What Archers Can Learn From Elite Olympic Archers

Korean archer Lee Wooseok knew he had to shoot an arrow into the 4.8-inch diameter 10 hoop to win his opening match at the Olympics. The target was 76.5 yards away, and he had to judge the 5 mph crosswind and execute flawless form to score a 10. A win meant he could continue to chase his dream of a gold medal while his national anthem played; a loss would send him packing. No pressure, right?

As he prepared to shoot, his heart rate was at 70 beats per minute, stabilizing at 68 beats per minute as he reached full draw. Although aware of the stakes, he appeared calm as he shot that perfect 10. His opponent’s heart rate was 80 beats per minute, rising to over 100 as the match progressed. That rapid increase in beats per minute was like the swooshing lines of a lie detector, and it revealed his failure to prepare for the pressure.

Hitting the shots that count is what separates the winners from the losers, and that goes for archery too. There are many theories about how to hit those crucial shots, about as many as there are about why Korea is such a dominant force in olympic archery — they have won 27 gold medals so far plus two more in the 2024 games. I think there is one answer to both questions and that is the secret sauce that will undoubtedly help you prepare for this bow season.

In my opinion the secret of The dominance of Korea is in their preparation. It is said that it is harder to make the Korean Olympic team than to win a gold medal. There are only three spots on an Olympic archery team, and Korea has dozens of highly skilled archers. For example, Kim Woojin won the world championship prior to the 2012 Olympics but did not make the team.

Prepare in a pressure cooker

So Korean archers are always competing against other highly skilled archers. After years of doing that, a tough match is just another day at the office. They’ve learned through fire and fire how to hit the shots that matter. It’s a bit like running uphill your whole life and then running a race on flat ground.

As impressive as the Korean’s low heart rate is, they still get nervous. I saw that most in exciting matches during important shots. The difference is that when they get nervous, they still score high. The advantage of the pressure cooker is that you learn how nerves affect your shot and what you need to do to still execute it well.

To trust

Archery is not like weightlifting, where if you really try, you can manifest greatness. If you want to shoot exactly where you’re aiming, at a target or an animal, then there’s no point in really trying. Accuracy can’t be forced. Instead, you have to trust that if you execute each step of your shooting process correctly, the arrow will land in the right place. It’s a lot like Yoda’s quote, “Do it or don’t do it. There’s no trying.” But trusting that executing each step of your shot correctly will produce the desired result takes confidence.

That confidence comes from repeated success, both in practice and under pressure.

How to Develop Confidence in Your Shot

So you want to shoot like a Korean ace when a moose is bellowing 40 yards away or you need to thread the needle to tag a giant whitetail deer? The first step is to work on the basics of archery to the point where you have a shot that reliably places arrows where you aim. Then you need to test that shot under pressure. It could be a 3D tournament, shooting while your family boo you, or a bet between friends. You just need a situation that makes you nervous.

When you find yourself in that scenario where your heart rate is going up, don’t get caught up in hoping for an outcome. We can’t walk out to the range and put the arrow where we want it. So don’t focus on the outcome. Instead, focus on what you can control. The process of shooting. Trust that if you execute each part of your shot as you should, everything will work out.

Ideally, you shoot just like you do in practice. But you may fall apart and that’s okay. Figure out what went wrong, work on it in practice and test yourself again under pressure.

Keep pushing

If your manufactured pressure scenarios don’t make you nervous anymore, become an archery adrenaline junkie and look for higher stakes. One of the best ways is to compete in larger tournaments against better archers who can help you get ahead. It’s just like the high level of competition in Korea makes the archers better.

There is no substitute for the adrenaline rush and blackout-inducing nerves that come with shooting a live animal. But you can prepare for it and at the very least have the confidence that you have made great shots under similar conditions.

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