COMPOUND: TARGET PANIC

Roy Rose on a quietly common problem

Many in the archery community will have heard of target panic, and many who actively shoot will have experienced it at some point.

It can take several forms, but most commonly manifests as a difficulty in either releasing the arrow or an urge to release it prematurely, before the shot is fully aligned and the sight has settled on the gold. The root causes are varied, but it is thought to be an issue with how the brain learns and remembers muscle movements in the body.

What is not quite so well known is quite how prevalent it is among senior compound archers, notably including those at literally the very top of the sport. Armchair archery fans will have seen both Stephan Hansen of Denmark and Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands, both full time pros, giving very visible twitches at full draw in major finals.

While the pressure of earning your living as a a full time archer isn't something that most of us have to replicate, it's notable that the great archers aren't above aiming and processing predicaments. Secondly, that when one is in the throes of target panic, you are dealing with a situation that is uniquely worse than anyone else has ever had to experience. Neither perception is the reality.

Many top compounders have suffered from target panic at some point or another, Braden Gellenthien and Mike Schloesser among them. "For me it's been more like hanging up in the shot instead of punching, and having trouble getting it to execute." said Gellenthien after the World Cup final in Samsun, where it appeared that Stephan Hansen lost a match to target panic. "It comes and goes. I'm lucky I've never had it that bad in competition."

"For me it's something that stays with you at the back of your mind. You might see some archers switching up the grip on their bow or

the grip on their release to try and get over it, like golfers freeing up their swing for putting."

"I think it's something we all battle with to different degrees." Nevertheless, Gellenthien admitted to having "terrible" target panic problems back in 2014.

Several elite recurves have had – and conquered – the problem, including 2008 Beijing Olympics champion Zhang Juanjuan and Olympic silver medallist and double indoor world champion Magnus Petersson. It’s not unknown amongst Korean teams either, who refer to target panic as ‘clicker disease.’

I know, from personal experience, that if you're the grips of target panic, you truly believe that no one has ever been in such a quandary, and that your level of distress is unique. There are two realities that you must realise. Firstly, you are not unique and the situation is fixable and secondly, those heroes of yours, in many cases, have had to deal with exactly the same issues. There is a very long list of famous archers, both recurve and compound, who have dealt with this problem and obviously emerged as successful, achieving competitors. It is really important to understand that the road to real achievement in any endeavour, sporting or otherwise, will throw you a curve ball, and that part of the journey may get bumpy.

There is no question that the bugbear of target panic in its many guises, is a very common reason we lose archers, some with real talent, from the ranks of the sport. The despair and frustration that one cannot control a simple sequence of steps to fruition, is very real, very personal, and can quickly erode one’s inner confidence.

It is imperative then to re-access your state of mind. There are three salient facts to be aware of. Firstly, you are not unique, you are not beyond repair, and secondly, there is a process, which is no secret, by which you can emerge. Thirdly, and I know I’m being repetitious, but it is a real saving grace, your archery heroes have not only been where you are, but have returned to the highest level of achievement.

My own experience taught me a lot. In 1970, I shot my state indoor championship in the open division recurve, against two great shooters, the reigning National Target champion, and an Aussie Olympian. To my surprise, in the opening round, I shot my first national record, and headed in to the afternoon round with a solid lead. Right up until the final end I was clearly going to cause a major upset. And then when I’d been shooting perfect 54’s and 53’s, I suddenly completely lost my way. I shot three arrows through the clicker, had no mental composure whatsoever, and totalled a miserable 34. The embarrassment of that situation far outweighed the loss of the championship, and logically, at the same time, I was a mental mixture of anger, frustration, and every other negative vibe imaginable.

When this panic situation continues, and back then, the process remedies we are aware of today were not so decisively in place, it was not a pleasant place to be. Did I contemplate quitting? Of course I did – it looms up as an option for all of us caught up in this predicament. But I loved the sport, I was good at the sport, and I was already writing for archery publications advising others, so my only instinct was to hang in, and fight my way back.

There are now a lot of resources available to combat the problem. I worked my way through the steps which are now fairly common knowledge today. Eyes closed, up close on the blank bale, aiming without shooting, combining aiming and shooting up close with a big target, and gradually edging my way back to longer distances, and finally testing my new found assurance at competitive events. My chief focus was to reward myself mentally with every shot I negotiated past the clicker to composed fruition. For me that shot was a

perfect ten, maybe not at the target, but I had a higher goal than the target at that point in my restoration. A classic example of process taking precedence over result.

The rest is history. I've taken national and world titles as a Masters recurver, but more importantly an opportunity to stay in the sport I loved, for a lifetime, and have the opportunity to pass on to others just like me who have strayed from the pathway of composure onto an avenue of apprehension, that that trio of realities I have already outlined applies to you.

You are not alone, we are in this together. The world’s best have conquered it, an old guy like myself had to conquer it, the tools are there for you to conquer it. Sure, it will take some of your valuable time, yes it can be a little boring, but those three absolute truths I have reiterated repeatedly, will keep you motivated and as each The 'Solid' Strap phase of your recovery emerges, the uplift that provides, will keep you on track. I assure you that find out what the best you can be is, will guarantee a happy ending.

THERE IS A VERY LONG LIST OF FAMOUS ARCHERS, BOTH RECURVE AND COMPOUND, WHO HAVE DEALT WITH THIS PROBLEM ALREADY