Have you ever heard an archery coach say trust your shot? What does that mean exactly? We sort of understand what the coach is trying to say. They’re saying to believe in your abilities. But what does that really mean in the moment? It means not doubting what you are doing, no second-guessing, no hesitation. But how hard is that to do? We all have had these moments where the doubt creeps in; we doubt our form, our equipment, the yardage we set our sights for. But why does this happen?
The truth behind self-doubt is that we weren’t born with it. We had to learn how to doubt ourselves somewhere along the line. So that feeling of doubting yourself generally stems from some sort of experience you had when you were younger, and for some reason, your mind held onto it. This pattern of doubt lays quiet, only to come to the surface when a similar scenario wakes it up. That scenario can be something very simple like a thought “I need to do well.” This is enough to trigger the doubting pattern. Once activated, you begin to doubt yourself because these are the blueprints in your mind. These blueprints were established at a point in time when your mind wasn’t developed enough to reason through them. You see, whatever is locked away in your subconscious are the rules that you live by. This subconscious framework for which you are governed, and your conscious mind carries out.
This is why it’s very important to understand and get rid of the rules of your subconscious mind that don’t work for you. In some cases, these rules are good and can save your life or keep you from harm. Rules like don’t jump off a bridge or don’t pick up the hot pot. In other cases, they definitely can get in your way from winning an event. Rules in this case may show up as things you believe about the world like winning feels bad, I never win anything, I don’t deserve to win, I never get anything right etc. This kind of programming is detrimental to any kind of performance. These thoughts and feelings cannot be trained away, and you cannot fall back on your technique. Training alone will not circumvent these limiting ideas to give you the consistency you need.
This is why working in hypnosis is so effective. Working in a hypnotic state can gain you access to these subconscious patterns. Once corrected using hypnotic techniques, your subconscious is now purged of any program that happens to be disagreeable to the task at hand. Your mind becomes free to focus on other important matters. Your shot takes less effort and becomes fun again. You're free from distraction giving you the opportunity to explore yourself and your shot at a deeper level. Rediscover the confidence you always had and tap your full potential; try hypnosis.