We all know a noisy mind is problematic when trying to create the perfect archery shot . A popular way of trying to remedy this is to say some kind of phrase or mantra while executing your shot. This is designed to give your mind something to focus on so it’s not so out of control. This is true if you focus on one thing it will minimize some of the noises for a little while. The problem is you’re using effort and mental energy that you could be applying to your shot.
Most people think a quiet mind is a difficult thing to achieve if not impossible. This is mostly because how often do you come across a situation when you need to do this. We never give ourselves the opportunity to stop long enough to even think about this happening. When you live in a world where your conscious mind/thinking mind never turns off, you can’t expect it to shut off on demand.
So what can we do? One simple technique is to switch your mind's focus from a thinking state to a feeling state. A thinking state is when you are thinking, and your mind is very active, filled with dialogue, what I call self-talk. A feeling state is when you engage in a physical sensation (but only feel), without judgment or evaluation. This may appear hard at first. But it is a very natural occurrence. It happens all the time. When we feel or touch something in that moment our mind gets quiet for a quick second. Then we evaluate what we touched. This is where the thinking mind comes back on line. So all you have to do is hangout in the feeling part. This is the moment before the evaluation starts.
How to apply this is simple once you slip into the shot execution part of your process you just feel the sensation of the push pull of your bow. As long as you just feel it and not judge it, your mind will turn off. This happens because your mind cannot be in a feeling state and a thinking state at the same time.
Seeing how this is something you do all the time even though you don’t notice it. You can master it quickly and stop the noisy chatter cold.
If you have questions about this don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 732-406-3498.