Five Tips for Winning an Archery Competition

Yesterday (Saturday, June 25th) I took part in an archery competition. The events in question included three categories of archery: Olympic, Compound and Barebow. Unfortunately they were short on competitors for the Compound and Olympic categories, and while I don't normally compete in such things, I agreed to take part so that they would have more competitors.

Drawing upon the experience, I have constructed a list of five tips for people looking to take part in archery competitions.

Tip #1. Understand the system being used for the particular competition you are in.

For example, the competition yesterday involved 3 ranking rounds, 3 shots per round. The results from those 9 shots (3 rounds x 3 shots per round) then determined your rank for the duels.

The rankings then determined the order of the duels, the highest ranking people facing off initially against the lowest ranking people. The winners of those duels progress to the next level, the losers duel it out to stay in the competition, if they lose round two then they are eliminated. As the duels continue, they eventually reach 4 semi-finalists, who are narrowed down to two people - the finalists.

Understanding how the competition system works will give you a better idea of how you are expected to win the competition. A dueling system like above could knock people out of the competition just by having 1 or 2 bad rounds.

In my case, there was only 3 people competing in the compound competition. So I was ranked against Randy, and then after I won that duel I faced Luis. Below are the scores during the rounds:

Charles Vs Randy

Round 1
Charles 10x 9 8 = 27 with one bullseye
Randy 5 3 3 = 11


Round 2
Charles 7 7 1 = 15
Randy 9 8 4 = 21


Round 3
8 6 5 = 19
7 6 5 = 18


Total Charles 61 vs Randy 50

Charles Vs Luis

Round 1
8 7 5 = 20
8 8 8 = 24

Round 2
4 3 2 = 9
10 9 8 = 27

Round 3
9 7 7 = 23
9 8 5 = 22

Total Charles 52 vs Luis 73

Round 3 Vs Luis. Green Fletch = My Arrows, Orange Fletch = Luis Arrows.

Tip #2. Keep track of everything you did during the rounds of the competition.

This isn't just useful for the current competition, but will help you to analyze what you did well and what you did wrong, that way you can use that information for future competitions as well.

So for example I know Round 1 vs Randy I took my time and did very well. Round 2, I rushed the shots when I should have took more time. Round 3, I narrowly beat Randy by 1 point by forcing myself to be more patient.

Versus Luis, I did okay during the first round, but during round 2 I encountered two problems. The first problem was mental, I had calculated that I needed to improve my score by at least 4 points just to catch up to Luis. This caused me to stress more about my shot and tense up. The second problem was wind, which caused me to stress more. After the first shot did so poorly I felt like I was already defeated and it didn't matter any more. By the second shot, it was clear my score was going to be dismal, thus by the third shot I had basically given up. Round 3 I recouped some of losses and even beat Luis by 1 point, but by then it was too late.

Analyzing this after the fact, you realize that what I really did wrong during the first duel was that I rushed the 2nd round when I should have been more patient, I could have got a score in the 20s had I not rushed it. And the second duel was mostly mental, and a dose of patience could have helped versus the second round when the wind was messing with my head.

Tip #3. Practice, Warmup and Tune before a Competition

I joined that competition last minute and had only practiced shooting compound once during the previous two weeks. I had hoped to arrive at the competition an hour early to do some "last minute practicing" but ended up arriving about 30 minutes before the event instead.

Had I known I was going to be taking part in the competition further in advance, I should have been practicing compound 3 times per week, tuning the bow for more accuracy, and I should have made more of an effort to arrive earlier and give myself ample time to "warm up" before the event.

In comparison Luis, the winner, regularly shoots compound and was amply prepared. I divide my practice time between traditional recurve, longbow, Olympic recurve and compound.

Thus anyone wishing to do better during a competition should be practicing the archery style in question more regularly so that they will well-practiced and well-tuned before the event. Showing up early to warmup is also handy.

Tip #4. Pace what you eat and drink.

Having a BBQ on a hot day and cold drinks may sound like a great idea for a party, but for an archery competition you would be better off eating healthier and trying to pace your consumption of both food and liquids. Obviously you want to avoid dehydration on a hot day, but you should also try to avoid over-hydration, eating too much and feeling bloated.

Since the competition yesterday was just for fun, it didn't really matter what I ate or drank during the event, but during any serious event people should try to be more cautious about their eating habits.

Tip #5. Mentally prepare yourself to prevent competition anxiety.

During the 30 minutes that I warmed up before the event I focused mostly on shooting a longer distance, so that when I was shooting at the distance at the shorter competition distance it would feel comparatively easy. I feel this did actually help.

There are other ways to mentally prepare yourself, including regular practice so you feel more confident in your skills.

Other Ways to Mentally Prepare Yourself:

1. Choose and maintain a positive attitude - basic skill.
2. Maintain a high level of self-motivation - basic skill.
3. Set high, realistic goals - basic skill.
4. Deal effectively with people using social skills - basic skill.
5. Use positive self-talk - intermediate skill.
6. Use positive mental imagery - intermediate skill.
7. Manage anxiety effectively - advanced skill.
8. Manage their emotions effectively - advanced skill.
9. Maintain concentration - advanced skill.

