Stickbow Target Archery Forums

For three days, I've been focusing on critical variables in archery and at work.

According to Timothy Gallwey, a 'critical variable' is a neutral place to focus your conscious attention that will allow the fuller use of your subconscious abilities.

Last time I shot, I focused on how 'aligned' I felt with the arrow flight -- just by focusing on this, I found myself starting alignment earlier, and extending it longer (and my shots started to find the center).

Tonight, I plan to focus on the length of time my expansion takes.

Focusing on the critical variable is not an attempt to control the shot -- just observe what is happening. And when you observe, good things will happen naturally.

If I'm understanding your "critical variables" correctly, the problem for me is while focusing on one I tend to let another slide. For me every shot has to have all those correct and I don't do "unconscious", except maybe for the loose. If I think about that I screw it up. Everything else I have to think about.

I suspect this is a failing or fault of mine. I just have to live with it.



Dave

Hi Dave,

Almost.

I imagine that when you focus on a variable, you are consciously controlling it. And, as you mention, focus on controlling one, and the others are apt to get out of control.

Try a variation on what you are doing.

In practice, don't control the variable -- just observe it. Maybe you want to hold on target -- instead of being sure to hold, just notice, for example, how long you hold. Shoot for a while, observing all the time -- how long do you hold. Don't control. I think you will find that your hold time will change in some fashion, even though you are not consciously adjusting it.

Maybe you might want to focus on what happens immediately after the hold. Just observe. Shoot and shoot, just observe, do not control.

Then, perhaps you might wonder what your drawing elbow is doing. Observe it all the way through the shot, from start to finish -- do not control it -- just observe.

Tell me how your shooting at the end of such a practice compares with how it was at the start

Whoa: Outstanding thought! I was going to say more but I will let your post percolate and circulate a while, for Dave and any others. - lbg

No really I'm interested in your take on this lbg.
Anyway will you be at Sea Hunt this year? Biff et al will be there.

Last time I shot my critical variable was 'what does my bow hand do after the release'. I didn't try to control it -- just observed and wondered -- and have shot some amazing ends since then. Time will tell whether it is coincidence or something that changed and stuck.

This sounds like it's a technique for distracting the conscious mind. Would the you get the same results if you focused on what birds were chirping in the distance?

Todd, you are right, but I suspect not There was a post on this forum from a guy who thought about his girl friend when he shot -- and he said it didn't help his shooting at all

Your focus should be on something that increases your awareness and intensity about what you are doing.

For example, when driving my car, my shifting was getting a bit sloppy -- so I focused on the feeling of pressure on my feet during the shift, and it really tightened up the shifting.

I think what it does is tightens various feedback loops, and your subconscious takes that information and does some nice things with it.

rr:
That was me with the exgirlfriend. I enjoyed the moment but missed the shot.

What it is in my mind is that different parts of the brain have different capabilities. Call them conscious and subconscious, or left brain and right brain or upper brain and lower brain, or George and Lenny. The latter were the characters in John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men.' George was the smart one and Lenny was the dumb one.

You use George to build your form, tune your bow, develop your aiming method and plan tactics and strategy. But you want Lenny to do the aiming and execute your shot. George looks on, corrects errors and selects the goal, usually target center. Lenny aims like crazy and works like a son of a gun.

The problem is that George gets bored and tries to do some of the work. Bad idea. So I give him some useful harmless task, like supervising back tension and follow through. But Lenny does my best shooting for me. - lbg

Lbg I really appreciated your take on George and Lenny when you explained it to me. Both conscious and subconscious have their place in executing the shot.
Since I understand that you will be at 1,000,000 B.C. I have your awards for you from Sea Hunt since you had to leave early.

This is way off topic but I hope you California guys (LBG, Bender & anyone else) are not caught up in the fires out there. My best to any involved.

Dave

Thank you Dave! Where live isn't threatened but the smoke is absolutely nuts.