Drawing Breath My last installment found us standing at the firing line. We have set our stance and main frame skeleton in a stabile, powerful position. I apologize for the length of this post and repeat this is primarily aimed at those just beginning the pursuit of the World’s Oldest Sport. Criticism and additional insights are most welcome. I contend that a quiet mind is the single most important factor in the proper drawing and firing of the bow. Controlled, focused breath control is the easiest method to achieve that quiet state of mind during “The Heat of Battle”. Many archers, particularly after having just made a poor shot, will tend to over-think their mistakes and react negatively to the things that went wrong. Feelings of foolishness and/or incompetence can easily stir up confusion and cause distraction within the mind. It is at these moments we need to forget what just went wrong and focus on what will contribute to making the next perfect shot. The archer with the clear mind will be the one who mentally recovers within the shortest time. Those critical moments between shots are more precious than gold. Breath control is the single greatest tool available to bridge from one poor shot to the next X-ring or heart shot score. The more practiced the archer or marksman becomes in the use of breath control, the more he will be able to insulate himself from the stresses of competition, hunting or those inevitable bad shots. Focus on skeletal position, a regular, specific breathing pattern and attention to some other small details will leave little time for developing mental stress about the past shot. During competition, most poor shots are directly attributable to distractions associated with large numbers of unfamiliar people on and around the firing line. A deer walking toward our hide, with or without antlers, can produce exactly the same lack of focus prior to making a shot. When I began the earnest pursuit of this sport, I had very high expectations regarding accuracy. I was disappointed by the long time required to develop the potential I felt I had. With each poor shot, the frustration would mount until I had virtually strangulated any chance of accuracy by virtue of my own anger and frustration. Eventually, I was able to separate my poor performance from my emotions and examine exactly what I was doing at each step along the way. Conscious, controlled breathing allowed me to take the time to carefully focus on each part of my shot sequence. Experimentation with small, predetermined changes in my form and sorting out what worked from what did not became part of my daily routine. This practice allowed control of the mental stress produced by the poor shots and made focus on the things I needed to be doing more easy. I never claimed to be smart; however, persistence is a quality I own in large quantities. My mother used to say it was just being “Bone-Headed”. That may be true in large part because I got it from her! The breathing steps outlined below are what have worked for me. Over time, I have learned to be able to skip ahead or even return to a specific point in the process without disturbing my concentration. After all, when Mr. Bucky Buck is strolling into your shooting lane, you won’t be able to say “Hold it right there. I’m not up to step nine!” A word on “concentration”: My performance always excels when there is a lack of active thought. Some say that’s how I live most of my life…but I digress. Perhaps concentration is not the best word to use in relation to marksmanship. That lack of thought can best be described calm satisfaction. Elation can be just as detrimental to performance as anger. Another description would be more akin to “objective observation of technique combined with positive expectations”. Call it what you will. Getting wrapped around the axle, in either direction, produces poor results. A: On setting my foot position relative to the target face, lean slightly forward at the hips and then pull that imaginary string up through the spine and out the top of the head while inhaling. Count 1… B: Exhale and then when inhaling, close the eyes (I have found closed eyes provide better awareness of body positions and muscle tension) and focus on the angle of the knees. They should be slightly bent. This places a greater force on the balls ofthe tension during the actual draw. This is where my back actually pops if I haven’t practiced in a day or two. Exhale and count 3 D: Inhale and focus on relaxing the shoulders and arms. I have found the use of a bow holster attached to my quiver belt invaluable. Resting the lower cam in the holster and the weight of the bow eliminates bow arm fatigue. The use of a wrist sling also allows the complete relaxing of the bow hand during the exercise as you will not need to actually grip the bow. Also, use of a wrist buckled, closed caliper release attached to the string or D-loop allows complete relaxation of the drawing arm. Exhale and count 4.
