Target panic is a very real issue that many, if not all, archers will face in their lifetime. And while it is common knowledge that you can get it, not many people know how to fix it. But as a former sufferer of target panic, here are the best ways to correct and prevent target panic for good. 

Learn to control your mind 

The reason shooters get target panic is because they have let their subconscious take over the shot rather than having their shot be at the front of their mind. This leads to them not thinking through the shot and punching it the second their pin hits the target.

So how do you fix it? There are three ways, and I recommend doing all three, to go about it:

The first is to have a line to repeat through the shot. This can be as complex as “Get on target, okay, now focus, start to aim, now push and pull”. Or you can keep it as simple as repeating “push, pull”. It is best to experiment with whatever you keep you are target the best. It doesn’t matter what the phrase is as long as it keeps you thinking about your shot execution. 

The second is to not panic. You’re probably thinking: “Yeah what do you think I’m trying to do”, but it is rather complex in practice. It is easy to get on target, start to get settled into your shot, and, once you start shaking, rush your shot. The easiest thing to do is prepare yourself before you even draw your bow back. Take a few deep breaths and let your muscles relax. Tell yourself that you aren’t going to rush the shot and that it doesn’t matter what gets in your way, you are going to shoot at your own pace.

The third, and most helpful for me, is to learn to stop yourself. You should be able to stop your shot process at any point and this is important cause when your shot starts to get away from you, you need to be able to stop, readjust, pull yourself back, and make the shot. So next time you shoot, get close to the target, relax, and once your shot starts to get away from you, let off the trigger and get back on target or even let down. 

Blind bail shooting 

Weird enough, one of the most helpful ways to cure target panic is by closing your eyes and shooting. And I don’t mean to do this any further than 3 yards. You see one of the biggest problems with overcoming target panic is it is not an aiming issue, but rather an issue with your release.

To overcome this issue, you can do blind bail shooting. To blind bail shoot, you’ll get very close to your target, 2-3 yards, draw back, put your pin in the middle of the target, close your eyes, and only focus on your release rather than aiming. Doing this will allow you to slow down your shot and really focus on getting a good execution. Ideally, you do this before every time you shoot, but doing this once or twice a week will greatly decrease your target panic. 

An easy alternative to blind bail shooting would be shooting with a shot trainer. These can be as simple as a piece of string with two loops, to essentially a bow handle with a string and level such as this one, or as complex as ones such as the Accubow. Shot trainers are another good way to cure target panic if you can’t get to the range every day. 

Preventing target panic 

While fixing target panic is fairly simple, keeping target panic away is more difficult. Once we start shooting good again, it is easy to, once again, let your subconscious take over. So here are some ways to prevent it.

One of the best ways to prevent target panic is to make your shot nearly uncontrollable. This can be done in just about any manner you can imagine. You can run, touch the target, run back, then shoot, or shoot on one leg, or shoot at ranges far past where you are comfortable shooting game. These will test your patience and ability to control your shot process. 

Another good way to prevent target panic it to change the settings on your release. This can be done by changing the trigger travel or the trigger weight. By doing this, you are changing the way you will go through your shot process further increasing your control over your shot process. 

Conclusion 

Target panic, while common, is actually fairly easy to fix. It is a condition that is caused by the subconscious mind taking control over your shot and once you fix the way you think, you will most likely fix the way you shoot. 

Additionally, preventing target panic can be just as simple. As long as you are consistently putting yourself outside of your comfort zone when you shoot and you maintain constant execution through shot, you will keep target panic away.