Today’s Archery Knowledge Gems come from the Mother Ship of Archery Science articles:
The Archery On-Line Bibliography!
While nowhere near as quirkily endearing as the Archery Library we explored yesterday, the AOLB (an acronym I shall use henceforth as the actual name is too blasted long to type more than once) is a fabulous resource, replete with tons of technical studies, articles on the history of every conceivable item in the Archer’s Bat-Belt, bow tuning methods galore, everything you’d ever want to know about arrows (or not), and my personal favorite: “How To Throw A Spear On A String.”
I located a visual of the gear you’ll need in case you decide to do that >>>>
With great trepidation (and only so you don’t have to), I delved into some of the technical articles.
/Sigh….
Why can’t scientists write in plain English? So many “scholarly” articles appear to me to be deliberately obfuscatory — oops, now I’m doing it. Sorry.
My first foray was into “The Effect of Caffeine On Archery Performance.” While the study was not terribly well constructed, the outcome was intriguing. Caffeine, in this study, had no significant effect on the archers’ performances; if anything, their scores may have dropped slightly under the pernicious influence of the evil Coffea arabica plant. Apparently the increase in concentrating ability was offset by the jitters.
(Note to self: must cut coffee consumption to 8 or fewer cups a day.)
The second article I read looked at heart rate as correlated to shot accuracy. The first finding was jaw-dropping: experienced archers shoot better than inexperienced ones. (Wow. I’d never have guessed.) The second, and MUCH more applicable finding, was that experienced archers show less neurological arousal. They keep their heart rates lower and they keep the fight-or-flight reaction at bay.
In a word, they Zen.
Quick scans of several other articles fell in line with this. EEG measurements, Quiet Eye analysis, and the effectiveness of neurofeedback training all came back to the same place:
Chill out >>> Shoot better.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking. “I KNOW I have to achieve calm when I’m shooting — what I don’t know is how to do it!” Yeah, I don’t know either. However, from one short research session, I got this much: Meditate, Breathe, spank your inner moppet, whatever…
…because whatever stresses you are carrying around will be right there when you pick up your bow. Balance and contentment in life will likely translate to your archery performance. It’s as much about inner peace as it is about technical skill.
Get Happy!
Related articles
- He! He! Archer, Ho! (missingmarble.com)
- Brady Ellison, a Donut and Science (missingmarble.com)
I’ve “heard” that a couple of glasses of wine will help you chill out-especially during a tournament!
With the caveat that (being Newbie Archer Girl) I have only Newb knowledge, I would agree that a couple of glasses of wine are a great way to chill, especially if you happen to have a good Napa cab around the house!
I can’t help but feel dismay, however, at the thought of mixing alcohol with lethal weapons — and that aside, there’s no escaping the fact that alcohol impairs response time and disinhibits emotions, neither of which will aid the Archer. IMHO, the Archer Chill should come from the inside, from a place of health and solidity; not from the Instant Gratification approach inherent in that smokey Merlot.
Happy to join you for glass afterwards, though!
Actually, in my brief time as a reservist, I was on our regimental rifle, pistol and submachinegun teams and the more experienced shooters always maintained that you shot your best while under the influence of a hangover. Just saying….
Interesting! However, a hangover, by definition, comes AFTER the intoxication. Still. I can’t imagine how your head would feel with a hangover and that level of noise… Ouch!
When I shoot rifles, shotguns or bows however, I always take a few minutes to breathe, relax and clear my mind first. Stress kills my accuracy.
Amen, and hallelujah!