There is a beautiful archery range nestled in a small canyon inside San Diego's Balboa Park. I have enjoyed shooting my bow there on a regular basis for several years now, and I have had a chance to observe many archers of various styles of shooting as they prepare themselves physically for a round. Typically, this preparation involves a few windmills with their arms, maybe a couple of stretches, and then they begin firing away at the practice bales. Sometimes there is no warm- up whatsoever. Many archers simply draw their bow a few times. To be honest, it's hard for me to watch. It hurts my elbows and shoulders just thinking about drawing my bow without a proper warm-up. An adequate warm-up is critically important in the prevention of injuries, and it may even be a factor in your success as an accurate shooter.

Before every round I spend a few minutes performing a series of simple movements in order to be properly warm and ready to effectively shoot my bow. Occasionally I'll get a few funny glances, and sometimes people politely ask me questions like: How long does your warm-up take? Or, does it help you to shoot better? I answer these questions by saying that it only takes me five or six minutes to warm-up and yes, I think that a proper warm-up helps me to perform better, especially at the beginning of my round or practice session. Occasionally, during conversations with other archers, I hear about the injuries many of them are struggling with"most of which involve the shoulder and elbow joints. It is my experience that most of these minor injuries can be traced back to an improper or insufficient warm-up.

The central purpose of warming up your body before shooting your bow is to speed up your heart rate, raise your core body temperature, increase suppleness of the muscles and joints, and stimulate blood flow throughout your body. This in turn will help prevent injuries and may even boost performance. It also signals to your body that it is time to perform. This will help focus your mind on the task in front of you. During your warm-up period is the perfect time to be thinking about your shot routine as well as your goals for the round. I am a strong believer in goal setting and am convinced of its power to drive superior performance. A proper warm-up routine, where you're preparing both your body and your mind, will help you perform at your best. Furthermore, you can be sure that you will be prepared to place your first arrow on target.