Day Nine: Online Archery Challenge: Honestly, Achieve Holding

Welcome to Day NINE of the Online Archery Carnival!

Read the May 24 post for information on the Carnival and how to participate.  Each Carnival Challenge will be communicated in the following format.

To participate, complete the challenge on any given day and use the scaled versions if needed.  Then, submit a video or photo of yourself to Instagram or Facebook or e-mail to Coach Kyle.  Your Facebook and Instagram accounts have to be public, not private, and you need to tag Instagram as @sattva_archery and #archerycarnival2020.  Facebook needs to get tagged as @sattvaarchery. If you want to submit via Facebook, post on your own page.

More information in the March 24 blog post.

Title

Honestly, Achieve Holding

Description of Challenge & Performance

• This challenge is designed to
  • 1) Build an archer’s conscious awareness of achieving holding physically.
    • If you don’t achieve physical Holding, do not continue with the shot cycle.  Let down.  Be honest.  Is it possible to actually achieve holding with your current form?  How about your current equipment (draw weight)? Be honest.
  • 2) Build an archer’s conscious awareness of achieving mental holding.
    • The shot cycle leading up to Holding makes our inner mental “waterscape” a little turbulent.  Once at Holding physically, let the mental waters calm and settle completely before moving on.  Be honest.  Do not move on to Expansion unless your mind is still (mental Holding).
    • EXAMPLE:  A high diver who is about to perform 3 front flips walks down the diving board (Transfer) to the very edge of the diving board (Physical Holding).  They are in the correct physical position at the end of the board to make the jump . . . but they do not jump.  They wait.  They are not aiming.  They wait.  They are waiting for their inner mental waterscape to settle down (Mental Holding).  When it is settled, the CHOOSE when to extend their legs/jump with the force and direction (Expansion) needed for the execution of 3 flips.
      • Refection on Example: It is absurd to imagine a high diver walking down the diving board to the edge of the board and then jumping right away in an attempt to execute 3 front flips.  I think it can be easily imagined, in this scenario, that this strategy of hasty launching would lead to failure of the goal.  Apply this concept to archery.  Get to the end of the board (physically) bu then wait (mentally) until you consciously choose expansion (which is also a sole focus on force and direction like the jump execution).
  • 3) Help archers consciously CHOOSE Expansion ONLY after achieving physical and mental holding.
    • Expansion leads to shot execution and, rather than being instantaneous, Expansion should last around 3 seconds.  Be honest.  Did you do it or did you release with your hand in the moment you wanted to?  Be honest.
• WARM UP
  • 60 seconds Up and Overs
  • 60 seconds Sit Ups or Crunches
  • 60 seconds Burpees
  • 60 seconds Jumping Jacks
  • 60 seconds of Side Planks, 30 seconds on each side
  • 60 seconds Squats
  • 60 Bridge Hold with Gluteal squeeze
• Archer uses Bow or Stretch Band
• 100 repetitions of the following (or used scaled options below)
• Archer reaches Holding physically (be conscious of this).. Will feel like you are bracing the bow open with your body.  Let down if not achieved.
• Archer finds Holding mentally (wait for this . . . be conscious of this . . . it won’t be instantaneous). Let down if not achieved.
• CHOOSE Expansion ONLY once your mental “waterscape” is calm and placid.
• NOTE: Archer must achieve skeletal alignment by end of Set Up and then consciously Load, Anchor, Transfer correctly in order to get to Holding and let the “waters” of the mind calm down, settle down to a point where you can confidently choose expansion.
• Use Assessment Form in section below to track progress

Knowledge Outcome

• Archer will know that Holding must be achieved both mentally and physically
• Archer will know that mental holding is a process, that takes patience, of letting the inner mental “waterscape” settle down.
• Archer will know that Expansion is a choice to begin, only after mental holding is found
• Archer will know that Expansion leads to shot executions and lasts 3 seconds, not instantaneous

Skill Outcome

• Archer will be able to feel Holding physically and be honest about whether or not the consciously achieved Holding
• Archer will be able to feel Holding mentally and be honest about whether or not they were conscious about finding mental Holding
• Archer will be able to honestly choose expansion, expand properly over 3 seconds.

Materials Needed

• Bow
• Stretch Band
• Could also do this with a bow and a shot trainer

Criteria for Assessment & Feedback

• Use the Assessment Form below to track your progress! If you had to let down at any point during the shot cycle, write that in the first column.  In the example below on the sample form, the archer did not achieve skeletal alignment by the end of Set Up – so they Let Down.  On the 3rd shot the Archer found Physical Holding but did not find Mental Holding – so the let down and wrote that in the first column.  On the 4th shot, the Archer honestly found physical holding, honestly found mental holding and chose expansion, which then lasted around 3 seconds leading to shot execution.  Hopefully that is enough of an example to get you going on how the Assessment Form can be used.
• Be Honest!  After all, one of Sattva’s meanings is honesty.  And, to not be honest with your own athletic development is a waste of time.

Scaled Options

• You could do more than 100 repetitions or as few as 25.
• Scale the Warm up if you want too!

Video or Photo Submission Criteria for this Challenge

• Photo: Get photo of you, while shooting, and maybe one of your target. Get photo of your Assessment Form pinned to target or some other cool location.
• Video: Video and arrow or two of you going through the shot cycle, getting to physical and mental holding, and choosing expansion.
• Post to Instagram and use #archerycarnival2020 and @sattva_archery (underscore). or to your Facebook page (make it public) and mention/tag @SattvaArchery (no underscore) ….or just e-mail or text Coach Kyle photos/videos.