MB Archer Training Plan

[Woodie]

Hi Brian,
For what it is worth Slowhand is on the right track.
Archery fitness means stamina to shoot all day the same and core strength to maintain a steady stance, all day. For this I did, and still do though now I coach rather than shoot, 2 sessions of body pump ( free weight training) and 1 session of body combat ( cardio) a week.
Shooting wise for MB I was doing 3-5 sessions a week shooting an average of 400-700 arrows per week.
The other vital thing not mentioned so far is maintaining a detailed log book. Every session what, how, why, arrows shot, points for next time etc.
Oh and Simon Needham shooting along side me reminding me to keep my arm up at the end of the shot.

 

[GuardianAngel]

I made MB the last two years in compound with a fairly minimal number of arrows per week.

What I did focus on was quality and had a specific plan for practice each time.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Forum Runner

 

[Flying Whale]

I made MB the last two years in compound with a fairly minimal number of arrows per week.

What I did focus on was quality and had a specific plan for practice each time.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Forum Runner

Since this is a little different than some of the other "plans" I was wondering whether you might give some more specifics? Or rather than specifics... I would like some slightly more detailed examples....

Many articles you see will make a statement like "What I did focus on was quality and had a specific plan for practice each time". Now in a forum post this seems OK, since they are generally short posts. In a longer article I would often like to see examples of what that REALLY means. I know for every archer it will be different, but some concrete examples give my analytical brains something to latch on to, and start to adapt, and devise my own plans.

As an example I can see a statement like "I plan to make each shot strong and not practice bad shots", but that is too wishy-washy for me as a scientist. Could you give a few examples of the sort of thing you might devote a session to? Preferably a broad cross-section to see the sort of thing you would coinsider important to commit a session to?

I have been trying to do something similar, but don't know how my plans would compare. As an example I spent the last session trying to work out how important hand placement on the release aid is. I have a couple of positions I can use comfortably and they are not 100miles apart. It seems they do cause some difference in impact point, so I have to be a little more careful than perhaps I have been . The session before I was trying to work out why I have been getting some fairly wild shots. I drastically varied some things and could not get much change at all. In fact the groups stayed remarkably good when I deliberately torqued the bow left and right (enought to move the long rod quite a long way). I also had almost no change when I moved my hand about an inch down the grip... The variation I got in both of these was a lot less than I have been getting occasionally in competition. I have some suspicions on what is causing it, but I think an outside view on things people at the MB/(hopefully)GMB level work on would be useful.

Sorry for the long post...

 

[GuardianAngel]

Since this is a little different than some of the other "plans" I was wondering whether you might give some more specifics? Or rather than specifics... I would like some slightly more detailed examples....

Many articles you see will make a statement like "What I did focus on was quality and had a specific plan for practice each time". Now in a forum post this seems OK, since they are generally short posts. In a longer article I would often like to see examples of what that REALLY means. I know for every archer it will be different, but some concrete examples give my analytical brains something to latch on to, and start to adapt, and devise my own plans.

As an example I can see a statement like "I plan to make each shot strong and not practice bad shots", but that is too wishy-washy for me as a scientist. Could you give a few examples of the sort of thing you might devote a session to? Preferably a broad cross-section to see the sort of thing you would coinsider important to commit a session to?

I have been trying to do something similar, but don't know how my plans would compare. As an example I spent the last session trying to work out how important hand placement on the release aid is. I have a couple of positions I can use comfortably and they are not 100miles apart. It seems they do cause some difference in impact point, so I have to be a little more careful than perhaps I have been . The session before I was trying to work out why I have been getting some fairly wild shots. I drastically varied some things and could not get much change at all. In fact the groups stayed remarkably good when I deliberately torqued the bow left and right (enought to move the long rod quite a long way). I also had almost no change when I moved my hand about an inch down the grip... The variation I got in both of these was a lot less than I have been getting occasionally in competition. I have some suspicions on what is causing it, but I think an outside view on things people at the MB/(hopefully)GMB level work on would be useful.

Sorry for the long post...

Sorry about my rather short post! A symptom of posting from a phone with a small keyboard rather than a normal PC.

So getting to MB initially meant shooting a fair amount for a couple of years, but it did not have any real structure. I tended not to score in practice, but I would just turn up at the ground and just shoot arrows. I knew nothing then, its case of "You don't know what you don't know".

As things evolved, and I started hitting mid to high MB scores, volume was substituted for quality and meaningful practice. Last season I would shoot probably 150 arrows in practice if I had a double round at the weekend, otherwise I would shoot twice a week, once mid-week and a longish stint on a Sunday. I have never counted arrows but I would say about 250 to 300 arrows per week. During the Winter even less.

I cant remember the last time I have turned up for a practice session and not had goal for that session. The kind of things I tended to work on were (as they are my weak points):

- Alignment
- Trigger pre-load pressure
- Shooting arrows within time limits (i.e. 6 arrows in 4 minutes)
- Sometimes testing changes to bow setup

Occasionally I would shoot a full FITA/York, but not every week. Now I have switched to field full time, I have swapped time limit practice with things like distance judging. I know my weak points and so I focus on those things quite specifically to keep them in check.

Hope that's of more use!

