WHAT I LEARNED BEING AN ARCHERY CHAMPION

Archery gold medals - reduced.jpg

In my life I’ve been British archery champion, twice, held 9 national records and have been a certified archery coach. That’s great for a bit of bragging rights but what did I learn?

Success requires perseverance
I’d been an archer for a few years before deciding to raise my game. When I started to go higher I quickly realised that it wasn’t going to be easy and there was no giving up, especially in those times when progress seemed to stand still.

Success requires focus
As my archery skills were improving, the need for focus became all the more important. Being distracted at the smallest things around you stops your progression. In practice, I used to actually close my eyes before I released the arrow. Yep, I know that sounds a bit insane releasing an arrow travelling at 230 feet per second with my eyes closed but trust me, it was safe LOL Doing that though helped me maintain laser-sharp focus.

Success requires time
My rise to archery fame was relatively short, zero to 2nd in the UK and then British champion. It still took me just under 2 years until I had that gold medal and those 9 national records. Unless you’re exceedingly fortunate, success will take time and you need to learn patience.

Success requires fun
Throughout my archery ‘career’, whether I was just playing with it or whether I was competing seriously, one element that NEVER left me was the sense of fun. the loss of that fun element was the reason I stopped competing eventually. Never lose that feeling of enjoyment and fun when you’re pushing towards success.

Success requires you being knee-deep in shit to get things done
SO many times on tournaments I had to shoot in rain and wade through mud. I’ve shot i brain so hard that it was running of my bow, arrow and nose like a river, I’ve gone sliding down a muddy hillside, holding my bow in the air to protect it, while competing in the Rhondda Valley in Wales. I’ve got stuck in mud and almost lost my footwear in it. All this is required if you want to be successful. You have to learn to wade in mud and shit before you can ride in the limo.