# Practice vs Training



## JAVI (Jun 19, 2003)

How many of you have a regular practice schedule?

How many plan a calendar of lesser events in order to train for the big shoots like Lancaster's, Vegas, etc....


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## Brown Hornet (Aug 8, 2002)

I would like to and may actually do that this year....but in the past it was shoot when I could...not when I wanted to or needed to.:embara:


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## JAVI (Jun 19, 2003)

Brown Hornet said:


> I would like to and may actually do that this year....but in the past it was shoot when I could...not when I wanted to or needed to.:embara:


I generally practice for 3 hours 5 nights a week, and do the gym after the practice 3 nights. The wife and I are working on the training tournament schedule this Thursday evening. Our indoor tournament season starts this weekend in Texas so I've got to get on the ball if I plan on being serious this year...


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## GATOR-EYE (Jun 30, 2006)

I am in the shoot when I get the chance list.

If I am lucky I shoot twenty or thrity arrows in the morning before work and twenty or thirty arrows when I get home from work.....but it all verys on whats going on with the kids and such on a given day. 

Busy,busy,busy


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## VA Vince (Aug 30, 2005)

I am all over the place with work hours, so its shoot when I can. Come december I have to start shooting at least twice a week. If it didnt get that cold out, I could shoot at home. Wish I could shoot more.


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## archerycharlie (Nov 4, 2002)

The last few years i have shot several nites a week at a shop close by. But this year i have only shot one nite a week + a shoot on the weekend. I have been riding a bike this year also and i think that it has helped me a lot. Been trying to ride every other day and get anywhere up to 18 miles. AC


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## mdbowhunter (Oct 22, 2002)

Brown Hornet said:


> I would like to and may actually do that this year....but in the past it was shoot when I could...not when I wanted to or needed to.:embara:


Same here. And like VA Vince, my job really gets in the way of my practice time.


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## Man-n-Pink (Nov 7, 2006)

Well since my job is starting to wind down for the season I try to shoot atleast 4 or 5 days a week. Plus I've been working out in the mirning doing cardio. I have lost nearly 40lbs, and It has helped me to improve my form and shot sequence. Plus I have been able to focus on what I'm doing alot better.


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## Bobmuley (Jan 14, 2004)

Had some good advice once...we all know how to shoot, but most don't know how to shoot a tournament. Practice for the tournament.


Whether that fits into practice or training, I don't know. But I always try to put myself into a tournament situation when seriously practicing.


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## JohnR (Apr 5, 2007)

*[B]Training is practice with a purpose.[/B]*

_Think of a word that gives you the shivers. It has eight letters, but has the impact of the four-letter variety. Give up? Okay, here it is: Practice. Yes, that word that everyone knows, but few actually do. _

Shooting and practicing are two completely different things.

Practice is the time when you work on the things you do not know how to do, do not do well, or perfectly. Practice is the time we work on the details of the sport, our mental imagery, form, or concentration. We isolate those things that we do not do well and work to make them better.

Shooting is the fun part.

As adults we should, in theory, understand that one must put in the work to get to the pleasure. It does not mean you have to like the work; you just have to do it. We know that. Still, we look for excuses to avoid it. My hope is that I can eliminate some of those excuses for not practicing and give you ideas how to practice.

Excuse Number 1: I’m too tired.
After a long day at work you come home exhausted. Your feet hurt, your back hurts and all you want to do is grab a can out of the fridge and watch TV. See number 2.

Excuse Number 2: I’m too busy!
Does that mean you work 18 hours per day, every day? I didn’t think so. Did you know that only 15 minutes of directed practice will yield better results than two hours of general shooting? It’s true. Practicing one aspect of your form for 15 minutes will give you a measurable improvement in that area. 

Excuse Number 3: It’s too hot/cold/wet/dry/Cloudy/sunny/etc. If you’re waiting for perfect weather you might as well take up chess. Find a place inside your home to shoot.

Excuse Number 4: I don’t have the room.
This is a real excuse for many people for shooting their bow. If you cannot find space at your home, join a club! Most clubs are looking for new members. You may also use a rope bow or thera-tubing as a bow substitute.

Excuse Number 5: I have to spend time with the family/friends/spouse.
You aren’t really using that one, are you? Bring them along. Get them involved. Have them photograph/video you shooting or critique your form. Better yet, get them shooting!

Excuse Number 6: I don’t want to.
We all can relate to that. But, just ask yourself these questions:

1.	Are your scores where you want them to be?
2.	Is your technique/form perfect?
3.	Is your shot placement consistent?
4. Do you enjoy losing your arrows in the weeds?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you need to practice, you may not want to practice, but you need to. 

Perfect Practice Makes You a Perfect Archer

We have all heard that phrase. We know it to be true, so why do we avoid doing it? I challenge every person here to set aside 15 minutes each day to practice one aspect of their form: stance, shoulders down, relaxing, back tension, etc.

Most of us cannot remember a lot of detail about practice sessions. So we need to record each days shooting or practice session. Keep written records of your shooting progress.

Develop a form that has blocks of information you might need to remember in your progress to shoot better. Some items might include:

Record the date, time, weather conditions, duration of shooting, and rounds, ends, or arrows shot. Sometimes these factors may be affecting your shooting, such as evening shooting after a full day of other activities has your muscles fatigued, its cloudy and raining, or it is windy. Paginate each sheet for your note book.

