Mack S. February – Practice makes perfect. That’s what people say and it is true without a doubt. But what about practice helps things to become perfect? Is it the continuous aim for consistency, which all archers strive to achieve? Is it the analysis and understanding of the processes that come with the hours of repetition, or is it the muscle memory that’s gained? It’s all of that, yet none at all. Everything that was just mentioned is deeply rooted in one’s overall endurance and determination, and not to mention physical training. The drive to be better and the need to purposely practice. That’s what makes perfection in anything, not just archery.
Endurance is the ability to withstand hardships yet pursue. It refers to one’s stamina, physically and mentally. It’s what stops you from leaving after failing. Endurance gives you, through time, the process, the understanding, and the repetition within the sport. It’s what allows you to get better. Now, determination is the driving force of that endurance. It’s the want and the need within the equation to success. It’s the fire to climb higher after you drop. These, together, create the purpose and use of practice, along with the greatness that comes afterward.
With that, we can move onto the more physical side of perfection created by practice. That’s the movements and muscles that are trained. In archery, as many may know, consistency and repetition are some of the most important parts of the sport. We need to do the same thing over and over again to reach our perfection. So when archers practice it’s simple, you repeat the steps until you can’t. This may not seem like training, but it’s the use of the muscles and the repetition of the movements that are what’s important. From what I understand, when you constantly work and stretch these muscles in specific ways, the brain and body creates a pattern to follow. The pattern, along with the strength gained, is what helps keep an archer overall consistent in many aspects. For many archers, after participating for some time, the draw, set, and aim steps blend into one fluid motion. It, in a way, shows that the body knows instinctively where everything needs to go and what to do. This applies to one’s stance and form as well, or pretty much anything one has practiced enough.
Overall, I hope you better understand why practice is important, and not just for the physical aspects that come with it. But also the mental and emotional purposes too. Remember, there is more to it than just “practice”.
