Why the Mind Matters More Than the Gear

Bows and arrows are tools. The real engine of your shooting is your mind. In field archery, where every target sits in a new setting and no two shots are the same, mental control separates a good round from a frustrating one.

Focus in the Wild

See the Shot Before You Take It

Visualise the shot: your point of aim, the clean release and the arrow landing where you intended.

Scottish tip: if your mental image includes hitting a tree your subconscious might just oblige — aim for the spot not the scenery.

Stay in the Moment

Don’t drag the last target into the next. Each arrow is its own challenge. Good field archers reset at every peg — mentally and physically.

Patience – The Quiet Skill

1) Weather Patience

Rain? Wait for the lull. Wind? Time your release. Scotland will test your patience daily — the trick is accepting it not fighting it.

2) Course Patience

A long course isn’t a race. Pace yourself. Many scores are lost in the final targets because the mind is tired long before the bow is.

Reading the Landscape

A good field archer notices:

• Ground slope (affects footing and sight picture)
• Light and shadow (targets can vanish in gloom)
• Wind direction (watch grass, leaves and treetops)

Scottish Mental Wisdom

• A missed shot is tuition not tragedy
• Calm breathing beats tense shoulders
• A flask of tea can lift your focus as much as a new bowstring

The Archer’s Reward

The best moments aren’t always the high scores — they’re the quiet pauses between shots when the air goes still and the hills stretch out in front of you. In that moment every drop of rain and every stubborn midge feels worth it.