As 2022 is upon us, most people are starting to think about what they’re going to set as New Year’s resolutions. The problem, however, is that most of these goals are only followed for a couple months, maybe a couple weeks, or even just a few days. Here are a few archery New Year’s resolutions that are popular among archers; why they are normally given up before the year ends; and how to keep them going this year!
"I Want to Improve My Form"
This is a popular goal, but the reason it normally does not last the whole year is because this goal is too broad. Instead, think about your form and what you would like to improve- relaxing your bow hand, keeping your bow level and keeping both eyes open to aim could be a few ideas.
Then focus on correcting these smaller issues one at a time. For instance, if you choose to work on relaxing your bowhand, create a couple steps to achieve a relaxed bow hand. Try practicing these steps on a blank bale target. That way aiming is not a distraction. Once you’ve mastered the technique on a blank bale, then you can move to shooting at a target. When you have gained confidence on a target, move to scoring.
By accomplishing smaller goals that get you closer to your larger goal - I want to improve my form- you will be able to improve and maintain your form throughout the whole year.
"I Want to Eat Healthier"
“I want to eat healthier,” is another popular resolution that is set by many and quickly abandoned. A common misconception about eating healthy is that you have to go on a diet or that you have to immediately quit eating all unhealthy foods. These two misconceptions can make eating healthy unpleasant which can lead you to give up the goal.
Instead of thinking about eating healthy as a punishment or a diet that you are forced to commit to for the year, just think about eating healthy as portion controlling. Eating the correct amount of each type of food can help fill you up and keep you full throughout the day. These food groups are Fruits/Vegetables, Protein and Carbohydrates/Starches.
To create a balanced meal, make sure that half of your plate is filled with fruits and veggies. On the other side of your plate, section it off into quarters where one quarter is for protein and the other is for your carbohydrates. A misconception about carbohydrates and starches is that they are unhealthy and should not be eaten at all. This is not true as they are important to a balanced diet and are good for you as long as you portion them correctly.
Finally, you will also not have to give up on unhealthy foods completely. Instead of having a large piece of cake for dessert, have a small piece of chocolate. When you are craving something sweet, instead of eating a full cookie, try only eating half of the cookie. View these as sweet treats that you can eat once or twice a week, rather than every day.
“I Will Keep a Log of My Equipment”
Last but not least, keeping an equipment log is another goal that archers often set, but frequently abandon. Since keeping an equipment log can be time consuming, some archers will try to simply commit it to memory.
The problem with trying to remember everything about your archery equipment is that the more formats of archery you shoot, the more equipment you will have to remember. Where this can become a problem is when you are just finishing up a season like outdoor and then want to switch to indoor. It can be tough to remember your equipment, especially smaller pieces of equipment like arrow components, after taking a long break.
An equipment log is an easy way to write down exactly what equipment you have and what equipment you are currently using. This way, when it comes time to order new arrow components, buy a new peep, or replace a new blade for your rest, you will know exactly which one to get.
In addition to using this solely as a log to track what equipment you are using, you can use this log to take down notes about your equipment. Information like the brace height of your recurve bow, the measurement between your peep and D-loop on your compound bow, or the length of your arrows are all good to include. Now when you need to work on your equipment or you are bringing in your equipment for a tech to work on, there is no question as to how the equipment has been set up previously.