the moment. Our focus is everywhere it shouldn’t be instead of observing and just doing in the present mo- ment. Face your fears, iden- tify them as nothing more than obstacles that we con- struct within our own minds, and then turn your focus away onto positive topics. You must look toward for- ward progress, rather than look over your shoulder at what you fear. While it is important to ac-
knowledge the presence of fear, anger, doubt, and other emotional blocks, it is even more important that we not fi xate on those aspects. Too often, we get stuck with our focus on the fear. Instead, move forward despite those negative feelings. We can learn to do this. Become aware of what is happening (focus on fear or other nega- tive aspect) and then make a decision to refocus on what is happening right now. Breathe, relax, and refocus on what is important. Notice the dynamic. Rath-
er than let our emotions con- trol us and dictate our per- formance, we can, just as
About the Author
Based in the Atlanta, Georgia area, JP O’Connor (email:
jpoc@acm.org and blog:
http://jpoconnor.wordpress.com/) is involved in shooting as a competitor, offi cial, and coach. He is a former Assistant National Coach – U.S. Paralympics Shooting Team and ISSF Judge, serves on the National Coach Development Staff in both rifl e & pistol, and is Coach Emeritus of the NCAA rifl e and intercollegiate pistol teams at the University of North Georgia. He enjoys working with a number of pistol and rifl e athletes and junior club teams from around the country, ranging from beginners to the highly advanced, in training sessions, clinics, and one-on-one private coaching. Previous installments of this series, additional resources, and book suggestions may be found at http://www.
pilkguns.com/jparticles/jpcontents.htm and via his blog.
Links “High Performance Olympic Target Shooting” blog, books, and additional resources:
http://jpoconnor.wordpress.com/ “On The Firing Line” article series and additional resources:
http://www.pilkguns.com/jparticles/jpcontents.htm
with the physical and techni- cal aspects of performance, learn to become aware of and positively change the mental and emotional as- pects of our performance. Rather than fall victim to
the “two nines crisis” by al- lowing it to overtake our fo- cus and emotions, we can let go of the result, learn from the performance, refo- cus, and move on to “This Shot Now” as our mindset. Years ago, for three
years, I had the privilege of working intensively with an exceptionally- motivated and hard-working athlete. Taking nothing away from any other athlete, this athlete practi- cally redefi ned the defi nition of commitment and hard work. As she started to ad- vance into the elite ranks at the age 17, I asked her “What is the difference be- tween a day when you shoot 390, with no hope of mak- ing the fi nal, and a 398?” Her answer was immediate: “The confi dence I bring to the line.” When she was con- fi dent, she was free to allow herself to “just shoot” the way she knew would move
her forward. When she was not confi dent, that became her focus and she could not excel. The champion, delivering
the last shot in the fi nal, is not calm. However, he or she has trained for that moment and learned to thrive in the face of the pressure. Peace and capability do not come when all is calm and quiet. Rather, they come to the athlete who has prepared for the storm, and learned to have an appropriate level of mental and emotional ac- tivation in the midst of the maelstrom. Think of it as be- ing in the eye of a hurricane. There is nothing except you, your equipment, your train- ing, your mental and emo- tional skills - nothing else. We have touched on only
a few of the countless as- pects of the emotional di- mensions of performance in this article. The books “Body Mind Mastery,” “Ex- traordinary Golf,” and “Sport Psychology and Competition – The Psyche of the Shot” listed on the Resources page of my blog are excel- lent references. Pages 139-
164 in “Psyche of the Shot” are an especially valuable resource in the area of emo- tion in sport performance. The entire book is one of the best psychological resourc- es within our sport, compre- hensively covering all facets of applied sports psychology in an accessible and practi- cal manner. It is clearly important to
be physically fi t, to have ex- cellent equipment that is properly adjusted, and to train properly and frequent- ly. That gets you in the pack. To break out, explore and train the mental and emo- tional aspects of performing in public under pressure. This is the not so secret “se- cret weapon” of dominant performers. The happiest and most
fulfi lled athletes, whether they are an Olympic cham- pion or an intermediate level junior stuck on a frustrating plateau, are the ones who relish the journey and look inside themselves for the answers. Their passion is indomitable and their enjoy- ment is boundless.
September 2014 | USA Shooting News
53
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