Attitude of your mind and body play a large part in your shooting. If you are mentally or physically fatigued how can you perform your best? But you do need to know how you will perform in those conditions.

Mental Training plays a large part in perfecting your shot. Archery is considered 80% mental and 20% physical. But the average archer spends 80% of their efforts on the physical. Go figure! Record your mental training efforts. One easy way is to establish goals and read them before and after each shooting session, first as a reminder and second to check for achievement. Goals need to be written in the first person present tense language. “I execute each shot with appropriate back tension” or “I plan my practice sessions, then work my plan”, “I warm up before I shoot and I cool down afterwards”, etc.

Physical training certainly has its place for an aerobic endurance sport like archery. Have you ever shot the coyote range at Darrington? Is the best elk hunting area a five mile hike uphill? Do you shake at full draw? A daily exercise plan is good for your mind and body and makes you a better archer. Remember, Good health is merely the slowest rate at which one can die.

Bow tuning must occur before shooting can occur. This is a “Catch 22”. If your form, attitude, or fitness is not up to par, neither will your bow tune. So tuning and retuning will occur as you improve. Keep track of your bow settings.

Form boils down to proper execution of the shot, doing the same thing every time. What are you working on? What needs to be improved? However, any one practice session you should focus on only one aspect of shooting or form. The human brain can only focus on one thing at a time.

Practice results: What did you accomplish (or not) in this session, simple as that!

Positive affirmations helps keep us in a positive mood and up-beat for the future. Re-read your goals and adjust them as appropriate.

You may need to keep additional NOTES to remind you of good and not-so-good occurrences during a practice session, such as a crabby shooting partner or a 7 point buck and the effect they had on your shooting.

Your notes about your archery progress will help you improve and succeed. However, you must also read your notes. You will be able to see, over time, any patterns, improvements, or defects in your shooting skills.

*Good luck and have fun.*


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## JAVI (Jun 19, 2003)

To me practice is working on specific or nonspecific processes that when complied are the sum of my archery. 

Training is done with a specific goal in mind, it might be to place in the top ten at Vegas or win the Indoor Nationals. These are two very different tournaments and require specific training, which often involves shooting lesser tournaments with the same format as a precursor. These smaller regional tournaments can also be used to gauge your progress and to identify parts of your game which need work. It is also important to not forget both physical and mental training for a specific goal, for instance the physical and mental demands are much different from indoors to the outdoor games.


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## hunter3d (Aug 6, 2005)

I try to shoot at least 3-4 times a week right now. I do try to make sure to be around when my clubs top shooters are there. They seemed to have the biggest impact on my training. I think shooting with top shooters and having them critiqueing what your doing helps more than anything. I guess it would take more if you were on the top but for me right now it's all about learning what I need for good form and shooting more than working out and such.


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## Bobmuley (Jan 14, 2004)

JAVI said:


> To me practice is working on specific or nonspecific processes that when complied are the sum of my archery.
> 
> Training is done with a specific goal in mind, it might be to place in the top ten at Vegas or win the Indoor Nationals. These are two very different tournaments and require specific training, which often involves shooting lesser tournaments with the same format as a precursor. These smaller regional tournaments can also be used to gauge your progress and to identify parts of your game which need work. It is also important to not forget both physical and mental training for a specific goal, for instance the physical and mental demands are much different from indoors to the outdoor games.


How long does "training" take? 

For instance; Hopkins, Brooks, Gillingham can be at one venue one week and be competing for the lead and the next weekend be shooting a completely different venue. I know that there prior experience might have a lot to do with it and maybe they've reached the ultimate plateau where each shot is all its about.


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## JAVI (Jun 19, 2003)

Bobmuley said:


> How long does "training" take?
> 
> For instance; Hopkins, Brooks, Gillingham can be at one venue one week and be competing for the lead and the next weekend be shooting a completely different venue. I know that there prior experience might have a lot to do with it and maybe they've reached the ultimate plateau where each shot is all its about.


Training for a specific event for many of the top shooters may only involve picking up the bow set for that venue and shooting a few target to refresh muscle memory and mentally rehearsing the game. 

Try and equate the training to say football at a pro level, training begins in what? April or May with mini-camps and leads up to full blown training camps with scrimmages and then pre-season games until finally the season. After the start of the season training takes on more of a mental preparation for specific opponents and keeping physically fit.


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## Bobmuley (Jan 14, 2004)

JAVI said:


> Training for a specific event for many of the top shooters may only involve picking up the bow set for that venue and ...


So like the experienced football players (think Testeverde), some of the experienced archers can skip training and still be physically and mentally prepared, whereas us "walk-ons" have to try harder to make up for it.


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## JAVI (Jun 19, 2003)

Bobmuley said:


> So like the experienced football players (think Testeverde), some of the experienced archers can skip training and still be physically and mentally prepared, whereas us "walk-ons" have to try harder to make up for it.


I doubt that any top pro in any sport actually skips training... they may miss camp but I'll bet that they are training... That's why they are on top.... If Testevertde showed up for the season opener weighing 340 and out of breath from walking the tunnel I doubt he'd stay on top long...:wink:


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