Mental Skills Pyramid for Competitive Athletes

Some of the above mental skills come with taking part in competitions regularly, as experience will allow an athlete to draw upon past experiences with competition anxiety and they will be able to better cope with that anxiety.

You will also note that the above skills are useful for other kinds of competitions. Or public speaking.

Final Notes

I also won an arrow case as a door prize just for showing up, which was actually the primary reason I took part in the competition. I just wanted the arrow case right from the beginning. I had zero use for a trophy to collect dust.

Happy Competing!

A Journey with Pebbles in your Shoes

"A journey of a thousand miles will inevitably include having pebbles in your shoes. Bend over, take off your shoe, shake out the pebbles and put your shoe back on. Keep walking, you will get there."

18 Tips for Long Distance Walking / Walking in a Walk-a-thon

Every few months Toronto has various organizations that organize walk-a-thon style events, usually raising money or awareness for cancer or various other ailments. Some of these activities include walking extremely long distances over 1 day, 2 day or even 3 day periods. However to do those kinds of extreme walking distances not everyone is up to snuff and perhaps should be warned that they should be "in good shape" before the Big Walk and should be trying to be "a bit more energetic and healthy" in the days leading up to the big event. Thus here are 18 tips for taking part in such a long journey. Many of the tips below are also handy for long distance hiking.

I have split these tips into several categories, what to do "Before the Big Walk", what to do the "Day of the Big Walk", and "After the Big Walk".

Before the Big Walk

1. Keep a balanced diet. At least one item out of every meal should be vegetables.

2. Start going for walks every day to get yourself in shape (and double check the condition of your shoes, see #11 below).

3. Start eating smaller more frequent meals. Four to five are better for you than three big meals as it is easier for your body to digest smaller amounts.

4. Aim to eat fresh produce, especially fresh veggies - the more colourful the better, as unusual colours have a greater variety of nutrients.

5. Eat a variety of meat products. Beef, chicken, pork, fish, liver, oysters and mussels. This way you are getting a wider variety of nutrients.

6. Hydrate every day. A long journey is harder on the liver and your sweat glands, so it is important for both that you are well hydrated on the days before the Big Walk.

7. Make sure you have cushioned, breathable socks. Aim for comfort.

8. Moisturize your feet regularly. Check for any recent injuries and make sure they have healed fully.

9. Do NOT have a pedicure before the Big Walk. You are not there to show off your feet.

10. Clip your toenails short. Lots of long distance walkers lose toenails if they are too long due to the constant rubbing of the inside of their shoes on their toes.

11. Make sure you have TWO sets of comfortable walking / hiking shoes. If you know the terrain is going to be more rugged, be practical and get hiking boots. Having a second set is smart in case the first set has any problems.

Mr T during an United Way Walk-a-thon in downtown Toronto

Day of the Big Walk

12. Take time once in awhile to stretch your legs a bit so you can avoid cramping.

13. Hydrate at least every 10 minutes. If going up rugged terrain, hydrate every 5 minutes.

14. Bring food and eat some of it while you walk. Don't worry about the calories, bring something that packs lots of energy in it.

15. Pace yourself. You don't have to be the fastest person in a walk-a-thon. It is not a race. Travel at a reasonable pace and take your time if need be.

After the Big Walk

16. Finish your walk with a cool-down. Stretches. Brief jogging in one spot. Talk to other people while hydrating / stretching.

17. When you are finished walking, drink a bottle of juice, chocolate milk, something with lots of vitamins in it. Korean vitamin drinks with ginseng in them for example are awesome. Even V8 juice is good if you like that stuff (I cannot stand V8). My personal preference is chocolate milk.

18. Daydreaming about a hot shower afterwards? Make it a cold shower or a cold swim instead. Having a cold shower reduces any swelling that may have occurred during your walk. Myself a cold relaxing swim is best, followed by a BBQ in the backyard.

Don't forget to eat afterwards!!! Preferably something with lots of nutrients and vitamins in it.

Happy Walking! :)

10 Tips for Night Archery - How to Shoot in the Dark

Note - Hunting after dark is illegal in many provinces and states. But practicing after dark can be quite fun, especially during the summer months as the temperatures are nicer in the evening as opposed to the scalding heat of summer days.

So if you want to do night shooting, what should you be doing? Well here are 10 tips for doing some night archery.

#1. Use lighted LED nocks. If you miss the target they will be easier to find. They also look pretty awesome so that is a nice bonus.

#2. You will find it is tricky not being able to see what you are aiming at. I recommend using glowsticks, like the kind below. There are other kinds of glowing items (like bracelets), but I find they don't work quite as well because they are not as bright. I also don't recommend shooting at candles, so don't bother.

#3. Learn how to Gap Shoot. Gap Shooting is a different style of aiming, but it is handy for shooting at moving targets and also handy for night shooting. If you live in Toronto and want to learn how to Gap Shoot, I recommend signing up for archery lessons and ask to learn the Gap Shooting method of aiming.

