On the most basic and simple level, an archery athlete is anyone who participates in the sport of archery. However, simply showing up a range with bow in hand every once in awhile does not an archery athlete make.
Archery athletes must be engaged in their sport beyond just shooting every once in awhile or shooting mindlessly. It is not enough for an athlete to simply participate, they must wish to continuously excel. This takes the dedication to incorporate archery training into their daily routine and drive themselves to make progress each time they step up to the target.
If you’re on a mission to become an archery athlete, it’s important to establish the basics of a athletic archery routine.
What Makes Archery Athlete Routines?
- Practice Archery 4 or more times a week
Archery is a sport and, just as any other sport, practice is required. Unlike in a team activity where many people must be coordinated to reach a single goal, an archer must coordinate their bow, arrows, eyes, muscles, and brains to hit a single target.
Each practice session should last at least an hour. Remember, competition is great, but you’re going to spend a lot more time in practice so your experience should be fun and enjoyable!
- Complete Archery Exercises 3 or more times a week
Exercise does not have to take a large amount of time, but it’s a necessary element of being an archery athlete. A full workout, where the archer is sufficiently warming up and building muscle necessary to support proper shooting technique, can be a short as 30 minutes.
Archers should exercise for at least 3 times per week but not exercise so much that it causes injury or pain.
- Keep an Archery Diary
It is important to document changes and accomplishments in your archery life. Not only does it keep you organized and focused it can also serve as a motivational tool when the going gets tough. Looking back to where you began and comparing it to where you are now can reinforce the knowledge that whatever the obstacle it can be overcome with enough hard work.
Archery diaries also keep lots of specific information about equipment changes and tweaks, as well as workout routine information. Having an Archery Diary helps you pinpoint problems for progress or why something might not be working when you’ve made a change.
Archery is a sport of dedication and is a rewarding experience. To excel takes hard work and practice, but in the end seeing yourself make progress each time you go to a competition makes the effort worth it.