If you’re going to get in your head, make sure nothing is in it.
I have a love/hate relationship with competitive archery. I cherish the meditative experience of shooting, the indescribable feeling of guiding my arrow to the target. However, when I bring these skills to a competition, the feeling of zen gives way to pressure.
Managing pressure is a skill I’m always working to improve. While I’m not an expert, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on the subject.
Be selfish
Life is more than just archery and competition. In our daily routines, we all balance our work or school lives with family responsibilities and other social commitments. We might arrive at the range frazzled from a hectic day, our minds cluttered with the tasks and worries that have accumulated.
At competitions, the noise, music and chatter can easily be distractions. You might find yourself in a situation where you are the last one on the shooting line and everyone is watching and waiting for you to finish your shot. It’s a pressure moment and the weight of all the eyes on you can feel embarrassing. Or maybe you’re simply hanging out with friends and their conversations draw you in. They ask you a question as you’re about to shoot. Our natural instinct is to care and to engage; we are not rude or selfish people.
In these moments, it’s crucial to give yourself permission to focus solely on your shot. The workday stresses, the music, the chatter - all of it can wait. For those 10 to 20 seconds, allow yourself to be completely selfish and tune out the world. It’s not about being self-centered. It’s about being centered and giving the moment your best effort.
Be objective
While focusing on our shot, it’s important not to let our attention focus exclusively on our anxieties. We mustn’t ignore them because then our anxieties cry out for attention. Similarly, feeding our anxieties only allows them to grow. As we block out the external distractions, we might become more aware of the unease in our body and the negative thoughts in our mind. Acknowledge those thoughts and feelings, but don’t engage with them. Let them pass.
In my experience with Toastmasters, a group dedicated to improving communication and leadership skills, we constantly navigate our nerves to effectively deliver our message to the audience. To be successful, we must acknowledge our anxieties and the impact they have on us. This means noticing if we’re speaking too quickly, losing our place, or feeling overwhelmed. Notice it, correct your pace, find your place, take a breath and continue.
Similarly in archery, let the worries pass. A thought must appear that tells you “You’re going to miss.” Acknowledge it as a simple thought rather than a fact: “I am having the thought I am going to miss.” Take a breath and center yourself rather than arguing with the thought. Focus on your shot process.
Chase the Pressure
One way learn this is to get more experience in high pressure situations. This means signing up for more archery competitions. This doesn’t mean you have to sign up for archery competitions that involve high costs and travel. You can participate in local, low-cost organized shoots like league nights or simply engage in friendly competitions with friends to steel your nerves.
I’ve found a great way to managing pressure is to seek it out in something challenging but something you’re not exactly attached to. For example, public speaking is extremely challenging for me. The thought of getting up on a stage and talking gave me nightmares. So I faced that fear head-on by joining Toastmasters. My experience with Toastmasters not only helped me grow my confidence in my communication skills but it also helped me objectively experience pressure. Of course, I want to be a better communicator. Do I want to be the best communicator in the world? Not as much as I want to the best archer in the world. I learned to be able to analyze my performance and my nerves without that desire to be the best. Try to find something challenging without the attachment.
Conclusion
The root to managing pressure is to be in the moment. It means focusing on the now, the task and processing the experience without judgment. This skill isn’t magically unlocked. Like a muscle, our ability to handle pressure is built through practice and experience. That means, we have to prepare for pressure by experiencing it and not hiding from it.