The Critical Second

So much must be done in one second. Have you trained to put the critical second in your shot?

WAIT A SECOND!!!! Those words could not be more important to your success in a high stress shooting situation. Think about it. The last unsuccessful shot you took at a game animal or in a high stress tournament was fired within one second of you thinking you had the proper aim completed. For those in the throws of target panic or buck fever, this shot within one second is a reality every time the situation presents itself.

Your mind needs a little time. That one second of waiting on the aim gives your mind the time to snap out of those automatic trigger movements that are connected to recoil bracing. Waiting just one second will give you the time to remember to make the decision to keep your thoughts on the trigger press or the movement to shot activation in archery.

I have analyzed numerous shots I have fired from firearms and bows throughout my life and those where I was successful, took just a bit longer in duration. That extra time was spent in making a decision to execute a perfect shot. Those where I was unsuccessful in running a perfect shot were all shot within the critical second. Don’t get me wrong, some shots require fast action and the shot must be fired within the critical second, but those shots are few and far between. Most shots where precision is a must, require the shooter to make decisions within the shot. Those decisions take time, not much time, only about one second of your attention.

Knowing what decisions to make and knowing how to carry out those decisions is what I teach at Ironmind Hunting. But for a shooter to even begin down the road to shot control, they have to learn how to manage one second in time. Your mind wants you to fill that one second with action. Once the mind has formed an automatic motor program, waiting one second to make decisions within a movement doesn’t make any sense to it, especially if that movement creates an explosion. That is why, if we allow an automatic shot to happen, recoil bracing will always be attached to the shot activation movement.

So, the precision shot starts with the critical second. Use that time wisely. Decide to succeed.

Joel Turner

Founder of Ironmind Hunting