Summer is fastly approaching and the hunting seasons are winding down as we all look to forward to fall to renew our passion for hunting.  During this summer as you practice shooting your archery equipment, I encourage you to try a new exercise in your practice routine.  In archery there comes a point when your level of accuracy reaches such an extreme level that improvement is difficult to see or guage. 

One of the ways that we can take our shooting to the next level has to do with understanding how the mind works and your ability to take advantage of it.  First we have to understand that the mind has two parts or two ways of thinking.  They are the conscious and the subconscious.  The conscious only thinks or works on only one process at any given time.  The subconscious is the multi-tasker and has the ability to control hundreds or thousands of processes all at the same time.  One way to train yourself to shoot using the subconscious mind is to shoot at a close range of about five yards with your eyes closed.  Many people call this exercise blind bale shooting.  This type of practice allows the conscious mind to learn new skills, but through repetitive practice the new skills become absorbed by the subconscious mind and store them in it's highly sophisticated memory bank.  It becomes a function or a part of your shooting that you do without thinking about it.  The subconscious mind works in harmony this way.  By keeping your eyes closed and shooting at a very short distance for safety, you stop the conscious mind from doing what it usually does; aiming at the target.  By doing this, you free your mind up for use.  Now you can focus on another task, something in your shooting form that you want to improve.  One of the things I am currently working on is a smooth trigger control on my release.  Or, it may be that you are trying to improve your follow through after the shot.  By doing this specific task repetitvely, you will engrain this into your subconscious mind and it will become second nature in your shooting form. 

Most Psychologists say it takes about twenty one days to learn a new habit.  Give it a try, and stick with it and you will be amazed at your results as you take your shooting to the next level.  Work on one thing at a time over the summer and by the time you hit the stand this fall, you will be ready with a renewed confidence and level of expertise.  It is also important to give yourself some positive reinforcement.  If the shot felt good, or the release was flawless, tell yourself, "good shot". 

Genesis 27: 3