Your confidence comes from Discipline In Training. One of the best feelings is showing up for a test or task and being so prepared that it’s a breeze.
Back when I competed in outdoor target archery, we shot 30, 50, 70, and 90 meters. The day opened at 90 meters, and if you couldn’t post a top-tier score at that distance, you had no shot at hitting the big benchmark of a 1400. In the Pro Class, the crème separated itself right there.
The rest of the race was just holding the pace. The pace was set, and there wasn’t room to come back if you were behind the pack at the longest distance of the day.
So I trained at 90 meters constantly. It may even be fair to say I trained at that distance for 80–90% of my time on the U.S. Teams. By the time we moved up to the medal round at 70 meters, the target got bigger in my eyes. When we got to 50, it was easier. At 30, it felt like chip shots.
When I wanted to make my first U.S. field team, I invested in targets and built the hardest field range I could. I made it harder than what they could put in front of us by the rules standard. When I perfected it and showed up at the trials, I recognized right away that the course wasn’t as hard as the one I’d been training on. My confidence went through the roof, and I made my first team or any team I tried for in the field.
Making the hardest distances the standard for training made the outcome much easier at the events. Put your discipline into training this week, whether it’s in the gym, at work, or in archery.
