for a while.  There are other legitimate programs out there that might work for some people too, of course, but your program is the only one that worked for me.

[JC Jr]

Thanks to you as well, Dave.  I consider those valued endorsements of the program. 

You’re certainly right, it does take commitment to follow the program.

My personal experience has been the importance of maintenance once the program is completed.  At this point in my life (old guy with a 30 year history of target panic) it is most important to incorporate the drills in my practice routine to keep the demon at bay.  I’ve found that I absolutely MUST have a 1:1 ratio in my practice sessions.  That is to say, I draw, anchor, frame my shot, expand and letdown every time from every distance, then follow up with one shot.

[McDave]

My personal experience has been the importance of maintenance once the program is completed.  At this point in my life (old guy with a 30 year history of target panic) it is most important to incorporate the drills in my practice routine to keep the demon at bay.  I’ve found that I absolutely MUST have a 1:1 ratio in my practice sessions.  That is to say, I draw, anchor, frame my shot, expand and letdown every time from every distance, then follow up with one shot.

I have found this to be critical as well.  I found that over time I fell into the habit again of rushing my shots and not really aiming.  I would tell myself to hold a little longer and aim, but telling myself to hold and aim doesn’t seem to work any better than wishing I could lose some weight.  To be able to hold and aim or to lose weight, you actually have to do something about it, wishing really doesn’t seem to help very much. 

For me, it took two practice sessions of 1:1 alternating drawing and letting down with drawing and shooting to get back on track.  Since a normal practice session for me is about 50 arrows, this was about 100 arrows over two days.  This was about a month ago, and I find that I can comfortably hold, aim and shoot now without alternating with aim and let down.  However, I’m sure this isn’t the end of the story, and my goal now is to notice sooner when I drift back into the old bad habits, and have a 1:1 practice session before wasting too much time hoping that things will get better on their own.

[JC Jr]

I've been getting several requests for the program.  Please... all you need to do is PM me your email address and I'll forward the PDF file to you.

[Fattony77]

I've already sent a PM, but I have a question... What are everyone's results in hunting situations? I see a lot of testimony from the range, but what about when your pressure/anxiety is coming from the stress of a hunting situation? When you feel rushed by the movement of an actual animal moving through your shooting lane... Does this seem to make a difference, or does this program help to control that anxiety as well?

[JC Jr]

I would refer you back to the last post on page 2.

[JC Jr]

Forgive my ignorance, but I just found out I can attach a PDF file here.  So... here it is for everyone to use, discuss or cuss.

In any event, good luck to you.  If you'll follow the drills to-the-letter and NEVER advance beyond your COMPLETE control, you'll be able to control the demon or beat him completely.

[BrentWatts]

I had to laugh at that one Dave.  I couldn't keep track either.        I had to take a pencil and write it down as I went along.

Any chance I can get a copy of the program?

Thanks!

[JC Jr]

It's in my post above yours.  Just click on the paper clip.

If that doesn't work just PM me your email address.

[BrentWatts]

Thanks!  I totally missed that.