Archery Excellence

I will be offering another Mental Management Seminar in Lethbridge on October 1 & 2, 2016. Yes, I know it is hunting season, but one weekend of Mental Management will also help your hunting skills. Look for details on my web site. archeryexcellence.ca

At Outdoor 3D Provincials this weekend, I struggled during the first round. I was not "like me". I kept working on the issue. Eight targets into the second round I had an "Ah Hah" moment. The rest of the targets on that course were shot "like me". I struggled again on Sunday. Why? Because I permitted myself to go back to the way that I was shooting Saturday morning instead of Saturday afternoon. My Self Image took a definite hit. Then, I finished strong. How appropri...ate that I got this in the Mental Management Newsletter today. Have a read. Answers from Lanny Bassham This month instead of including an article we decided to answer a question which was emailed to us. If you have questions you would like to send us via email to answer in future issues of MENTALCOACH simply reply to this email with your question. Lanny Bassham Question from one of our customers: "I've been listening to the Archery tapes and have a question regarding Self-Image. When shooting in an event and one bad arrow follows another as has happened to me on occasion. Would it be a better to stop shooting bad arrows (imprinting) and register a DNF? After listening to your tapes, I don't see any reason to continue a bad day." Answer from Lanny Bassham: Every time you shoot an arrow in competition or training, you create an imprint in your Self-Image. If the shot is a good one, the imprint is "It is like me to shoot a good shot." If, on the other hand, the shot is a poor one, you imprint, "It is like me to shoot a poor shot." You are correct in assuming we want to minimize the number of negative imprints but dropping out of competition is not the way to accomplish it because competition can help you train how you respond to negative imprints under pressure. Shooting a bad shot while learning from it is not a negative imprint. Your Self-Image grows when you picture the solution to a problem. It shrinks when you imagine the problem itself. Your poor shots are telling you something. You need to look for the solution to the issue and correct it if you can. Many times shooters find the solution to a poor performance within the match, making the correction, then begin shooting well. When in competition keep going and look for the solution. There is another issue here. I do not ever want my students to withdraw from a competition for any reason other than an emergency or severe illness. Quitting is a negative imprint that is hard to overcome - if you withdraw from the competition your Self-Image will take a negative hit. You might reduce the number of bad shot imprints but you will give up the chance to address them under pressure and learn to recover. Quitting the competition creates an imprint of "It's like me to quit or withdraw from a competition". That is not the Self-Image you should be seeking to build. By Lanny Bassham: Author of "With Winning in Mind" and "Freedom Flight - The Origins of Mental Power" [email protected]

They are saying what I am promoting. He said that it was in his head. As soon as he got his mental game together, he excelled. They also talked about "giving it too much" which a sure way of coming up short.

My mother always said: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Growing up, it was sometimes hard to do, but I tried to follow her advice. After talking to Lanny Bassham, I realized why my mother thought that this was so important. Every time we say something negative, we shrink our own self-image as well as that of the other person. When we make positive comments, we build both self-images. How often, after a 3D archery tournament, are you asked: "H...ow did you shoot?" Honestly, we are asked that every time. How do you respond? Do you say: "I was down thirteen. I shot a five on the mosquito and eights on four others. I can't believe that I did that." or "The wind was horrible, so I couldn't hold steady." or "Can you believe the rain? No one can shoot well in that kind of rain. The shoot should have been called off." Each of these comments imprints negative images into the self-images of the speaker and of the listener. Each of these comments shrinks the self-images of both parties. Why do we do this to each other? Why do we find it so difficult to create positive images that build self-images? Why can't we say: "I shot fifteen ten's and eleven's on that round and twenty-seven ten's and eleven's in total today." or "The wind was challenging, but I learned how to read it and did the best that I could." or "I learned how to shoot in torrential rain. I focused on my process and the outcome was good."? In this age of technology, we share on Facebook. Every time there is a shoot, there are posts. How many of them have negative comments? Of the ones that I read, many are self-deprecating. I see comments like: "I didn't shoot very well today." or "I shot better last year." I am not saying that we should brag, but there is nothing wrong with giving ourselves and others praise when it is due. Praising others makes them feel good and improves our own self-images. Praise will also imprint positive images that will increase the probability that those positive actions will happen again. Let's create positivity! Jude Hooey Certified Mental Management Coach