Preparing for the State Indoor Tournament

Tournament Preparation

A Dozen Helpful Tips

1. Archery should be fun – learn how to recover from having shot a bad arrow, don't let the next arrow shot become part of that recovery process. Breath, settle the emotions, remember that archery is a game that kids love to do without any thought what-so-ever. Look at it like that when the mental going gets tough. Professionals learn to immediately get over a poor shot - don't sigh or mumble, accept it and move on.

2. When you practice, practice - be business-like when you are getting prepared and make it a routine. Don't think about what others are doing, don't coach others, and learn to block out the distractions. If you are serious go so far as to completely stay out of discussions or distractions that have little or nothing to do with your getting better as an archer. Focus on your form and archery.

3. Know when to pack it in when practicing - don't continue to practice once you begin to tire or feel distracted. Practice while you can retain repeatable form and not an arrow thereafter.

4. Muscle memory is the key - through practice teach your muscles by repeating your shot execution identically; shoot each arrow like the one before. Practice with a blank bale, without a target. Focus on how the shot should feel. Even try shooting with your eyes closed. During the tournament rely on your muscle memory to get you past the nerves and onto the podium.

5. Use visualization to see yourself succeeding - put yourself in the best possible frame of mind before each shot, visualize the preparation, the form, the follow-through, and the shot into the bullseye. Decide to win well before you actually do!

6. Balance your form on the first shot - balance between your bow arm and your pulling arm is essential, get this tuned in on the very first shot of the practice end. Push directly towards the target, keep your shoulder down. Proper balance across your body will prevent those jerks and hiccups when you release. Without balance other forces will appear that will throw the shot off.

7. Shoot every shot like it is your last - the idea is not to stress out over it but to shoot each arrow with the absolute maximum amount of commitment that you can muster. Commit to your training and to the bullseye.

8. Prepare, prepare, prepare - half of archery is about preparation, is your equipment in top shape, do your have all the incidentals that you'll need up on the line? Do you know the rules?

9. Shoot your average - evaluate your tournament experience in relation to your average score at leagues and other tournaments. Don't try harder when behind or relax when ahead, stay intent on shooting each arrow as you would every other.

10. Tune your equipment - get your equipment tailored to your body and style. Is your draw length correct? Is your peep turning out? Is your draw weight suitable for the shooting of an entire tournament of arrows?

11 Keep your pin on the bullseye until the arrow hits it - focus on this, it will ensure proper follow-through. Laziness will make you begin to take this for granted, fight it!

12. Create a reminder list and stick it to your bow - put on it all the things in order that you need to do to get the arrow into the bullseye. Where are your feet? Things to remember while drawing. anchor point, etc.

A Participants Guide to the 2013 MSAA State Indoor

An article from a 2013 Minnesota Arrow edition

The MSAA State Indoor Archery Tournament will be held on April 6th and 7th at the Four Seasons Center in Owatonna and is being hosted by the Faribault Archery Club (FAC). FAC hosted the Indoor at the same location in 2007. To participate at the Indoor each archer must first shoot a Regional Round score in each class that they want to shoot in. Regionals will be held on the weekends of January 26th & 27th, and February 2nd & 3rd, at sites across the state.

The official Regional and State Indoor round is the MSAA 300 60x Round on the blue five or single spot face.

Regional Rounds are hosted by MSAA affiliated clubs and shops and their event contact information are listed on the website. A Regional score enables the MSAA to flight each archer for the Indoor. Flighting places archers into groups of similar ability and each flight competes for its own awards. Following the Regional Round each archer will receive by mail an Indoor invitation that will show the flight that they are in and the line time when that flight will be competing at the Indoor. An archer can shoot their Regional scores at any location that they chose, and they do not have to be a member of any club or shop that is holding the event.

Only one Regional Round score in each MSAA class that an archer is competing in is required but they may shoot two scores if they choose to with the highest score being used for flighting purposes. An archer’s Regional fee covers the shooting of both scores. Archers need to make sure to let their Regional host know the number of scores they intend to shoot so that the host can reserve line assignments for them.

