BUILD SLOWLY BUT SURELY IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP
It is stating the obvious to say the more you shoot leading up to the event, the more archery fit you will be and the more confident you will be about your shooting form. But don’t train for the sake of it without giving 100% to the session. When training, always have a purpose but keep it simple by working on only one issue at a time per session. Most top archers tend to scale down the number of arrows they shoot the week before a major tournament – but remember they also train every day. For the rest of us it might be hard just to find two nights a week to shoot, so the chances of overtraining are slight.
Archers shoot competitions in all weathers providing it is not dangerous, so it’s also a good idea to train when it is raining, very hot or windy. This way, you will be familiar with shooting in different conditions and more able to cope on competition day, whatever the weather. Some elite archers check the forecast and deliberately schedule training for bad weather. As an amateur, you may struggle to persuade yourself to do this, but any
