and naturally this 3rd version does not read as brialliantly 
- the computer will be panicking and be a Target if it crashes a 3rd time 
Yes Greybeard I cut and Paste from Office
I've read with interest reference's made to Target Panic on other threads over a period of time and last weekend at the North Albert Rendezvous I talked with folks and the common point seemed to be they where stressing about shooting in a competitive environment.
This thread is an insight into what gave me the tools required to subdue Target Panic, not eliminate it. If I'm shooting poorly or Target Panic rears it's head still, it's because I have forgotten a basic principal I'll describe soon. The other thing that happens as a result is that my conscious mind takes over and messes things up
I think it was Asham [ no doubt Grahame A will correct me ] that suggested the whole point of shooting a Bow and Arrow was to hit the mark. True it's desired and makes us feel warm and fuzzy but should it be the primary focus?
I believe hitting the mark needs to be a secondary focus. The main focus should be developing the form and most importantly Shot Sequence to be able to consistently hit the mark. Stressing about hitting the mark in my view breeds anxiety which is only a hop skip and jump away from Target Panic.
I fought through it for years, it has cost me National titles and records [ note I cost me ] 2 nd again ggrrrrrrrr . It's caused me [ note I caused me ] to miss trophy game and I've had to buy many a round of drinks because I suffer from it.
In 05, my last full competition year [ Thanks Mandy ] Target Panic took over early. I pushed through it and was not satisfied despite being on track to meet the targets I set along the way to my ultimate Goal for that competition year.
I finally realised on a hunting trip after a series of blown shots at a Goat I was focused on the end result, not the lead up to it. It rang home on the field coarse as well. I pondered and finally realised I needed to get back to basics and build confidence in my Shot Sequence. Your Shot sequence must be repeatable, otherwise it's not possible to shoot consistently. I was paying it lip service only.
What is the shot sequence, simply it's the series of steps you take along the way to loosing an arrow. For those technically minded have a look at this link. http://www.kslinternationalarchery.com/ ... glish.html . Some may say not relevant to Traditional archery barebow style , think again and adapt the basic principal
I'm also overly competitive by Nature. My missus recons being a Virgo, perfectionist and Anal retentive as well so I have a myriad of ways to screw things up if things don't go right.
So I simply changed my focus from striving to hit the mark to perfecting a Shot sequence and recording the number of "in the zone shots" I experienced each time I shot be it practice, comp or bowhunting.
I also switched from keeping track of my scores and using this as a means to measure my improvement / indicator of meeting targets along the way to Goals to recording the number of "in the zone shots" in a notebook I carried.
End result of developing a good repeatable [ still a work in progress] shot sequence I near quadrupled the number of "in the zone shots" I exceeded every target and meet my major Goal for that 3DAAA comp year. I nailed a couple of good pigs and Goats out hunting. At the end of the year I checked my scores against the previous several years and had improved from averaging sub 50 to high 60's
So give it a go folks, even without as much practice as I need to do by developing my shot process to the point of it becoming ingrained I still manage to shoot well enough to keep me happy most of the time
The reality here is that if you want to shoot under competitive conditions the time will come when you will be required to perform in front of a large number of people. Many people struggle to shot with any noise in the background I suggest that you learn to ignore the crowd and other things early. No matter what is said the only thing that is controlling the shot is you - not the crowd. The SQAS Field Range is an excellent training ground for learning how to deal with unexpected. The Field Range is close to the Shooting line of one of the Big Bore ranges at Belmont. There is nothing quite like the sound and feel of a big bore competition occurring at the same time as you are shooting field. At full draw and just about to release and someone fires there Big Bore rifle or small cannon. You just have to learn to ignore it. If you struggle with one camera how would be with the worlds cameras on you at the finals of the Olympics against a Korean or Chinese archer - there supporters bring whistles to help you concentrate.
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