#4. If you are using a sight for aiming, you may want to get a lighted sight that uses a LED and fibre optics to light up the individual sight pins. If you don't have one you can also find a way to add light to your sight, possibly by having a glowstick handy or even making your own homemade sight that has glow in the dark paint on it.

#5. The laser pointer target. As opposed to attaching a paper target to the target butt you are aiming at, an alternative to this is to set up a laser pointer and have it pointed at the target butt so you are basically shooting at the red dot. (If you put a piece of white paper on the target butt it will make it a bit easier to see the red dot from a distance.)

Cat laser pointers sometimes come with alternate settings for different shapes that the laser makes, so that can be fun too.

#6. Bring bug spray. Mosquitoes will be murderous late at night. Mosquito repellent will be very handy to keep the bugs away late at night. Citronella candles are also handy for keeping the bugs at bay, and also provide a bonus light source. Citronella Tea Lights plus a metal lantern would be good too.

#7. Bring a flashlight. Not necessarily to use all the time, but more for emergencies. Lets pretend you drop something on the ground and cannot see it to find it. A flashlight will be handy for such an occurrence, and also useful for finding the bathroom, preventing you from stumbling around in the dark while searching for lost arrows, etc.

A good Maglight flashlight or something similar would thus be handy. Accidents happen.

#8. Bring a Friend. Shooting by yourself is a bit boring. Having a friend to talk to is nice when night shooting. Make sure you observe safety protocol, calling live when about to shoot and clear when ready to collect your arrows. It would be bad mojo if you accidentally shot your friend or got shot while doing night shooting and you were ignoring the potential for danger, so please observe safety protocols.

#9. Dress for the temperature. Having a hoodie or similar clothing will be handy if it turns out to be chilly at night. Also handy for keeping the bugs off in case you didn't bring enough bug spray.

I thought this one was pretty awesome.

This one was amusing too.

#10. For extra fun, save your old broken arrows for the future and use them for night shooting at a lake. Bring marshmallows (optionally, you can soak them in fondue oil for a brighter flame). Stick the marshmallows on the tips of the old broken arrows, nock the arrow but only partially draw the bow - then light the marshmallow on fire and immediately shoot it up and across the lake.

Because they are old broken arrows you won't really care that you are burning them / losing them in the lake. But they will make for some fantastic fun shooting over the lake and seeing the reflection of the fire on the water.

Happy Night Shooting!

What are the best times of day to do archery?

Q

"What are the best times of day to do archery?"

A

Obviously shooting during the day is good so you can see the targets better. Speaking for myself, I find the early mornings are tricky because the sun is sometimes in your eyes. As such I prefer to do archery between 10 AM and 6 PM.

I also have a fondness for doing some night shooting in the hours after sunset - in which case it is useful to have lighted LED nocks, like the ones shown below. I also recommend bug spray, as depending on the time of year there will be lots of mosquitoes after dark.

Lighted LED Nocks for Night Shooting

Some people also prefer to shoot on weekdays, when there are less people at the local archery range, while others might prefer weekends or the "after 5 PM crowd" because they like to socialize with their fellow archers. Archery can be a very social activity. Not everyone is into socializing, so it really depends on your personal preferences.

Some people really like shooting in the early wee hours (5 AM to 7 AM) so they can get some shooting in before going to work. Not my thing personally. I like sleeping.

Regarding time of year...

My favourite time of year for archery is September and October, because the weather is so nice. Winter is cold and if you are a bad shot you could lose arrows in the snow. Spring is very muddy and rains often. Summer is too hot. Thus late summer / early autumn is a great time of year, weather wise.

Depending where you live in the world the seasons may vary dramatically, such as rainy seasons / dry seasons, and so forth. Whether you like shooting in the rain is a whole different topic.

Happy Shooting!

See Also

How to do Archery in the Wind and Rain, Part 1

How to do Archery in the Wind and Rain, Part 2

Sunrise, Sunset and Daily Weather Forecasts

Three Ways to Combine Archery with Swimming

For those people who love finding something fun to do in the summer - and for those people who are fanatics about both archery and swimming - here are 3 ways to have fun while combining the two.

#1. Snorkeling + Target Practice. Truly for those who love snorkeling and a challenge. Balloons that are weighted down make for good targets.

#2. Archery Diving - tricky to do, but something that will be a real challenge. Not a lot of people have attempted archery trick shots like this since the 1950s.

#3. Bowfishing while Wading in a River. Not really swimming, but still something fun to do. Just need a fishing license and a bowfishing reel. Only legal during carp bowfishing season, which in Ontario is May to July.

BONUS!

#4, #5, #6. Archery Surfing, Archery Kayaking, Archery Windsurfing, etc. Just because nobody has ever done it before does not mean it is not possible to try it. For safety purposes I recommend using blunt tipped arrowheads when doing archery trick shots while doing water sports!

Happy Shooting and Swimming!