Take an honest look at what you’re training for.
What do you want to achieve? What high-pressure situations do you see yourself stepping into? Maybe it’s a new PB or your first 300. Maybe it’s a hard Western hunt, because you drew that tag! Maybe you’re on your path to be toe-to-toe with a legend at a competition. Regardless, I’m excited for you and here to get you on top of your game!
Now ask yourself: Does your training match that goal? One of my favorite quotes puts it perfectly: “Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your training.”
When the pressure hits, you don’t get to flip a switch. You fall back on what you’ve put in.
It’s acclimation and accumulation. Think of stepping into a cold plunge or a scalding hot tub. It’s brutal at first, but you adjust once you’ve spent a brief time in it, and it feels invigorating! You know you have told your inner self to “shut up, because we’re doing this.” Then the nerves harden a little more, and you make it easier.
Training for high-pressure moments works the same way. You have to put yourself in the discomfort long enough to acclimate to it. You’re going to need to feel the pressure of a shoot-off, stand where others are watching you get nervous, or go toe-to-toe with someone in your league who you know is better than you are right now.
What if you draw a tag of a lifetime? Would you expect success on a ram hunt if the only thing you have to fall back on is 20 minutes on a basement treadmill in Iowa? If you’re planning your first Total Archery Challenge and you haven’t rucked three to five miles with a bow in hand and a pack on your back, then how do you expect to perform when you get off that chairlift at target 1 and target 25 is several hours and hundreds of feet of vert away?
You’ve got to get out and get after it so you can fall back on your preparation when it counts. No cheat codes. No shortcuts.
Get your head on straight. Look at what you’re training for, and be honest about whether your preparation has risen to match it.
