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your sights with it, and use it to
double check your results. If you
don’t check the yardage after you
shoot and miss, you’ll never know
whether you’ve misjudged the
distance, or you executed the shot
badly.
• DON’T try and shoot a dozen
arrows at the target in two minutes.
This is generally an attempt
to overcome anxiety about missing
by not taking the time to think
each shot through. The shooter
tries to put his subconscious on
automatic through quick repetitions.
He therefore tries to accomplish
two things . . . “get in
the groove” of hitting the center
while “avoiding responsibility” for
missed arrows. He’ll usually try to
con himself or spectators . . . “Well
I missed because I didn’t really
take my time. I could have hit it
if I wanted to . . .” Yeah, right! Of
course, the more arrows he shoots
at a time, and the longer he shoots
(sometimes two to three hours),
the more tired he gets . . . and
the more he misses. It’s a vicious
circle. If you are practicing on a 5spot
target for example, and you
are missing on the last one or two
arrows most often, there is prob-
ably a good reason. Other than
possibly building up anxiety, most
people experience this problem
because they shoot too fast. Your
muscles are like rechargeable batteries.
Shooting an arrow expends
a certain amount of energy. The
muscles need some time and relaxation
to fully “recharge.” This keeps
them in their “comfort zone.”
Most archers don’t allow enough
time between arrows. A typical
scenario might go something like
this . . . you have 100% energy
level when you draw your first arrow.
By the time the first arrow is
drawn and shot, your energy level
is down to 85%. If you shoot too
fast, by the time you shoot your
second arrow, your energy level is
only back up to 90%. Once again,
if the third arrow is shot too soon,
your energy level may only be up
to 80%. And, when the fourth arrow
is shot, it’s only recharged to
70% . . . and the fifth arrow is only
60% . . . and so on. No wonder
your last arrows are not as good
as your first! After each shot, you
should put your bow in a bow
holster or, if you shoot a long stabilizer,
rest it on the ground, and
let your arms (and the rest of you)
relax completely. Your muscles that
are involved in the shot need to be
completely relaxed for a sufficient
period of time (usually 15 to 20
seconds). The length of time will
vary for each individual, depending
on age and physical condition.
In any case, you must allow your
muscles to recharge to 100% after
each shot. Your last shot should feel
exactly the same as the first shot!
• DO shoot each arrow as if it is
the only one you are going to shoot
today! “Relax . . . reflect . . . and
recharge” between shots for fifteen
or twenty seconds. You’ll win
more often if you try to shoot sixty
“one-arrow tournaments” than if
you try to shoot one “sixty-arrow
tournament.” Remember how
you eat an elephant . . . one bite at
a time! If you practice putting all
your concentration and effort into
every shot, not only is it more likely
to hit the target, but when that
record book buck is standing there
broadside, or it’s the last shot of a
tournament, you’ll find that the
“subconscious well” that we all try
to draw from under pressure, is
only full of good shots. Stress quality,
not quantity! Shoot only five or
six arrows at a time, fifteen seconds
apart, and if any shot doesn’t
feel right, let it down and start over!
If you get tired or can’t seem to focus
as well as you should, stop for
the day. Don’t reinforce failure! If
you’re doing well, practice a little
longer. Try to put yourself totally
into each shot. Thirty to fifty carefully
shot arrows per session will do
more good than 300 arrows shot
quickly and casually.
The School of Advanced Archery and
Instructor Certification UPDATE
The School of Advanced Archery & Instructor Certification a.k.a. “A Weekend at Bernie’s” is scheduling
into 2008. So far, the ever-popular mobile Shooter’s School (formerly the NFAA Shooter’s School) has
conducted 32 schools. 395 students have attended with 369 becoming Certified Instructors.
Interested shooters should go after your pro shop owners or club presidents and book a Shooter’s School
near you! Remember, the host shop or club receives 10% and the contact person attends for free.
The Shooter’s School is offering NFAA Certification. To date, there are 72 new NFAA members and 103
new NFAA Level III Instructors.
For more information about attending or hosting a school, go to www.robinhoodvideos.com.
2008 SCHEDULE
February 15-17 H & H Archery, Bossier City, LA Contact: Kenneth (Chip) Hemphill 318-
415-9419
February 29—March 2 Spirit Quest, Kalispell, MT. Contact: Aaron 406-756-5455
April 11-13 Chickasaw Archery Club, Shepherdsville, KY. Contact: Frank Smith 502-
419-5288
April 18-20 Palmyra Sportsman Assoc., Palmyra, PA. (15 mi E. of Hershey) Contact
Ed Davies 717-460-0057
May 30-June 1 Old Town Archery Center, Old Town, ME. Contact: Bob 888-827-9489
ROBINHOOD VIDEOS • 1600 Reynoldsburg-New Albany Rd. • Blacklick, Ohio 43004
614-322-1038 / fax 614-322-1039 • E-mail: Bernie@robinhoodvideos.com • www.robinhoodvideos.com
2008 NFAA® CALENDAR OF EVENTS
TOURNAMENT ...............................DATES ............................VENUE
In the next issue, we will further
discuss more do’s and don’t for a
perfect practice regimen. Stay
tuned!
Southern 3-D Sectional ........................................April 12-13 .......................... Baton Rouge, LA
Stanislawski Open/World Archery Festival ....... April 19-20 ............................... Hartford, CT
Great Lakes 3-D Sectional ....................................April 26-27 .................................. Rockton, IL
NFAA Marked 3-D Championship ........................May 2-4 ................................. Redding, CA
Southwest Outdoor Sectional .............................. May17-18 ................................. Carefree, AZ
Big Sky Open .......................................................June 13-15 ..................... Grand Junction, CO
Great Lakes Outdoor Sectional .............................June 14-15 .............................. Eau Claire, WI
Southern Outdoor Sectional ..................................June 7-8 ............................... Shreveport, LA
Midwest Outdoor Sectional .................................June 21-22 ..................Missouri & Minnesota
New England Outdoor Sectional ..........................June 21-22 ........................... Lunenburg, MA
Southeast Outdoor Sectional ...............................June 21-22 ................................Clemson, SC
Editor’s note: The preceding article is an
excerpt from Bernie’s book “Idiot Proof
Archery. This best selling hardcover book
Mid Atlantic Outdoor Sectional ............................June 28-29 .........................Watkins Glen, NY
NFAA Unmarked 3D Championship .................. July 19-20 .................................Yankton, SD
has over 300 pages and 350 photos and
diagrams. It is one of the most comprehensive
books ever written on archery
NFAA Outdoor National Championship ............ July 21-25 .................................Yankton, SD
Big Sky Open ......................................................... Nov 1-3 .................................Mesquite, NV
and the most popular that’s available on
the market today.
North American Field Archery Championships ..... Dec 13-14 ..............................Homestead, FL
24 Archery Magazine April / May 2008 Archery Magazine February / March 2008
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Archery Magazine April / May 2008 25