I get more messages and questions on this subject than any other. People always want to know how a pro practices, what their mental game is and how to handle nerves. I can personally tell you that I shot more than I ever have this past season, but it turned out to be the longest and worst year that I have had as a pro. Due to this, it was an extremely mentally draining year and my confidence suffered. Notice that I said that I shot more and not that I practiced more. There is a HUGE difference between shooting and practicing. Your mental game isn’t only something that you use in tournaments; it is also something that you use in practice.

This is a topic that I have heard about so much over the years. The question is if you should shoot your bow at max poundage. In my simple answer, I have never really seen it matter in the slightest. I have had to back down a 70 pound bow before to the 60 pound limit set out by USA Archery and World Archery. I never saw a difference in my scores. Not in the slightest as a matter of fact.

Before I dive into this article, I want to start with a simple thank you to everyone who has reached out to me over this past week. As many of you know, I live about 15 minutes due north of Panama City Beach. Hurricane Michael hit this past week and I can promise you that what you see on television and in pictures doesn’t even compare to the actual thing. We were extremely fortunate that our house remained intact. With entire towns being wiped out, places that I grew up in, you can’t take anything for granted. The most important thing is that our family and friends are okay. The support we have received from those in the archery community has been overwhelming, with many opening their homes to us if need be. We are truly blessed to be able to be a part of a community like this and have made the friends we have.

Pro staffer Tyler Marlow is back this week with another great Shooting Better with Tyler installment. This week, he's focusing on dialing in your anchor points and sight picture. 

I’m not even going to lie to you. This past season when I went to Seven Springs for the OPA shoot I was riding that struggle bus hard. After I had moved to Texas last September, I started going out all of the time and neglected the gym. Coming off a good year in 2017 when I only left the top 10 twice, and made a few shoot downs, I let myself go physically whereas I had been going to the gym three times a week before I moved. I was extremely out of shape, and that not only affected my physical capabilities with shooting, but it also made it to where I was on more of a mental grind to get through a round.