Quick toot of my own horn...500 falls!!

mully

New member
I don't know if it's the done thing or not to post a breakthrough, but...

I broke the 500 barrier last night for the first time. 502/600, Portsmouth. I'm well pleased, I am, I've only been shooting for a few months. It's all in the release. :)

Stephen
 

secbridarchers

New member
Well done. I wish I could achieve such a score I have been shooting for a couple of years and still struggle to get just over 400. Reading Archers do a series of Achievement Badges for the Portsmouth round you should check it out on their website. As Secretary of Bridlington Archers I always make sure our members get awarded for their achievements. Suggestion for your Secretary if they don't already do it. ;)
 

Haywain

New member
I don't know much about target scoring but you can have my congrats anyway. I'm a slow improver myself and have to judge how well I'm doing by the average I score per target at the end of a field shoot. Getting there slowly - soon I'll be able to outshoot my 10 year old son ;)
 

cliveanne

New member
Ironman
Well done, it took me over 12 months to crack the 500 barrier. best I ever did, was around 525-30. Now...I can just about make 490ish. it's all to do with my string arm, I was not shooting for over 12 months. Now... I'm on the "Dark Side" :eek:
 

Barry C

New member
Who do so many people see 500 as a barrier? They feel comfortable with a 499 but one point more and it suddenly becomes a barrier. AT my club we try to ask the novice archers to shoot unrealistic scores to try to get rid of the number barrier.
 

cliveanne

New member
Ironman
Barry C - 19/6/2005 1:50 PM

Who do so many people see 500 as a barrier? They feel comfortable with a 499 but one point more and it suddenly becomes a barrier. AT my club we try to ask the novice archers to shoot unrealistic scores to try to get rid of the number barrier.
I saw the 500 as a barrier because 499 was a regular score no matter what I did I just could not get past it. Then, one day, I thought "What the hell, forget it, & just shoot" I scored 511. A bit of an anticlimax realy, OK, I broke the barrier but the callenge had gone, so I had to create a new "Barrier". You need a goal. I guess it's all between the ears
 

Furface

Moderator
Supporter
Yes, we all need a challenge. 500 is a good one because we all like round numbers, and perhaps we can get a badge out of it!
But it does create massive hurdles in the old noggin. I'm sure we all - from beginner to international - have experience of "If I just shoot an average of n for my last three, I'll...." only to shoot an average of n-1. Or even "If I get a 10, I have the Olympic Gold" is the mantra of the Silver winners through the ages. The answer is ignorance. If you know the barrier you're hoping to break, don't look at your score or let anyone tell you (then, when you succeed, it is not an anti-climax). If you don't know the barrier ("What is the 1st class score for a York for Girls Under 13?") then don't look it up.
Unless you want to practice mental toughness rather than scoring....
 

TJ Mason

Soaring
Supporter
Fonz Awardee
American Shoot
I've just started reading Al Henderson's "Understanding Winning Archery". He talks about how round numbers like 500 or 1300 present psychological barriers, and advises that we aim for something less round such as 507 or 1306. He points to the example of the four-minute mile. Before it fell, it was an almighty barrier. Knowledgable people wrote in-depth analyses of why humans couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. But shortly after Roger Bannister beat that time, loads of other runners started running a mile in under four minutes.
 

Cakemeister

Moderator
Fonz Awardee
Congrats- I've still got to get that one! Good thinking about round numbers as a barrier- it's kind of double edged 'cos if you're going for targets like 418 on a Long National people still like to average it out as 'blue & inner on the further distance, red & inner on the nearer- so the temptation is to break scores into understandable blocks anyway. My tactic is just not to add anything up until the end.. Bt I've generally got an idea about how well or not I'm doing.

Some people like to score with PDA software.. then you're stuck with knowing exactly how you're doing.

Pete
 

KevinH

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
Pete_T - 10/8/2005 10:19 AM
My tactic is just not to add anything up until the end.
I used to do that, but when I started shooting tournaments this year I found it nigh on impossible to shoot well without someone telling you how well you're doing, or speculating on what score you are "on for". I also found it particularly difficult if my name appeared on the leader board, at which point my shooting would take an immediate nose dive.

With advice from some seasoned tournament archers, I learned that it is better to develop confidence in your shooting, and expect to do well.
 

Barry C

New member
TJ Mason - 30/6/2005 12:23 PM I've just started reading Al Henderson's "Understanding Winning Archery". He talks about how round numbers like 500 or 1300 present psychological barriers, and advises that we aim for something less round such as 507 or 1306. He points to the example of the four-minute mile. Before it fell, it was an almighty barrier. Knowledgable people wrote in-depth analyses of why humans couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. But shortly after Roger Bannister beat that time, loads of other runners started running a mile in under four minutes.
</p>

I like the way AL Henderson writes, I can imagine him soundling like the Colonel from KFC :) I think there is much merit in the round number barrier. When I was a rower it was the 6 minute ergo, comparable to a 1300 in archery. I think you can either use Al's way of picking a random number above your barrier, or fix your brain ot realises its just a goal, which is a million times harder.?</p>

Some people in my club used to have handicap charts and would always shoot for a handicap score. They would get really involved and I think it made them build mental barriers. The people I know who dont care about numbers but just shooting well seem to be more succesful. From what I have noticed.</p>
 

jerryRTD

Well-known member
Congrats. I agree with the round number school of thought . I'm look for the next one now and thats an average of nines ,540. But is it a barrier or an aimingpoint some thing we feel a sense of achievement on reaching?
 
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