Positive Thinking?

[Desert Archer]

My wife is a dog person, meaning she has dogs, she trains dogs and competes with dogs (agility/schutzhund/obedience). She's been reading a good bit lately about positive thinking and how it can affect the performance of both the handler and the animal. She knows I've been struggling with my indoor league shooting so she's telling me about this positive thinking stuff.

Now it sounds fine unless you've spent you life being somewhat cynical (you could also call it being a smart ass). Since I shoot by myself most of the time I am used to having a running commentary going on my performance. As you can imagine, it is seldom complimentary. Can simply changing my thinking during practice actually change my performance? Also, one of the authors she read makes a big deal of not verbalizing negativity, which leads to the question: should I shut up while I'm practicing?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Dave

[Papabull]

Positive thinking can't hurt. If there's one thing I know, it's that you can't worry yourself into a high score.

[Viper]

Dave -

That's pretty standard practice in the sports psychology section of most text books. It's been proven enough times so it's not that debatable. One of the best works on the topic is Lanny Bashams "With Winning in Mind".

There is a caveat, though, that most beginners forget. The positive thinking thing has to be based in reality. You can't go out with no training or skill and think yourself into the winner's circle. First, you have to believe that your training will work and then you have to believe that you can make the shot because of the preparation you've done.

If you don't believe you're going toi win - you ain't. Likewise, if you believe the other guy is a better shot thay you, he will be.

VIper out.

[Martin Farrent]

There's a difference between positive thinking and magic thinking, which is routinely ignored by the prime advocates of 'positive thought' (New Age style).

Positive thinking: I can do it, if I do it right.
Magic thinking: I can think it into happening.

Best,

Martin

[bcoulter]

It works. I've proven it to myself many times in golf. The mind responds to negative thoughts very strongly. Bob Rotellas books are great; "Golf is not a game of Perfect" and others. Golf oriented but definetly other applications.

As Tony said, your confidence has to be based on reality (practice and hard work). Basically you should put all of your focus into the shot, like nothing else matters, believe that you can do it because it's a high percentage shot you've practiced many times. Let the shot go, in more ways than one. It's gone, the results dont matter, onto the next one.

Bob states that the mind doesn't recognize "no", or "don't" very well. FOr instance, if I'm standing over a golf shot with a long carry over water the worst thought I can have is "Don't hit it in the water", my mind hears "hit it in the water" and I've increased my odds of doing just that. A better approach is to pick a target on the other side, think "I'm going to land the ball right there" .....it works, believe me.

A negative archery thought might be "Don't pluck the string", a positive thought would be "A nice clean release".

He's also big on a repeatable, consistent pre-shot routine. This puts you in the zone to perform, builds confidence because its the same routine for every shot, in practice or performance.

[Lane Puckett]

Dave it is a big deal. A really big deal. Without the basics though it isn't useful. Then you need to get into the details of shooting.

Then when you get to the level you are at it is a really, really, really big deal.

I always tell myself I can tear myself down or build myself up.

The choice is my own.

I find that when I tear myself down I can end up with a good shot, or a really great shot, but not a LONG STRING of great shots. When I'm building myself up I can end up with a LONG STRING of really great shots. The best part I find is the feeling after that.

[Joe -->]

I have a positive hunch that negative thinking is the perfect foundation for target panic.

[Grizzly]

I like what Bill said about putting all your thought into whaterver is at hand, in this case the shot. And, it's not so much just thought. We think of thought as an active process that we participate in, where as in this case, thought is a distraction from the shot. A very distructive distraction from the shot. i dont believe you can be thinking about the shot at the same time you are supposeded to be executing the shot without harming and weakening the shot. When I am shooting my best, I am totally absorbed in shooting and the shot. I am not distracted by score or what others are doing or by what I "think" I should be doing.

I know this seems to go against all the pre shot routines we read and all the analysis of form and shots. But all that stuff should be done as part of the learning process, not the shot process. One is in the past, one is in the present. If the first combines with the second, you weaken the shot.

