# Blue X thing a week, Visualization in archery



## Blue X (Dec 22, 2007)

Visualization is a something we hear a lot about but very seldom discuss. Before I start I would like to say that with bad form and a bad shot sequence that no amount of visualization or mental trickery will land your arrows consecutively in the x. First and foremost it is of the upmost importance to have a form and shot sequence that will work and is repeatable. Visualization is based on the image you have or create in your mind of what it takes to land your arrows where you want them to be. For visualization to be an active part of your shot, you have to know what it is your doing in steps. Without the steps, you have no basis for the picture in your mind. 

Visualization is used thru out sports for it ability to guide you into performing what it is that guarantees success in whatever sport you play. It is like a road map to success that is free and easily learned and used. I can not stress enough that for visualization to work it has to based on a set system and this is why we as archers need a written shot sequence to repeat for every shot. 

Visualization in archery is comprised in two parts, because we do basically two things in an archery shot. The first part is set up. We’ll call this our secondary visualization. In the secondary visualization, in our mind we set up the perfect shot with the steps of our shot sequence, that will result in your arrow landing where you want. The second thing we do is aim we’ll call this our primary visualization. In the primary visualization we visualize what it is we want our sight picture to look like in the final moments of our shot. 

In the primary visualization we focus on what we want our sight picture to look like and not on execution. If you remember, we try to teach ourselves to execute subconscious shots. If we put our execution in our visulization, it will force execution to be conscious and aiming subconscious. I know all the talk about subconscious aim vs conscious aim. No need to bring that up. Execution needs to be subsconscious and form and aim needs to be conscious. While I’m on that, lets say for the sake of truth, aim is reserved for the last 3 seconds of the shot. During that time aim is somewhat subconscious with a conscious limiter that if it gets to bad our conscious mind will abort the shot. But we will call this a conscious effort to have a sight picture that is acceptable to land our arrows where we want our arrows to land. 

During our preshot routine is where we use both our primary and secondary visualization. We do them backward because the set up comes first we run the secondary visualization and put that on the back burner, then run our primary visualization of the sight picture you want to see in the last 3 seconds of your shot. 

What do we see in a visualization is a FAQ. There are 2 different views that people see. Secondary visualization different views are either first person or third person views. Third person visualization is a view of you setting up your shot thru each of the steps of your shot sequence thru someone elses eyes. Some people call this an out of body visualization. First person view of what you think you look like based on what you feel as you set up your shot. Some people call this an in body visualization. For the Primary visualization it is always an inbody visual because you are the one looking thru the peep and seeing your sight picture. 

My secondary visualization: I personally see a third person view of my secondary visualization like I was looking at a picture of myself performing an entire shot. I like to look at videos of myself shooting to instill what it is I actually look like as I perform my shot sequence. 
My Primary visualization: I see my dot centered in the target, centered in my scope, centered in my peep. 
I personally do them in this order. Secondary visualization, hook my release, primary visualization. 

Everybody has the ability to visualize, some just have not learned it yet. If you are one of the people who have not learned to visualize there is a way you can practice and learn easily. Hold your hand in front of your face with the palm toward you. Close your eyes and turn your hand sideways and open your eyes. Close your eyes and turn your hand till the back of your hand is facing you. Practicing doing this a few times then try a complete visualization. Place your hand infront of your face, close your eyes and rotate your hand until you can see it rotating in your mind, with your eyes closed.

The more you practice visualization the better the picture you will see. Look at videos of yourself and engrain each step of your shot sequence into your mind. Put a place in your shot sequence for both secondary and primary visualizations. If you want to improve your score and your visual, change your system which is your written shot sequence. 
Blue X


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Very interesting. But a little beyond me, I'll have to spend a little time digesting this.

Thanks for posting!

Allen


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

You right, bow right, mind set right, confidence/trust in your shot....On the line, at full draw, anchored, sighted in, close eyes and still "kill" target.....


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## fanio (Feb 1, 2011)

Blue X said:


> I personally do them in this order. Secondary visualization, hook my release, primary visualization.


and then after "primary visualization" comes draw, anchor, etc?


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

Visualization simply works....minds eye kind of thing. i've done this in darts,pistol,rifle shooting. amazing how accurate you can be when you "see" the shot. for me if i see the shot,i make it... unfortunately I generally don't see it


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## dua lam pa (May 29, 2014)

It only takes a short time to see if visualization works , and it takes a life time to see if your religion works.


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## elkbow69 (May 7, 2010)

I learned this "visualization" from an olympic wrestler, the late Dave schultz. man It flat out works. 
I went from a 0 and 10 "stinky warrior wrestler" to a 10 and 0 wrestler in one year. One camp and visualization/affirmation is what made things "click" 
Positive affirmations also help. "I can shoot the x. I can shoot a 300, I can shoot a 30x. I can win this shoot, I can win vegas". That kind of thinking. 
I have used the same techniques to archery, desert racing, snowboard racing and other aspects of life.


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## CarlV (Mar 12, 2008)

Lanny Basham covers visualization extensively in his book, "With Winning in Mind."

This book should be on your "must read" list for advanced archery competition.


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## Ned250 (Aug 10, 2009)

elkbow69 said:


> I learned this "visualization" from an olympic wrestler, the late Dave schultz. man It flat out works.
> I went from a 0 and 10 "stinky warrior wrestler" to a 10 and 0 wrestler in one year. One camp and visualization/affirmation is what made things "click"
> Positive affirmations also help. "I can shoot the x. I can shoot a 300, I can shoot a 30x. I can win this shoot, I can win vegas". That kind of thinking.
> I have used the same techniques to archery, desert racing, snowboard racing and other aspects of life.


Positive affirmations are huge. I simply think "my arrow will hit the X" as the last part of my setup routine.


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## jwrigley (Nov 8, 2012)

I'm currently reading Lanny Bassham's book. Went through the visualisation chapter yesterday and decided to take what I had learned to the range. So, shooting 50m FITA given good conditions I normally shoot somewhere in the 690's. High 690's if I'm shooting well, low 690's if I'm not quite feeling it.

My first round last night shooting using a 4 step visualisation process and I shot 695. Average? What does that prove, I hear you say? well last night was windy (around 15kts). "Wind doesn't bother you" I told myself, "I shoot great in the wind" - and I did.

The other interesting thing was my X count. I keep very detailed records of my rounds and my X count average is in or around 20X. In the visualisation round my X count was 30. 

Blue X describes the process very well on the OP. Try it - it works.


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