As I write this, I’m wrapping up my 50th birthday. It’s hard to believe. Archery is all I’ve done and all I’ve built a life on since the day I left school as a teenager.
I wish I knew then what I’ve learned now about shooting, training, and the focus of this post, performing under pressure or bringing home the gold in the big show! It could mean shooting as a professional, getting more serious on a Total Archery Challenge range, or making the most of an important hunt.
I’m thankful I learned the hard way about losing long before I ever learned about winning. I’ll never forget my first time stepping to a line in the Pro Class, my first time in a Pro Shootout, or my first time walking into an arena where my country’s colors were flying on top of the podium. These experiences translate to being a winner on a podium or in the woods.
I want to share a few overlooked details that have an immediate impact on performance. These are the details that’ll help make sure YOU show up on game day, not an underperforming version of yourself. I’ve talked about training beyond the target before, and this post goes deeper into the off-the-range habits that make or break your results.
Rely On Your Routine
My first major event as a competitor was at an IBO Triple Crown. After a five-hour flight, I arrived at the shoot with 1,500 other archers. It was massive.
I can’t describe my feelings exactly, but it was a mix of being overwhelmed, excited, and intimidated. Leading up to the shoot, I was regularly scoring in the 390s out of 400 at my home range and clubs. After the event, I turned in a whopping 333 on my scorecard.
I remember flying home trying to figure out how it was possible to shoot that badly. My gosh, it was only a 40-target tournament. Either way, it was my first taste of how a big event can change a person fast.
The same is true when you show up at a hunting camp for an expensive tag and the camp has other known hunters or added pressure around every corner. Missing a buck or bull of a lifetime can feel as bad as a horrible scorecard.
Fast forward 30 years, and I show up to big events as a completely different person. The difference starts with a routine. I’ve talked about how your habitat builds your habits at home, and the same principle applies on the road.
To perform at the level you want at an important event, stick to your daily routine as much as possible. Food choices, eating times, practice length, and your sleep schedule all go hand in hand. So many people take these for granted.
Your goal is to perform at the same level that got you there in the first place, or preferably at a better level. Let me describe how easily a poor routine can cause negative results. I’ll use my rookie mistakes as examples.
Here’s how the bad scenario plays out: I arrive at the big event. I get excited and want to shoot with all of the archers I look up to. I shoot all day and socialize.
I find a group of cool people to go to dinner with. We wait until everyone is done shooting, put our gear away, and get ready to eat. I tell myself, “I’m at a championship. I’ll treat myself to a good meal.”
We wait at the restaurant for a large table to be ready. I order a big juicy steak, all the sides, and a dessert. The storytelling starts, and everyone is having a good time.
It gets late. I’m full and happy, and people finally trickle off to bed.
Back in the room, it takes a long time to fall asleep. I’m thinking about the big day tomorrow, but I drift off eventually.
Then, about two hours later, I start tossing and turning, feeling restless. For hours, I try to get good sleep and finally fall into a deep sleep an hour or two before my alarm goes off. Then I roll out of bed and head out for a day of underperforming.
I’ve seen this play out countless times at hunts where everyone shows up, gets their gear ready, and starts opening the drinks and telling stories. Before you know it, it’s after midnight, and you have only a few hours of rest before needing to cover miles on long day hunts. That’s how easily it happens.
The Alternative
Now, let me give you the smarter way to approach a tournament or hunt.
I arrive at the hotel/camp and find food options that match my daily diet at home. I make a reservation for dinner at the same time I eat at home (6 p.m.). If I’m on a hunt, that may mean I’m making my own meal at the right time.
Then I head to the range and focus on shooting enough to make sure my equipment is set up correctly. Sight marks are good, my bow traveled safely, and I’ve shot enough to get in a rhythm and end on a good shot. Then I pack up and use the time I have left to catch up with friends or say hi to people I want to see.
If I want to hang out with certain people, I let them know what time I’m eating and where, and when I’m heading to bed. At the restaurant, I order the same foods I eat at home or similar ones. If I’m on a hunt, I let the group know I like to eat early, and in some cases, I’ll eat the biggest meal at an afternoon break rather than two hours after dark.
Then I head to bed at a normal time and shut down for the night. I’ve learned to save the “eat like a king” mentality as a reward on the last day, when I’m not worried about digestion or wake-up time.
The differences between these two approaches are directly tied to performance. Keep in mind, Day One is an official “practice” day. It’s not an official “training” day.
Train, get in reps, and work on your equipment before the event. Don’t save sight-in and broadhead shooting for when you’re already there. If you do, you turn arrival day into a training day rather than a practice day.
Instead, use practice to confirm your setup is where it was when you left. Shoot enough to loosen up, but don’t shoot all day and leave yourself fatigued for the next.
End on a good shot and think about it the whole time you’re putting away your gear. It’s a positive imprint you may rely on down the road.
Focus On the Process, Not the Prize
Your mealtime and meal choices matter more than most people realize. Eating on schedule and within your normal diet helps your body carry out its normal digestive process. The fastest way to wreck my sleep pattern is eating a big meal right before bedtime.
Overeating or eating too late forces your body to stay awake for digestion instead of shutting down for rest. Good sleep means fewer restless minutes, which often lead to more time spent worrying about the big event.
You have the choice to make this a stressful event or treat it like another day at the office. I know which of the two has given me the best results.
Execute your routine the way you’re used to. That’s what matters most.
The older I get, the more I realize the game’s simplicity. The way to perform at your best is to bring it back to its simplest form: pull back, go through your basic steps in proper form, and pull through the shot.
How good the other person is, what their score is, how much money you can win, the outfitter telling you about a record buck you’re chasing: those are all distractions. They’re hurdles on the track that can trip you up. Rely on your training and your muscle memory to execute the shots and fly to the finish.
Focus on your process, not the prize. The prize comes when you execute a good shot.
Focus On the Fundamentals
I get to coach some of the best archers in the world, and many of them prefer to stay anonymous. Everyone is susceptible to slumps. Often, even the best start to second-guess what they’re doing and ask for advice.
Regardless of how good they are or how many world championships they’ve won, I always have success going back to proper execution. Good shots get good results. It’s that simple.
You’re never better than the basics. Draw your attention away from what everyone else is doing and focus only on what you can control.
At my last World Field Championship, I found myself in a shoot-off against a world-class archer, Clint Freeman, to make it into the medal matches. Clint is a legend in the archery world and a class act. We ended up tied, had a final arrow shoot-off, then another, and it came down to sudden death: single arrow, closest to the center.
I could have gotten caught up thinking about winning a medal before I had it around my neck. When I closed my eyes waiting for Clint to shoot his last arrow, I was visualizing the arrow I shot on the first day of official practice at 60 meters, the one that crashed right into the center of the ring. Then I opened my eyes and made it happen for the win.
Two days later, I was standing on the last target in front of the big crowd with one arrow left to shoot. I had to have a bull’s-eye to win the match and avoid another shoot-off. I closed my eyes again, visualized the mechanics of that perfect practice arrow, the perfect arrow against Clint, and then opened my eyes and executed the same shot to win.
A big event can be stressful. A lot is going on, and those moments stay with you forever. To come out on top, simplify your system.
Have faith in the preparation that got you there. Don’t change what you know based on the situation or the circumstance. Don’t treat it like a vacation and over-consume the experience.
Treat it like a mission and trust only what got you there. Sticking to your daily routine and focusing on the simplicity of executing a good shot is all it takes to make it to the podium. Victory tastes sweet when you know you stuck with your own game plan to make it happen.
