Archery- Progress and Set Backs

In my last post on archery I discussed my return to the sport, my goal of moving to the 30m range by the end of April and certain technical issues for my to work through and improve. As an overall statement on my progress I would say that while there has been stable progress, it has not gone as quickly as I would have liked.

Regarding my strength I have developed since I began increasing my visits to the gym, and this has shown in my ability to control the release of the bow with stability. However I had not considered that archery uses the back muscles as well as the arms, possibly to a greater extent. To make up for this I will begin attempting more back and shoulder focused exercises like dumb bell holds and planking. Though I am glad that progress on this front has been made as I can now shoot for longer periods of time without rest and am capable of steadily using 28 pounds bows.

On the more technical of side things I have finally adjusted my technique to release my simply pulling back my hand and loosening my fingers rather than simply releasing them as I use to, through this I saw a definite improvement in the consistency of my shots. I do still occasionally forget to loosen and lower my shooting shoulder but I am focusing on losing that habit now.

I have unfortunately not met my goal of moving on to the 30m target by the end of May, but I no longer believe that goal was realistic to begin with. I will adjust this to the end of July. I hope to meet this goal with a number of minor improvements to my routines and technique, as well as an increased number of weekly sessions archery sessions during the coming summer break. I believe my initial goal of reaching 30m was somewhat overambitious, however as I said when  I began this activity, I hoped that it would help develop my focus and discipline along side my ability to persevere through challenging activities as I develop and grow to undertake new challenges. I do believe that it has helped me develop these values, and I will need to continue to exercise them to progress through the sport.