Traditional Archery And Target Panic: Calming The Mind
Filed under: Recreation and Sports
The one constant symptom of target panic, the one that is always in the
background, is mental tension. It is the tension that stems from attempting to fight the overwhelming urge to loosen the arrow. Sure, freezing, snap shooting, flinching, and a premature release are some of the more common physical symptoms, and the ones we discuss and dissect ad nauseam, but mental tension or acute mental stress is always there as we fight the mental war to overcome the incredible urge to release the arrow.
It is logical to assume that if there were some way to rid the mind of this tension, if
there were a way to calm the mind while shooting, then the physical symptoms of
target panic like freezing and early release et al. would disappear. This was my
thinking anyway as I began research into meditation and deep breathing exercises
in an attempt to cure my target panic.
I spent several weeks working on this theory of calming the mind to cure target
panic. Before each practice session I would meditate for several minutes while
focusing on my breathing. I know it sounds esoteric and “new age”, but I was willing
to try anything for a cure. I did feel more at ease before shooting, but I found that
my pre-shot relaxed state did little to curb my target panic. The learned behavior of
releasing too soon and the accompanying symptoms were simply too strong to
overcome with relaxation exercises. The voice in the back of my head screaming,
“release!” was still there.
Given how ingrained target panic can become and the difficulty in overcoming it, it
is no wonder an equally powerful solution is needed. I don’t care how calm your
mind is; if the target panic is strong enough (like mine was) it will override a calm
mind every time. I did manage to cure myself of target panic a couple of years later
using a technique called the Push Release.
Michael Linsin is a former staff writer for US & International Archer Magazine and
the author of a top selling book called Archery Strong: The 30-Minute Strength
Training Program Designed Specifically For Archers (http://www.ArcheryStrong.com). He is
also the creator of The Push Release DVD target panic cure for traditional archers
(http://www.PushRelease.com).
Tags: archery, michael linsin, mike linsin, target panic, traditional archery, traditional bowhunting
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