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I don't know about you, but I felt a lot of the commentary during the recent Olympic Games was pretty superficial and inane. Especially upsetting was the coverage (or lack of coverage) of sports psychology. Periodically commentators would remark that an athlete had used a sports psychologist in their training, but that's about it. Since people normally don't go to see a psychologist when they're healthy, the failure to explain the practice of modern sports psychology conjures up all kinds of negative connotations, which are inappropriate.

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There are those moments in all sports when mind and body melt together into a dynamic unity of concentration, and perfection just unfolds. ”

The fact of the matter is that one of the reasons why athletic performance has improved so much in recent years is because just about every serious athlete now either sees a sports psychologist or uses sports psychology techniques. Sports psychology has raised the mental game to a new level of refinement, and it has applications for shooting and hunting and other sports, as well as business and life in general.

Targeting "The Zone"

"The buck stepped out from behind the tree, a scant 20 yards away. I raised my bow, picked a spot directly behind the foreleg and without thinking the arrow flew directly into the middle of the heart-lung kill zone. I cannot remember releasing the shot, but it was perfect and the deer died in seconds."

There are those moments in all sports when mind and body melt together into a dynamic unity of concentration, and perfection just unfolds. Some sports psychologists call it "the zone." Then, there are those other times.

"The buck stepped out from behind the tree. My legs and hands were shaking so much the arrow started rattling against the bow. I started to raise the bow and the arrow fell off the rest and onto the ground. My heart was beating so loud that I think that was what scared him off. I just came unglued."

We all miss on occasion. Game animals are not stationary targets. Branches do get in the way. The wind blows. But, when "buck fever" strikes, we seem to do nothing right. It's called "performance anxiety." To anyone with the problem it's like being cursed by a demon.

If there is no excitement in your hunting or shooting, then it's probably time to hang up the bow or gun and try photography. Or, if all you want is excitement, there's always sky diving or bungee-jumping. The real issue for hunters and shooters is managing the excitement you feel when you're participating. And that requires that you learn how to relax and concentrate.

Removing barriers to full concentration

Practice helps build confidence in your ability to make shots. Practice is important, but repetition alone is not enough. Perfection is learning to master the skills involved. And that requires understanding the entire process, developing the ability to analyze one's performance, and mastering the ability to relax and stay focused.

One key to consistent peak performance in any sport is concentration — not willfully bearing down so much as attaining a focused mental state of mind-body coordination where intention and execution arise from a conscious decision that seems to happen without thought.

To illustrate how mental thoughts influence concentration, try this simple experiment with a friend. Hold your arm straight out in front of you and make it strong, as if you are holding up a weight. Ask your friend to push down to determine your strength. He need not push too hard, just enough to affirm your strength. Now think of your arm as a wet noodle and have him test your strength again. You can try to resist as hard as you want, but if you have an image of your arm as a wet noodle, it will lose a significant amount of strength. This is essentially what happens when buck fever or target panic destroys your accuracy.

Modern sports psychologists have borrowed a number of cocncepts from meditation and martial arts and applied them to athletic performance. The following are several techniques that may be useful in strengthening your concentration.

1. Use visual imagery
Extend your arm and ask a friend to test your muscle strength. Resist as they apply downward pressure. This is your baseline reference point.

Now pick a point on a wall. Extend an arm and direct your hand at that point. Imagine that a beam of light is flowing from your arm. Point that beam of light so that it hits directly on your target. Now ask someone to pull down on your arm. Resist their pressure. If your concentration and visualization are strong and focused, your muscle strength will dramatically increase, but your muscle tension will not.

Take this visualization technique with you when you pick up your bow or gun. Shooting at one spot over and over again helps develop consistency, but in hunting the target doesn't always stand still or appear where you want it.

Picking a small spot to shoot at on a target, or on a deer, helps to narrow focus and improve concentration. You can practice narrowing your focus with visual imagery anywhere. I understand that US women's sporting clays champ Linda Joy practices "tracking" clays by concentrating on the blades of a slow-moving fan.

2. Choose words to increase focus
Reciting a word, a phrase or a series of words helps many develop powers of concentration. Recall how the image of your arm as a wet noodle decreased strength and confidence. Try the same exercise of extending your arm and confidently thinking about the word "focus" or "the spot."

Select a word that feels appropriate to what you are doing. "Bullseye," "zone," or "jackpot" work for some people. That word, mentally repeated while shooting, will drive away useless mental chatter. Combine the imagery with the word and you'll have created an "affirmation," and your concentration will improve more as your actions express your thoughts.

Relax at will

Excitement is good. But reacting anxiously to excitement initiates a vicious spiral that lessens accuracy. The key to accurate shooting, whether at a tin can, a speeding clay or at a trophy whitetail, is to manage the excitement much like a surfer catches a wave and rides it out under control. Learning to relax at will helps dispel anxiety that impedes performance.

1. Learn to control breathing
In addition to being an essential act of life, breathing unites mind and body. The respiratory system ties directly into the nervous system. Breathing is an involuntary act that changes according to our level of excitement. It is also easily controlled consciously. If you can control your breathing, you can control your excitement as well.

To quiet your mind, try this exercise. Inhale slowly to a count of 10. Then hold your breath for a count of five, and exhale slowly for a count of 10. You can experiment with the number of beats, gradually increasing them to increase relaxation. Some people can develop a 32-count exhalation! Take your pulse before doing this exercise. After doing it five times or so, take your pulse again and you will see a drop in heart rate. It is a useful method to steady oneself in any tense life situation, including that moment when a bull elk steps out of the brush 20 yards away.

Some archers find that if you coordinate your breathing with the draw of the bow, you increase your ability to concentrate as well as stay relaxed. A common rhythm is to inhale slowly on the draw, hold your breath when you are at full draw, visualize your shot and exhale after you have released the arrow.

Shooting in "The Zone"

"The Zone" that athletes talk about is a state of mind where time seems to slow down and physical performance seems effortless. It is a state of both excitement and relaxation. If you get "buck fever," know that you are half way there, because you've got the excitement part down pat. That adrenaline rush is the raw material from which perfect shots are made. All you have to do now is apply these techniques to bring that excitement under control. As it happens, your senses will become more alive. Scenes take on a new freshness and nature becomes more rich and enjoyable. This is what a "hunter's high" is all about. "Buck fever" is just hunter's high shifting into a higher gear. The key to success is to learn to ride that high, like a surfer rides a wave, until the moment of truth arives and you make that perfect shot.

James Swan is the author of the book "In Defense of Hunting."
To purchase a copy visit his website.