An archer can compete in multiple classes but needs to shoot both of their Regional scores in each class (if they chose to shoot two) at the same Regional location, and over the same Regional weekend. In a single class an archer cannot shoot one of their scores at one location and their second at another, and they cannot shoot one score on the first weekend and the other on the second – no matter if the location happens to be the same. A typical example is when an archer competes in Male Freestyle (MFS) and Bowhunter Male Freestyle (MBHFS). The archer in this case might shoot both of his MFS scores at one location on the first weekend and his MBHFS scores at another location (or the same if the round is being hosted again) on the second weekend. Incidentally, there is some advantage in competing in multiple classes – many Freestyle and Bowhunter Freestyle archers compete in both because in general (with some exceptions) the line scheduling alternates; Freestyle on one day and Bowhunter Freestyle on the other. Shooting multiple classes in this way makes a weekend out of it instead of just one day. Please be warned, that in general the FS and BHFS alternating day rule holds, but in some cases, due to class conflicts, the MSAA may need to schedule some classes on the day that in general they would not otherwise be. The MSAA cannot be held responsible for scheduling conflicts in the case where participants shoot multiple classes.

Each archer must fill out all the Regional registration and scorecard paperwork at the Regional event. If a participant needs to renew their MSAA membership they can do so at the Regional site as well. Each participant needs to understand the importance of filling out all information completely and correctly. If the MSAA has a question with regard to a participant’s Regional score they will need to be able to contact that person quickly – please make sure that all information is accurate and legible.

Each archer must understand where they belong division and classwise. The Regional host can help with this and the archer need not worry that they have to figure this out on their own. Divisions deal with the age groups of archers and classes deal with the equipment used.

Regional Round fees are $20 for Adults and Young Adults, $10 for Youths, Cubs and Midgets, with a $50 Family Maximum. The Family Maximum applies to both parents and dependents only. If an archer shoots in more

than one MSAA class they can only use one fee when working up to each Family Maximum.

MSAA 300 Round rules, MSAA Divisions/Classes policy, and MSAA Equipment rules apply to the Regional and the Indoor tournament. Each Regional site is mailed a packet that contains these documents and several others that will help them run the event. Also within the Regional package, there is an abbreviated explanation of the MSAA 300 Round rules. The MSAA requests that the Regional Round hosts read the abbreviated rules to the participants on each line. The reading of the abbreviated rules will add consistency to the State Indoor process and will re-enforce MSAA rules through the Regional process on up to the State Indoor itself.

Each Regional host needs to understand the importance of getting their results back to the MSAA Secretary as quickly as possible. The Secretary must enter and organize the results into a spreadsheet and the Field Vice- President must then flight the results. For this to be done correctly care must be taken to ensure that results are correct and complete – in other words this takes time. It is also vitally important that results be published in time for participants to make their arrangements after they have been made aware of their line time. Following the flighting of the results time must be allowed for the published results to also settle as the MSAA works to resolve the inevitable and minor issues. Please get Regional results into the MSAA Secretary as soon as possible following the Regional event – a note in the Regional packet reiterates the importance of this.

Once a participant has shot a Regional event, and after all of the Regional scores have been entered, organized, flighted, and published, a State Indoor invitation letter will be mailed to each Regional participant. The Indoor invitation will show the participant their Regional score and MSAA Division/Class, and will specify their State Indoor flight and line time. The State Indoor invitations should arrive well before the State Indoor itself, and if a participant has not received theirs by the first week of March they should go to the MSAA website – www.mnarchery.org - for announcements with regards to the invitations or contact the MSAA Secretary.

Regional results will be frozen 10 days before the State Indoor and no modifications shall be allowed thereafter.

State Indoor fees for all participants (except Open Class) are $20, the Open Class is $50 ($30 applied to purse payout), the Family Maximum is $50, practice is $5, and late registration is $5 per participant. The Family Maximum applies to both parents and dependents only. If a participant shoots in more than one MSAA class they can only use one fee when working up to the Family Maximum. March 29th, 2013 is the pre- registration deadline; registrations received after shall have the $5 late fee attached including those received at the door.

State Indoor practice will be held on Friday the 5th. Depending on the line arrangements morning practices may be added. Morning practice will close one-half hour before the beginning of the morning line.

The Faribault Archery Club is hosting an archers banquet on Saturday the 6th at the tournament venue.

Please get your MSAA State Indoor pre- registration and ticket orders in early. Getting this out of the way quickly is a great help to the planners of the events – plus the banquet will most likely sell out. A form to do so will be in the February/March issue of The Minnesota Arrow, and on the MSAA website.