 

[geoffretired]

This isn't going to be a detailed plan, but it might help someone.
Imagine a complete beginner having lessons from a stone mason, so the beginner can, eventually, carve a hippo.
As a beginner, the student will start with bits of carving that are not refined; perhaps a little clumsy. They would be given a block and asked/shown how to knock off the corners, get used to the feel of the chisel and the stone.( and the mallet if it slips!!)
When the block has no corners left and no edges, the work may proceed with more structure, like removing stone to leave two blobs where the legs will be. Then removing stone to leave a head sized blob.
As the skill improves, so the challenge can be increased, and four legs can be shaped into the two blobs; ears appear on the head, possibly a tail shape at the back.
A stage will be reached where it is a hippo and not a pig, or rhino.
Later on ,more details can be added, using more skill; eyes, nostrils tusks, toes.
All the time, it is going to become a hippo; all the time, the work is getting more refined. The student is becoming more sensitive to what they are doing, and probably thinking less about the mallet or the chisel, but seeing what shows at the stone surface.
I sometimes see newer archers trying hard to refine a certain aspect of their shot when they aren't really sensitive enough to some of the more basic skills. They are carving eyelashes; and finding later on that they are where the ears are going to be.

 

[Flying Whale]

They are carving eyelashes; and finding later on that they are where the ears are going to be.

Perhaps they are the carving equivalent to Picasso?

 

[Flying Whale]

Sorry about my rather short post! A symptom of posting from a phone with a small keyboard rather than a normal PC.

So getting to MB initially meant shooting a fair amount for a couple of years, but it did not have any real structure. I tended not to score in practice, but I would just turn up at the ground and just shoot arrows. I knew nothing then, its case of "You don't know what you don't know".

As things evolved, and I started hitting mid to high MB scores, volume was substituted for quality and meaningful practice. Last season I would shoot probably 150 arrows in practice if I had a double round at the weekend, otherwise I would shoot twice a week, once mid-week and a longish stint on a Sunday. I have never counted arrows but I would say about 250 to 300 arrows per week. During the Winter even less.

I cant remember the last time I have turned up for a practice session and not had goal for that session. The kind of things I tended to work on were (as they are my weak points):

- Alignment
- Trigger pre-load pressure
- Shooting arrows within time limits (i.e. 6 arrows in 4 minutes)
- Sometimes testing changes to bow setup

Occasionally I would shoot a full FITA/York, but not every week. Now I have switched to field full time, I have swapped time limit practice with things like distance judging. I know my weak points and so I focus on those things quite specifically to keep them in check.

Hope that's of more use!

My moan about shortness was definitely not aimed at you. It was more aimed at magazine articles where they definitely have space to give more examples.

Thanks for the more concrete examples, it is useful to see what others are working on. Sometimes I think the hardest part when you are working most of the time alone is actually being sure about what you are weak on. It is quite easy to decide something is an issue and spend time working on it, only to be told actually you are heading up a blind alley when you do get some coaching.

My hand positioning was an example. I seem to be able to vary it quite widely and still shoot small groups. However in topurnaments I still get some real fliers, so it would seem it may not be the hand position, or at least not in a simple fashion. Maybe as I was varying the hand position everything else was very consistent (concentrating on making good shots so I could isolate the effect of the hand)...?

Anyway, thanks.

 

[geoffretired]

Perhaps they are the carving equivalent to Picasso?

Heehee, never thought of that!!! Must rewrite the whole post and replace that section with something less artistic.

 

[geoffretired]

Hi Flying Whale, on a more serious note; if the mistakes we/anyone make, create big deviations in arrow impact, does it follow that the mistakes are fairly serious ,too?
My post about archers trying to make refined movements before they have mastered the basics, was really about trying to do things that are beyond us/them,for the time being.
I know you like examples, so here goes.
An associate member of our club arrived to shoot with us, and I watched him. I watched to see how well he shot, out of curiosity.It was fascinating!
Feet were positioned with great care. Hand in the grip and hand on the string were placed with great care. The bow was raised and shoulder dropped , with equally great care. Breathing was visibly being done to a pattern and with great care. The draw was measured and controlled and not the usual "heave".
What he could not manage, was the bit where the arrow is sent on its way. Arrows flew all over the boss!! My reaction was that all his efforts were being wasted; at least they were at the time, as he seemed to have no idea that his form could have had far better results if he could finish the shots well.
It seemed that he had read an instruction book with the last page missing; but he was not aware of that last page.I could only guess as to why his form had such an unexpected ending stage.

 

[fanio]

I would actually hazard a guess, as I think it is a common problem: he was probably aiming with equally great care (as this is something the books tell us we can control, and should focus on) but forgetting about strong execution. It is only after I got some professional coaching did I learn how to execute.

 

[Flying Whale]

It seemed that he had read an instruction book with the last page missing; but he was not aware of that last page.I could only guess as to why his form had such an unexpected ending stage.

And this I guess is where I am coming from. It is quite hard to self-analyse, because of necessity we can only judge ourselves against our current state of knowledge. If we have never been told (or discovered) some of the isssues, then how can we know we are not doing them.

A good coach has a broad knowledge base, and a keen eye to spot the mistakes or omissions. I get coaching and feel I have benefitted from a very experienced pair of eyes. In coaching sessions (particularly one-to-one) you can get specific examples if you ask the questions.

Articles can be good too, but I sometimes just feel that they try to cover to wide a base and keep it at too general a level for some people to relate too. They can fall in to the trap of using the same wishy-washy terms, or sometimes are jargon-ridden feeling that this makes them authoritative.

One of the most useful things I saw was at a county squad session where Naomi Folkard brought down an example of her schedules and planning. This was not given to us as "This is how you should do it!". It was given as an example of one way we might think about things. It also gave an insight in to the level of planning and work that went in to achieving her level.