Preparing For Competition

There are few things that can make the blood rush to your ears, your heart race, breathing shallow, vision narrow and palms sweat (all at the same

time) like the deathly silence of an archery competition shooting line during the few seconds

between the command to fire the first arrow and the twang of your bow string.

Laval D. Falks

Five Things to Remember at Archery Competitions

Archery competition should be fun• Athletes who play because they are forced may

succeed, but not for long• Athletes who don’t enjoy the sport or competition will

soon withdraw from the activity• If you find yourself taking on the “command style” of

leadership it may be because your athletes aren’t having the fun and enjoying the sport like they used to

• The “cooperative style” of leadership is more suited to archery and your athletes will do better

2

Compete against yourself and try to make the best shots you have ever made• The true measure of ability is through setting personal

best records in the sport• Competing only to win is an outcome oriented goal

and may overshadow your process oriented and performance oriented goals

• Athletes eventually compete to win, but along the way the competition must be about improvement, not about just beating someone else

Five Things to Remember at Archery Competitions

3

During tournaments shoot your own game and don’t worry about others’ scores• The gap between scores widens and narrows many

times during an archery tournament• You should know where the competition is, but don’t

obsess about the point spread• Don’t change the fundamentals of your game based on

where you are vs. where you think you should be at any given time

Five Things to Remember at Archery Competitions

4

Shoot one arrow at a time and don’t worry about the last shot or next shot• If you are in the zone you’ll be thinking about the next

shot and not obsessing over the last one• Obsessing over what can’t be changed or an

eventuality which may never occur is a distraction from what you should be thinking about…the shot in front of you

• Tournaments are won one arrow at a time

Five Things to Remember at Archery Competitions

5

Have fun and make friends, you will be a better archer sooner because of it• Get to know one new person at each tournament• It’s OK to have fun, laugh and joke at the appropriate

place and time• Learn to “step into and out of the zone” – it’s

impossible to concentrate fully for four hours straight

Five Things to Remember at Archery Competitions

6

Preparation • Prepare for competitions by

competing as well as practicing• Take your archers to

competitions away from their practice site to familiarize them with the stress of travel and competing in unfamiliar places

• Archers must be prepared for the level of intensity they will experience

• Archers must understand their goals for each competition

• Winning is not the goal. It may be the end result but the goal is to perform well 7

Archer’s Responsibilities

Be on time and know the rules• Athletes must know the schedule and

be able to get to where they are supposed to be at the proper time

• Everyone must know the area and be able to find their way around the venue

• It’s good to have a small map of the area with key locations marked

• Athletes should carry the phone numbers of and be able to contact coaches, support staff and officials

• The coach’s job is to coach and manage logistics- the athlete’s job is to be places on time and be prepared8

Be mentally prepared to compete

• Have the right amount of confidence without being overconfident

• Have the correct expectations for the outcome of the tournament

• Be ready to compete and have an evident desire for the adventure

Archer’s Responsibilities

9

Master breathing and control heart rate

• Keep tournament nerves at bay

• Perform relaxation exercises before tournament start

• Get into a “comfort” zone

Archer’s Responsibilities

10

Have the mental discipline to shoot each shot as

perfectly as in practice• The archer shouldn’t be

emotional about the score• Focus on the process of

shooting not the outcome• Archers have to view the

tournament range as just another day in the back yard

Archer’s Responsibilities

11

Maintain composure throughout the competition

• Remain upbeat even when things are going badly

• Be honest about your performance

• Don’t make excuses or try to blame outside forces for poor performance

• If doing well accept the success humbly

Archer’s Responsibilities

12

Be a good sport regardless of performance or standing

• Display’s of negative emotion are not sportsmanlike

• Support and encourage competitors- no taunting

• Be aware of what others are doing and try not to distract competitors while they are shooting

• When you win, win graciously• When you lose, lose with pride

and congratulate the winners

Archer’s Responsibilities

13

Coach’s Responsibilities Brief archer on tournament

procedures and event schedule• Coaches are responsible for insuring that

archers know who, what, where, when and why

• Coaches must concern themselves with logistics and training

• Brief athletes on transportation, food arrangements, lodging and other necessities

• Archers need to understand that they are responsible for themselves according to their age

• Coaches aren’t baby sitters- younger archers should have family or chaperones present

14

Make sure archer’s equipment is available, tuned and in good repair

• Archers should be equipped properly and have all gear necessary for the tournament

• Coaches must verify that equipment is in good condition and correctly tuned

• Unless the coach is sure that the archer knows how to adjust equipment, the coach should be the one to make adjustments

• Archers constantly fiddling with their equipment is a sign of unconfident archers

Coach’s Responsibilities

15

Be positive and encourage your archer

• Be confident and your archers will model your behavior

• Encourage your archers and instill confidence in them

• Be careful that you don’t become a cheerleader

• Coaches should offer timely information, timely and appropriate corrective advice

and moral support always

Coach’s Responsibilities

16

Don’t over-coach, the time for that is past, be relaxed and your archer will be too

• The real coaching is over with the last practice shot

• Too much coaching during competition is a distraction to the athlete

• Archers should have been trained to be able to make tactical decisions on their own during competition

• Some competitions don’t allow coaching while the archer is on the shooting line

Coach’s Responsibilities

17

Save the critique for later, let your archer enjoy the day

• The archers know how well they performed by looking at the score

• Let your athletes enjoy the tournament experience without the pressure of having to worry about the coach’s feelings and attitude about their performance

• Act appropriately toward the archers- if they did well then congratulate them; if they did poorly find something positive about their performance to congratulate them about and save the critique for later

Coach’s Responsibilities

18

Summary

•Tournament play can be some of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in a young, or old, archer’s career

•The coach has a tremendous influence on the archer’s experience

•The coach is the expert that guides the archer through the competition

•The archer’s job is to put all of your expert teaching and mentoring into practice and make you proud of their accomplishments.

19