So, DA, I do believe that keeping a running comemtary on our shooting is destructive to good shooting at the time of the shot. I seriously doubt that Officer Cerillo was thinking how to hold his pistol, how much trigger pull was necessary, what loads would be best, where to place the shot for the most effect etc, etc, when he shot those three armed men. To be fast enough to beat them all to the shot, and shoot accurately also, would to my thinking, mean his total awareness was given to what he was doing at that moment in the present. Ever notice after any such experience,and it doesnt have to be life threatening, a good shot that you are totally into will do, how when it's over we always go : whew, that was awsome?? I think it's because of the feeling of total absorbsion in the moment that creates in us an awareness of something special that just happened. We need to cultivated this in all aspects of life, I believe.

[Grizzly]

And, I might add, everytime I go whew after executing the Perfect? (lets say good shot) where there was no distraction, just total absorbtion and focus, the act of acknowledging it with the whew, seems to destroy being able to continue shooting with the same amount of focus. It seems to break down and distract from how to do it right by bringing you back to thinking about it. Fun, huh??

[Grizzly]

I like what Bill said about putting all your thought into whaterver is at hand, in this case the shot. And, it's not so much just thought. We think of thought as an active process that we participate in, where as in this case, thought is a distraction from the shot. A very distructive distraction from the shot. i dont believe you can be thinking about the shot at the same time you are supposeded to be executing the shot without harming and weakening the shot. When I am shooting my best, I am totally absorbed in shooting and the shot. I am not distracted by score or what others are doing or by what I "think" I should be doing.

I know this seems to go against all the pre shot routines we read and all the analysis of form and shots. But all that stuff should be done as part of the learning process, not the shot process. One is in the past, one is in the present. If the first combines with the second, you weaken the shot.

So, DA, I do believe that keeping a running comemtary on our shooting is destructive to good shooting at the time of the shot. I seriously doubt that Officer Cerillo was thinking how to hold his pistol, how much trigger pull was necessary, what loads would be best, where to place the shot for the most effect etc, etc, when he shot those three armed men. To be fast enough to beat them all to the shot, and shoot accurately also, would to my thinking, mean his total awareness was given to what he was doing at that moment in the present. Ever notice after any such experience,and it doesnt have to be life threatening, a good shot that you are totally into will do, how when it's over we always go : whew, that was awsome?? I think it's because of the feeling of total absorbsion in the moment that creates in us an awareness of something special that just happened. We need to cultivated this in all aspects of life, I believe.

[Desert Archer]

Worked on this PT business yesterday on the target range at 60m and today on the patio at 20 yards. Nope, the earth didn't move and I didn't start shooting 10s and Xs. I did learn some things that worked a little for me, but will need more work to make them a part of my shot sequence.

My biggest problem with being positive is the bad shots. I have always tried to figure out what went wrong, i.e. what I did wrong. That's too much negativity from what I hear and am reading. My barebow recurve shooting partner Richard suggested concentrating on one of the aspects of the shot sequence. This on the theory that if your thinking about one thing, back tension for example, you can't be thinking about the last shot you screwed up.

I found that this "thinking of something else" needs to start pretty early. Right after the shot if you can manage it but for sure after pulling the arrows. Dwelling on that 5 that should have been a 10 except you torqued the bow does no good and won't change into a 10 no matter how much you chew on it.

The other thing I am starting to believe is the whole business of verbalizing positive thinking. This morning, when I started actually saying to myself "I can do this." aloud I did see some improvement. A few more 9s & 10s and a few less 6s. Not setting the world on fire but there was progress.

Interesting stuff. I'm going to keep working on it.

Dave

[bcoulter]

My biggest problem with being positive is the bad shots. I have always tried to figure out what went wrong, i.e. what I did wrong. That's too much negativity from what I hear and am reading. My barebow recurve shooting partner Richard suggested concentrating on one of the aspects of the shot sequence. This on the theory that if your thinking about one thing, back tension for example, you can't be thinking about the last shot you screwed up.



Dave


There certainly is a time for analyzing what went wrong. Practice is the time to work on (work out) faults. When you're trying to shoot a score is another thing. When you're measuring your performance, either alone or in competition, is the time to avoid the negative thoughts.

