Whats your Goal for 2006?

Medoc

Member
Ironman
Well its new year and I have been asked by my coach to identify and commit to paper my shooting goals for this year, and I have to say its proving harder than I thought.

Do I set soft objectives that I know I will achieve or do I give myself targets that I may not get to? on the one hand I would feel great but I would know it was a low target or on the other I may not reach the goal but if I improve all year and just miss then maybe I would have a greater sense of satesfaction.

Has anyone else done this? comments welcome, oh and bye the way I have set my main goal which is MB.
 

Marcus26

Well-known member
Score based goals are dangerous. They distract you from what it takes to reach them.

My goals are to:
Get my shoulders aligned more consistantly
Improve my competition game
Get better at using my release aid

now all my training works towards these things and what I need to do to do them better.

These things cost me points. If I can eliminate them my scores will improve. I have no idea how high, but we will have to wait and see. I will know when I get them right.

None of my students have score based goals, just form based goals.
 

Max

New member
Marcus - you raise a very interesting point there. I must admit, I had not thought about form based goals, but they are certainly a lot more constructive than betting everything on achieving a certain score. How do you quantify success - is this something you feel through experience, or is it closely linked to input from your coach?
 
R

rgsphoto

Guest
My goal is MB, however the way the winter season is going, by goal is NOT to take a chainsaw to my bow and chop it up into very small bits and then take up fishing or golf or anything but archery!:bang:
 

Tarkwin

Prince Of Dorkness
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
My stated goals have been (and still are)

a 525 Portsmouth by 31/1/06
a 540 P'mouth by the end of indoor season
a 300 frostbite this year

I have never scored an outdoor round so have no idea where I currently stand.

a better target would be to perform a consistent, repeatable stance, draw and anchor. From this will come the scores that I am looking for.

T.
 

Marcus26

Well-known member
My coach works hard on making me believe I can shoot high scores. My form is good, it's mostly in my head. We spend more time on getting me use to shooting high scores so it's easier to do so. I can do it in practise with ease, but think too much in competition. (I have won big shoots, but not as many as I should. For example I realised a few years ago I was leading the National Indoor, finished 14th. Should not have happened)

If you look at good shooters they expect to shoot high scores, they do talk them selves out of it.

I had one guy I coached who was obsessed with shooting 1230. He spent a year fixated on it and failed. He felt the changes I wanted him to make would take too long for him to reach his goal. I could not convince him that if he shot good shots 1230 would be easy. One year to the day he said "you were right, I will do what you say" and 3 months later shot well over that 1230 mark. Had he concentrated on form instead of score he would have been happier.

BTW Medoc, regarding soft goals when goal setting you must set long and short term goals.
Short term are achievable if you do things correctly. For example:
"I am shooting 1280 now but I am not shooting well at 90m. If I work on improving my 90m range I can get to 1305"
Now 2 things there. Isolate what is stopping you reaching a score and concentrate on it (now your training has focus) and secondly set a score that is not a round number. 1300 is a terrible goal because it leads to 1298s. Best off aiming above it.

Now long term goals should be things that will happen if your short term goals are met. It may be to represent your country. You may be shooting 1100's, but that's OK, because a long term goal should not be reachable within 3-5 years. You may achieve it, but you shouldn't bet on it.
Now long term should effect short term, so if you want to represent the UK you wuld need to
Shoot 1350+
Do it consistantly
Shoot well in competition

so make your short term goals aimed at improving all of those. That way you have direction and focus without time limits.
 

Medoc

Member
Ironman
That is a good obsevation Marcus, I do obvously want to practice the best form, however this is difficult to measure by yourself, I have found that I can concentrate on the areas I have been asked to, but it needs my coach or a camcorder to have a objective view of my form.

I agree that identification of "blockers" to reach goals is key, in most archers the culprit is six inches between the ears, I am fortunate (or not) to soot with Big D, a member on this forum, who is one of the best shots in northern England, and I believe his main advantage over me is his ability to manage his mind whilst shooting, your point that most people talk themselves out of situations is extremely valid when I look at my situation, if I were to look at my best long and short metric I would achieve 1330 FITA, this is why I have been working on visualisation and awareness and control of expectation.

I think the main point that I am making is that working with 3rd party, whether its a coach or someone who you trust is the way to go, it can be difficult to self analise and an objective point of view will help you achieve your goals.
 
