# No local coach, dad needs help coaching 13yr. son.



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Check the USA Archery website. They have a database of coaches by state and by level of certification.

If you belong to an archery club, there may be someone there who can help him. 

Tell us where you live and we may be able to recommend a good coach.


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## mike 66 (Jan 21, 2010)

:shade: sounds a little strange; been shooting about a year and has won 5 state championships , and a national fita hummmmm


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## Baywolf (Jun 26, 2012)

The nearest coach is Tom Barker In Victoria, or Jeff Fischer who's an outstanding barebow coach even though i think he isn't certified. Either way were talking 3-4 hrs. drive time, so its rare to get to see them. 
We practice, at home ranged 60m or Bass Pro range, problem I'm having is not form, the problem is I need a coach that understands the mental mechanics of taking him from intermediate to expert. 
Case in point, his 3P coach is National Champion/World Champion several times over and is the instructor at Quantico, Virginia for the Armed Forces National Team, you hear things in practice like, do not fight your eye, it is a reflex and you grow to rely on it, the aperture and your sight picture will be out of focus, your front diopter will be in perfect focus and your eye will naturally align the picture with the target, focus your breathing and control it.
Things I take from that is, "rely, naturally, perfect", stuff an expert will say cause to them it is proven fact. I wish these guys lived closer, i'd settle for a decent retired competitor that can focus my sons mind on what was missing from his shot process.
All I've been doing for the past few months, is getting him paired up with older competitors, maybe compounds and freestyle groups and have him stay on their heels as best as possible, problem is that is good way to pick up bad habits too, not to mention behavior.

This past weekend we got to chat a bit with Rodgers, Eagleton and Demmer, that was cool.


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## Baywolf (Jun 26, 2012)

mike 66 said:


> :shade: sounds a little strange; been shooting about a year and has won 5 state championships , and a national fita hummmmm


Maybe I'm over doing it with the tournaments...? Also, wondered how much is too much, before he gets burnt out. Some of these associations have very little turnout on state level.


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## subconsciously (Aug 22, 2009)

The greatest energy is Joy. Once joy has been taken out of archery - its over.

The mental aspect of the game is the most overlooked. As an archer develops physically many times his mental game is left behind, but is the mental game which supports the physical game. There is more you can do as a "dad" than just about anybody. I feel the biggest thing is supporting "confidence" in your son. Confidence is king. Confident archers are just plain better archers. 

Getting him outside his comfort zone and accepting new challenges as learning experiences and not threats is a great start. Learning to deal with loss is important.

PM me your email and I can send you some writings on mental toughness in archery.


.02


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## Baywolf (Jun 26, 2012)

We try to keep it light and fun but also pretty intense. One time he actually shot better on a set of arrows when I told him to balance on a log, we were both half laughing but he realized something had changed for the better. Another time he would aim at quarters sized targets at 25 yards, he was pretty happy when he would hit them, that made him realize, that the smaller the spot on the target he aims at the more he puts behind the effort. I try to tell him to practice perfect. Everything you learn or don't learn will happen naturally on game day. He knows I don't shoot, but he also knows it's cause were focusing on him, as he puts it, "this is Our thing".


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## Baywolf (Jun 26, 2012)

This is exactly what I need. 
We practice self awareness, attitude control, and self confidence. But, when i read, "the willingness to persevere with training,..endure the discomfort and self sacrifice..", arriving at a "total loss of self", man that's him. Once that bow gets in his hands, it all suddenly gets "REAL", and he's there to unleash a blood bath. I get a bit jealous at how he can keep his concentration going. Relentless brutality, until he hears "it doesn't matter he could stop shooting and he'll still win ". Then, he starts joking with the other boys, talking about scouts and campouts, scores start to go down from there, but it gets nuts. He likes shooting with the Master Seniors cause they provide comedy, but, usually shoot better than him, so he tries to pick off the weakest ones. He gets wound-up when he shoots with compound archers, and tries to match them. I think he'll like going thru some of these strategies, it will be interesting to see him reason with his own thoughts when he gets banged up, I know his confidence goes way down when he isn't shooting like he knows he can, we can start there. I thank you for all your assistance, Joe.


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## Supermag1 (Jun 11, 2009)

As a fellow barebow shooter, you have to remember that most coaches aren't going to know how to help one of us with our shooting and might very well push for a change in style (to sights and a release or Olympic recurve). From what you describe, I think a good mental game coach is what you're looking for and you might be able to help him yourself if you read up on some of the mental game books like "With Winning in Mind".


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