Selftest Questions

Basic motivation

I prefer to commit myself to a few activities rather than splitting my mind with many different ones. 
Archery is the most rewarding and interesting of all my hobbies and activities. 
My family, friends, work/schoolmates support my archery interest. 
Improving my results is stimulating but not absolutely necessary. 
Competitions as such are rewarding and stimulating. 
Competitions are stimulating, even if my scores are not very good. 
My archery activities are not appreciably limited by my work/school, my way of living, my economy etc. 
Total 

Mental strength and stability

I regularly do mental training, such as relaxation, contemplation etc. to better control stress during competitions. 
I am neither tense nor indifferent before and during a competition. 
I do not get noticeably angry or sullen if my results are bad, it rather makes me think about the reasons. 
After a lousy result I don't blame my equipment, my fellow competitors, the weather, the spectators, mosquitos, sudden noises etc. Instead I accept that the reason is me and my lack of preparations. 
I try to think about what happens now, not about past or future results. Neither do I daydream about perfect scores. 
During a contest I feel just as committed in the end as in the beginning. I never even think about giving up. 
I am never really surprised at my scores. 
Total 

Social behaviour

I never feel tense or embarassed when I am with my club- or training mates. 
The social life in my club/team gives me a strong support during a competition. 
Absolute fairness in my sport is important but never at the price of bad social relations. 
When another competitor gets a fine score I don't get envious, I am happy to see such fine shooting. 
Shooting with many spectators or competitors watching me does not affect my scoring negatively. 
I don't skip a training session even if no-one else shows up. 
If I have planned my training session I won't change my plans just because my clubmates want to do something else. 
Total 

Knowhow

My knowledge of rules, training, tuning, physiology, equipment etc. is adequate. 
I am always prepared to listen to other archers' and coaches' experiences. 
I always study other competitors' shooting styles and equipment. 
I like reading everything about archery. 
Testing and experimenting with equipment, shooting style, training methods etc. is very rewarding and interesting. 
I keep a training diary. 
When I plan my training sessions I study my old scores and notes. 
Total 

Physical fitness

I do regular fitness training (or my job gives me good fitness). 
My fitness is at least as good as that of other archers at my age. If I'm training or competing in rough terrain, my pulse is back to normal again before the shooting begins. 
After a long competition I don't feel markedly tired. 
Shooting my last arrow in a competition is no more taxing than the first one. 
I don't smoke, at least not immediately before and during a competition. 
I always try to maintain my liquid balance during a competition by drinking the right amount of proper drinks. 
Total 

Precision work

I can handle and work with small and fragile things without feeling clumsy. 
I can make my own strings, fletch my arrows, adjust my nocking position etc. 
In my job or my other hobbies I regularly do precision work. 
I have normal sensitivity in my fingers, hands and face. 
I can sense even rather small changes and variations in my shooting style. 
I have no problem finding the correct anchoring point, bow grip etc. 
I can aim with smooth, stable movements. 
Total 

Range estimation

I am seldom more than 5 % off in my range estimations. 
I know the maximum ranges for different targets. 
If I was wrong about the distance, I always ask other contestants about their estimations. 
If my estimation is wrong I never blame bad luck, bad circumstances or other abstract reasons. 
I realize that good range estimations are the result of practice and experience. 
I always accept that my range estimation is off if the first arrow is high or low. 
I often practice with field or 3D targets at known distances. 
Total 

Physical strength

If I cannot shoot regularly during the off season I at least try to maintain my muscle strength. 
My bow is at least as heavy as is normal for my age and class. 
I can draw my bow and hold it for 45 seconds without too much tremor. I can draw a bow, 10 lbs heavier than my own, and hold it for a few seconds without too much tremor. 
I never get pains or feel overstrained in my fingers, hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, neck or back during or after a long competition. 
I never get pains or feel overstrained in my back, hips, legs or feet during or after a long field competition in rough terrain. 
I never find it straining to draw my bow through the clicker and hold it for a while. 
Total 

Equipment

My bow is reasonably modern and functional. 
My bow fits me perfectly. Weight, length, grip, stabilizers, sight etc. are optimum for me. 
My arrows fit my bow and my shooting style perfectly. Their length, spine, fletching, nocks and heads are optimum. 
My other equipment such as tab, quiver, clothes, rainclothes etc is adequate. 
Before a competition I always check and fix all my equipment carefully. 
When training or competing I always have spares and extra equipment of the same type as the ones I use. 
I never change any of my equipment immediately before the competition season. 
Total 

Tuning

I spend a lot of time tuning my equipment. 
When I am in top form I take the opportunity to check the tuning to eliminate equipment errors. 
Before a competition my equipment is in tune, neither I nor other archers can detect any tuning errors. 
If my scores are bad, I always check the tuning if I am not reasonably sure about the reason. 
When I get new equipment or make other changes I always retune. 
My spare equipment is so well tuned that I can use it without really noticing the difference. 
When my draw hand hurts or get sore I always nurse it very carefully. 
Total 

Archery training

I think I train often enough. 
I know how my shooting style should be, and how to practise it. 
Before and during the competition season I practise and maintain a stable shooting style. 
Every training session is ended with some style training. 
Before the competition season my shooting style is so well trained that it isn't affected by bad weather, uphill or downhill shooting, quartering targets etc. 
I know the weaknesses of my shooting style and how to correct them. 
I always try to improve my style. 
Total 

Competition preparations

I always plan my training so that I reach my top form at the right time. 
A few days before an important competition I try to avoid situations which could irritate or upset me. 
The clothes I use are always well tested before the competition. 
Before a competition I always try to get a full night's sleep. 
Before a competition I always drink and eat adequately. 
I always arrive at the competition with plenty of time to spare, to prepare myself properly. 
Before a competition I always warm up. 
Total 

Special factors for 3D and field archery

If I know the range or estimate it correctly, uphill or downhill shooting is no problem, I know how to compensate for the slope. 
My scoring is as good on quartering targets as on normal targets. I can handle quartering targets. 
I often train on uphill, downhill or quartering targets at different ranges. 
I like to be in the wilderness. I am never afraid or tense in rough, hilly terrain, dense forests or open fields. I am not afraid of wild animals and not very irritated by mosquitos and other insects. 
My scores are not adversely affected by mosquitos, dense or dark forests, fog, shooting over water and other common problems. 
My scores are not adversely affected by strong sunlight or reasonably strong winds, even if the direction is disadvantageous. 
I often train with strong sunlight, wind, fog, low light or other adverse conditions. 
Total 

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These pages are maintained by The Sagittarius Web Team. Last modified on Tuesday 15 April 1997.