I do archery as a sport, and the other night I was up at our field and shooting away; compound, Bowtech, 53#, carter release aid, ACE’s 28 1/2” for those who want to know. Anyway, there I was playing with my set up, trying the find the right balance, the right technique, the right posture, changing things, fiddling, twiddling, tweaking anything to get me that inch closer to the middle when something occurred to me.
A lot of people try archery, they come up to the field, pick up a bow and think that it’s going to be oh so easy. They put an arrow on the string, pull it back, let it go and watch it fly into the middle of the target. Yeah, right. In their dreams!
It takes practice, and a certain amount of coaching, and then you move the target back a few metres and it all starts over again. It ain’t easy.
Yes, you do get the naturals who can start off running, but they are few and far between, the vast majority have to be taught.
Some people come up, fire away for ten minutes and think they now know how to shoot. They then go out and buy the best most expensive equipment, without any advice, and think that they are now it; they know it all, they don’t need any more advice and help and they now have the kit to take on all-comers. They are sorely disappointed when they find out that that ain’t the case. They haven’t done the basics, so how the hell they think they can become world champions just because they have the latest and most expensive kit, I just don’t know.
You have to learn and then practise and then learn some more, and then after a good while you find that when you shoot, the arrow goes where you want it to go; and then the really hard work begins, because you are always striving to get that arrow even closer to the middle.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
Marketing is something that needs to be practised, you need to learn and then practise some more. You need to hone your technique, you need to study the best and learn from those who are successful. Certainly in the self-publishing world there are a few who know what they are doing. I try and study them, I try to pick up little snippets of information and then I try to apply what I’ve learnt.
They don’t know it, but they’re coaching me.
Yes, I’m taking my time because I’m not a natural and I realise this, but I will improve, bit by bit until eventually I can say I know what I’m doing.
I suggest that you all do the same; don’t think that you know it all, because unless you are a natural you ain’t going nowhere.
Listen, read, watch and learn from those who know, use the wealth of information out there because the internet is full of it. You will discard some bits, take note of others, but above all take the time to learn. That’s what I’m trying to do.
You are not your bow, no matter how expensive it is or whether it is the latest and greatest thing to come out of R&D. You are not your arrows. You are your form. Your body. Your mind. Coach the mind and body, train it and hone it, develop the skills you need, and performance will follow. This is true for any sport, job, or hobby. Getting good at something takes a lot of work, effort and failure first. Thanks for sharing this!
With archery, it’s always the squidgy bit at the end of the bow that goes wrong, very rarely is it the equipment. Once your set up, unless something goes bang, there’s only one thing to blame. Same with most things, and certainly with writing and marketing. The squidgy bit has to learn.