Target panic is caused by the repetitive nature of archery combined with our desire to shoot well. It is inevitable that, in some ways, we judge our every shot. Much like golf (another target sport), as traditional archers we are happy with a positive result and tend to chastise ourselves when we make a poor shot. Unfortunately, this judgment places undo focus on the target"and our results.

We get even more concerned over our results when shooting in front of other people, in tournaments, or in hunting situations. This, in turn, adds more pressure to each shot. It is this pressure that intensifies our target panic and increases the likelihood of experiencing target panic.

Focusing on extraneous actions or occurrences might shift the focus from the target a bit and ease our concern over results. As you draw your bow, it's quite natural to think about the target and try (and hope) to make an accurate shot"especially in pressure situations like those listed above. Taking your mind off of these thoughts can sometimes stave off target panic symptoms and allow us to make our best shot.

Extraneous means something outside of your normal awareness when shooting, and actions and occurrences are anything that might capture your attention and shift your focus away from the target. The idea is to find something to focus on other than solely the target. This will sound blasphemous to many given how often we hear about how important it is to pick a spot and focus on it intensely, but it is my opinion that too much focus on the target (and your results) is a major cause of target panic.

One way to shift this focus is to tap your right shoulder (if you are right-handed) with your glove/tab hand after each shot. Another is to focus on the sound of the arrow hitting the target. Both ideas"neither of which are my own"work (in theory) by taking some focus away from the target. When I was suffering from target panic I tried both methods with limited success. However, I had a severe case of target panic and needed something much more powerful, but it may be helpful to you. Give it a shot. I was finally able to cure my target panic using a technique called the Push Release.