Bow hunting, like any other sports, needs both the physical and mental discipline of an athlete. The physical part comes into play because you need the strength and the right skills in archery. The mental part is the concentration needed to hit the target.

Focus

Just like any good athlete, you need to practice your shots. Like any other sport, no matter how excellent your sporting gears are, your accuracy still depends on your focus.

The world’s greatest athletes who are thought to be naturally gifted in their sports are the world’s most intensely focused personalities. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer are just some of them.

For one, focusing is said to be a skill. Just like any other skill, it can be developed and can be bettered through frequent practice, just like what you do with your muscles and your other physical skills.

As one expert said, a hunters preparation does not end in the physical preparation of shooting in the practice range. It should develop the mental mindset which might include, for instance, wearing the actual hunting clothes during the practice sessions.

Visualization

One proven way of improving ones focusing skill is through visualization. Discovered by old shamans before, visualization is now proven by clinical and sports psychology studies as a very effective performance-enhancer, especially in sports.

One way to improve your focus in bow hunting is to visualize your target buck present during your practice shots at the range. Imagine how your perfect shot hit your buck right where you want it.

You can visualize this scenario as many times as you want. Doing so will make you more confident. You will then be able to focus on where you want your arrow to be, instead of, say, the antlers.

When the big buck finally appears during the hunt and faces you, you will be able to look at nothing else but the place where you want your arrow to go. If you had visualized the double-long shot, there is a good chance you will achieve it in real time.

Accentuate the positive

Another discovery that increases the mental focus is the emphasis of positives instead of negatives. It had been shown that anything positive registers better and stays in the mind longer.

In times of stress, it is calming to say to oneself to “Keep quiet” than “Don’t make noise!” or to say “Stay calm” than say “Don’t be hasty!”

Mental discipline

You may not have the natural talents of our top world-caliber athletes. You can always use their mental training techniques and benefit from them. And bring your bow hunting skills one level up through mental discipline.