I hit a 596 Portsmouth at a University league match yesterday, with a clean second half and 38 Xs in total. It was a very enjoyable score, with a handicap of 10 bringing it pretty much in line with my best 18m and 70m scores.
It also gets a monkey off my back, beating my previous PB of 593 which was set way back in 2015. Back then that level of scoring was a fluke, one of those rare days where everything just seems to happen by itself, and shooting a 10 feels easy, inevitable.
Those days are nice and most of the time we simply wish they would happen more often. After all, its not like you can make that happen on demand.... right?
Well perhaps you can. In the past I've been guilty of not preparing fully for these matches and then finding myself disappointed with the score and frustrated with myself. With only a handful of student competitions remaining before I finally graduate, it was time to get serious. At the start of this week I wrote three goals:
1) Outscore three specific people who have shot higher scores than me this season
2) Score >595
3) Hit more than 25 tens in a row
Beneath I wrote down some positive statements that justified why I would achieve these goals. Then I read that affirmation at the start and end of every training session and every day. I've tried some affirmations before but never really stuck through with them, knowing that they should help but not really believing it. Yet after sticking with it, I achieved all three goals by a fair margin.
To be sure I don't think it was the affirmation alone. It boosted my confidence, which feeds into high scores in practice, which feeds back into the confidence for the actual event, and confidence is crucial. That confidence was then used in an experimental new pre-shot routine, where I relaxed by breathing and then instructed myself to simply "trust".
Then during the shot itself? No thoughts, just seeing the target and allowing my technique to execute itself. It's scary at first, but hypnotic. By the end of the round I kept finding I'd forgotten what had happened the previous end, which is exactly the focused state I want to be in for high-pressure competition.
I'm far from finished here. There's lots more to learn, but as my technique and physical strength reach diminishing returns of improvement, more than ever I find myself turning to psychology. I'm developing a steady feeling of quiet confidence ahead of the outdoor world cup season, one that's much nicer than the anticipation and fear that dogged me much of last year. Let's see how this plays out.