You can certainly address a fault in a positive manner while "competing." A "swing thought" or "form thought" just needs to be positive instead of negative.................."feel the back tension" vs. "Don't collapse."

[Free Range]

One reason for not ever ending a practice session on a bad shot. I always end my shooting on a good shot. Positive reinforcement.

[mulheisen]

When my kid shot on a JOAD team his coaches made with "Winning in Mind"
mandatory reading. The part where Basam talks about befriending Daryl Pace
and his positive thinking makes you think about how too apply the positive attitude in all aspects of your life not just in sports.
Mike

[Highlander]

I think the whole thing is about PMA:

Positive Mental Attitude

Sure we all tend to the questionable when things go astray, and beat ourselves up to different levels on negative factors, and yes the tendency is to compare yourself to a shooter who you think is better, or worse even.

The bottom line though, is your approach to your shooting, it has to be positive in all aspects, it is hard, but take what you can from all happenings, even the negative ones and give credit where credit is due, don’t worry about the person shooting next to you whether he is better or worse, just be the best you can be in what you do with your archery equipment, and learn from any source that’s available.

If you eliminate as much as possible of the negative thinking, at least until you go home for starters, you should be on to a winner, as for magic thinking it’s a vague term, but in basis its likened to the brain influencing physical surrounding’s but if your style (for want of a better term) was of such like as a: Want to hit the spot method, then this in itself could fall in the magic enclosure.

There is nothing wrong in being positive in any method but there is the possibility of comparable overestimation, and severe negative repercussions later, if you delve to deeply to soon.

Positive thinking: I can do it, if I do it right.

It is never good to use a questionable statement in a positive approach!

Positive thinking: I can do it, when I do it right.

Just don’t worry when you don’t, look at like this, its probably 100 times better than the worst shot you ever did, and if its not you have just set a new bench mark for later comparisons, this is not a reason to let things slip though!

H.

Being positive is negating negativity therefore positivity becomes negative as in the existence of one lies the other!

[bcoulter]

Yup Highlander :D

[Highlander]

Try as I may Bill, PMA does nothing for my artistry skills!


H

[SteveGabriel]

The most important thing is knowing the difference between a positive mental attitude and mental masturbation.
PMA keeps you focused on your goals while MM is self explanatory.

My AA sponsor once told me that my goal should be progress rather than perfection. I found it is a simple yet effective way of reaching achievable goals.

[Desert Archer]

...my goal should be progress rather than perfection.

I read someplace concerning archery, to think about process (shot execution) instead of product (score). Sounds like the same advice you were given Steve.

Dave

PS: I find this extremely difficult to do throughout a whole round of competition.

[SteveGabriel]

I find this extremely difficult to do throughout a whole round of competition.

Perfection = concentrating on shot execution throughout a whole round of competition.

Progress = concentrating on shot execution for 1 shot/end more than last time.

The concept is simple, but remember simple doesn't mean easy. :)

[Ghost Dog]

You have to assume the arrow will reach it's target. You can't wonder, or hope. Come to full draw, look at the spot, and send the arrow home. If I make it sound too simple it is because fundamentally it is simple. We just clog it up with fears and doubts.

[Papabull]

You've got a point there, Ghostdog. Once we've achieved a level of skill where we do know how to draw, anchor and aim and the arrow goes where we want it to as long as we don't screw up, then we consciously have the tools to get the job done and the rest is all about coercing the subconscious into cooperating and getting along with the program. It's not that positive thinking will make us shoot any better than we can actually shoot. It's more that negativity and/or doubt will torpedo us, keeping us from performing to the potential we've worked to achieve. You may miscalculate and miss the shot with the most positive of thinking, but you won't blow the shot that you SHOULD make because of ducking, flinching, collapsing, peeking, geeking, plucking, dropping and all the rest of the crap that comes along with a shot where confidence isn't there.

Simply learning to trust your shooting is the key. You may not shoot a perfect score by attaining perfect confidence, but you won't drop points over unnecessary foibles. Simple as pie conceptually, but somewhat difficult and usually something that requires some effort and brain training in order to achieve. Most of us are programmed to sell our selves short and we've got to hack that code and rewrite it in order to overcome that.