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rgsphoto

Guest
Medoc, the way you are shooting just now, MB is a very easy goal. Apparently you only have to shoot THREE comps record status, all FITA or two FITA and one York. You will have it by the end of May/June. If not I will eat all my chainsawed bits of bow!
 
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morphymick

The American
Supporter
American Shoot
AIUK Saviour
Get my anchor correct and consistent.
Correct use of back muscles through the clicker.
Finish in the top three of any competition with four or more competitors in the same bow category.
1st Class this outdoor season.
Really long term, MB in next two outdoor seasons.

Mick
 

Little Miss Purple

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
I would like to reach MB this outdoor season and similar to with MM, I would like to win a medal in the remainder of the indoor season.

I'd also like to get my assignments done more than a couple of days before the due date!!!!

I'd also like to go to France if we could organise the AIUK tournament!!
 

PaulT

The American
Ironman
American Shoot
As many other people here my long term aim for the year is MB (only just missed it last year). I intend to achieve this by:

-Trying to shoot with a little less emotion and stop reinforcing bad shots(like everyone else keeps telling me to!?!)
-Only working on form in practice and not taking that forward to tournaments - if you're not ready by the start of the shoot it's too late!
 

GeoffT

Active member
Ironman
I have achieved MB for the last two years, and would like to continue to do so. I believe that the standard for MB will be raised significantly in the near future and so I am aiming to get some GMB scores in place this season in order to be in a position to maintain my MB.

Marcus makes some very good points, but with discipline I believe that it is possible to set score targets and still concentrate on the form issues when shooting. How else can you measure progress?

I couldn't agree more with Marcus about not setting round figure targets. Last year I set a target of 1300 and managed 2x 1298s and a 1299 before breaking the magic 1300.

Current targets:
Short term - consistent use of my new back tension release aid
Medium term (2006) - 1330
 

Shirt

Well-known member
I'd like a 1250 (or thereabouts) FITA, and to keep the release I've developed so far over indoor season, where my hand goes back as opposed to down and forward...
 

Cakemeister

Moderator
Fonz Awardee
Goals for 2006:
Consistency
better mind control

545 Portsmouth

1st class achievement

and

to get to more tournaments & meet more of you all!

Pete
 

Marcus26

Well-known member
I think we will always have score based goals, but I think they should be flexible. I wanted to hit 1350+ in 2005. A series of unfortunate events prevented this from happening (had gear stolen and poor windy weather all year). In fact I went from 1340's in 2004 to 1318 as a best in 2005. (yet shot personal bests at other target rounds)

So did I fail in 2005? Nah, I had to realign my goals to take into account the circumstances of the year and concentrate on other things. Thus I think of certain scores as bonus for good behaviour. :lol:

Good luck to everyone in 2006, lets hope we all reach our goals.
 

SLOWHAND

New member
Well heres a story that might inspire some of you cause if I could do it then lots of others can, all you need is a positive aproach, confidence, good planning and lots of practice. It also helps if you know how the equipment works and get the best from it.

I started archery in 2003 (i'd just turned 50) after several years shooting target Rifle,I bought a recurve because thats what i'd seen being used in the Olympics. By 2004 I had broken county records and achieved MB. In 2005 I broke more couty records, made MB again Broke 3 European Masters records, NCAS indoor, outdoor and field champion and was ranked 15 in the country.

As some people have said it can be a mistake to set score related goals, In one tounament I had shot a 590 Portsmouth and wanted to better it in the next. The result was that I shot badly because I was 'trying to hard' and not shooting with my normal rythm. The only thing you should be thinking about on the shooting line is the Gold.
 
R

rgsphoto

Guest
Slowhand, all I can say to that is WOW! well done that man. have a :beer:
 

morphymick

The American
Supporter
American Shoot
AIUK Saviour
I was watching SLOWHAND at the NCAS indoor, God did he make it look easy.

Just wish I could get anywhere near that standard.

Ah well, as the man said, practice, practice, practice.

Mick
 
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SLOWHAND

New member
Can I also add that its been a great help to have a good coach and mentor. Pete Jones has been invaluable to my shooting and now he runs Custom Built in Guisborough its fantastic. That man lives for archery and what he dos'nt know about the sport isn't worth knowing. Pop in for a chat - the advice and the cofee is free!
 
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