#1943 - Joel Turner

Episode Timestamps

• 00:01:34

  Anxiety in Archery

  • Joel Turner has figured out how anxiety affects shooters in archery
  • Panic and rushing during a shot can lead to failure
  • This anxiety can be applied to different practices and disciplines in life
• 00:02:51

  Bodhi's Success

  • Joe Rogan and Joel Turner discuss Bodhi's success in archery
  • Bodhi has won every major indoor archery event
  • Turner's system has proved successful in Bodhi's training
• 00:12:22

  Discovering Concentration Techniques

  • The speaker became the lead firearms instructor for Washington State
  • He wanted to figure out how to help police officers concentrate during a shot
  • He experimented with a nervous recruit and discovered the importance of cadence of speech and movement
  • He delved into neuro-linguistic programming to improve concentration
• 00:15:04

  Learning about Open and Closed Control Systems

  • The speaker met a kinesiologist who told him his techniques were working, but not right
  • He learned about open and closed control systems in a class with the kinesiologist
  • Open loop is the default movement system that is too fast for feedback
  • Closed loop is a slow movement that can be stopped anywhere within it, but requires concentration
• 00:21:11

  The difference between open and closed loop control systems

  • Introduction to open and closed loop control systems in shooting
  • Realization that it was never put into practice
  • Concentration practice in shooting is crucial
• 00:25:23

  The importance of blueprinting controlled shots

  • Success without blueprinting is like winning a game without knowing how it happened
  • Personal experience of inconsistent shot control
  • December 14th, 2014 moment of realization
  • Blueprinting the decisions it took to stay present and concentrate
  • Four questions for repeatable blueprint: What was I thinking about after here I go?
• 00:31:51

  Fundamentals of Precision Shooting,

  • Concentration on movement is key in archery and shooting sports
  • Important questions to ask oneself after a shot include what was I thinking, what was I saying, and could I have stopped it?
  • Determination and being present is necessary for closed loop control system in precision shooting
• 00:33:08

  Repeating the Process,

  • In precision shooting, the mental process needs to be repeated for each shot
  • The process becomes easier with practice, but still requires decision-making
  • Same principles can be applied to other anxiety-driven actions in life
• 00:45:44

  Importance of Mental Toughness in Archery

  • Archery serves as a medium to practice mental toughness and concentration
  • Importance of practicing decision-making and determination
  • The use of mechanical means to fix mental problems
  • Use of tension activated release to train young archers who lack decision-making skills
  • Difficulty of detaching from the aim and focusing on the bigger picture
• 00:50:01

  Techniques of Shooting an Arrow

  • Importance of concentrating on the spot and watching the arrow
  • Open loop trigger work under high stress
  • Counter-intuitive nature of not trying to control the pin
  • Surprise break
  • Tuning of bows for optimal performance
  • Importance of personality and weighing of bow
  • The other way of doing archery
• 00:56:21

  Mindset in archery and other high-pressure situations

  • Archery has unique pressure and requires staying in the moment to succeed, which applies to other high-pressure situations like stand-up comedy and surgery.
  • Mind control is crucial to stay calm in different situations, and archery can help map out this skill.
  • Determination is the first ingredient to achieve mental control, and a strong why can make all the difference.
  • Failure in high-pressure situations can lead to catastrophic consequences.
• 01:03:22

  Determination and Why

  • Determination is crucial in achieving mental control in high-pressure situations, and it starts with having a why.
  • The why can be a life and death situation, and it drives tactical training.
  • Failure in these situations can lead to catastrophic consequences.
  • Manufacturing determination is necessary for those who have never experienced high-pressure situations.
  • Failure is not an option in high-pressure situations, and archery can help achieve mental control.
• 01:07:25

  Evaluation and Action

  • The narrator, a sniper team leader, evaluates the situation through a restricted window
  • He realizes he will need a lower-power rifle to make the shot
  • He decides to ask one of the window team members for their rifle
• 01:13:43

  Controlled Shot

  • The narrator finally makes use of the borrowed rifle and adjusts the optics to make the shot
  • He has control over the situation and makes the decision not to take an uncontrolled shot
  • He stays focused and implements his training and experience to handle the situation.
• 01:17:26

  Blueprinting Success in High-Stress Situations

  • Finding those who have solved a problem and blueprinting how they did it is rare.
  • Interviewed snipers, rifle hunters, and bow hunters all say something specific at full draw to stay in the moment.
  • The speaker emphasizes refining that specific mindset for successful outcomes in high-pressure situations.
• 01:19:30

  Understanding the Mind's Response to Panic

  • Panic overwhelms people and causes them to lose concentration.
  • The speaker recounts watching an untrained fighter who, in a moment of panic, lost the fight.
  • The Shot IQ course teaches how to control the mind and stay in the moment under high-pressure situations.
• 01:26:56

  Erasing the Mystery in Shooting

  • Lack of knowledge and understanding of shooting leads to bad shots and reduced success rates
  • Success rates would go up exponentially if people knew the teachings presented
  • Eliminating mystery leads to a better understanding of the shot and higher success rates
• 01:31:55

  Positive Self-Talk and Concentration

  • Positive, constructive self-talk is necessary to concentrate on a movement rather than negative thoughts
  • The mind can sabotage oneself, and it's important to override the fight or flight response when shooting
  • The same principles of concentration and self-talk can be applied to any high-stress occupation
• 01:39:35

  Learning How to Shoot and Apply Principles

  • Archers must understand how to do the work and Blue Print to implement the archery principles
  • Tension active release and other releases can be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in ensuring accuracy
  • The archery industry is built around target panic which leads to high rates of failure
  • Archers need to control their movements, have a self-talk mantra, and stay present
• 01:45:08

  Shooting Perfect Shots without Mystery

  • Being calm is a personality trait that cannot be taught
  • Archery instructions should focus on how to work through intimidation and execute perfect shots
  • Breathing techniques help in controlling breathing and heart rate
  • Combat breathing and Huberman's techniques can help in staying calm and controlling breathing.
• 01:47:48

  Huberman's Breathing Technique

  • The breathing technique worked well for indoor archery
  • It helps with anxiety and adrenaline
  • It is fast and effective
  • Other breathing techniques, such as box breathing, are too time-consuming
  • It is applicable to all high-pressure situations
• 01:49:25

  Identifying the Core Problem

  • Solving the root cause of target panic was a rare combination of experiences
  • Most people just try to improve and work on it, but it's not enough
  • You need to recognize the central nervous system plays a huge role
  • It's simple but not easy to fix the problem
  • Figuring out the problem helps with decision-making in other areas of life
• 02:01:06

  Traditional archery and triggers

  • The speaker discusses the purity of traditional archery and how some shooters forego mechanoreceptive triggers
  • The speaker has developed new triggerless ways to shoot, but it remains difficult to shoot a stick bow without pre-ignition movements
  • The speaker discusses the Mongols' use of thumb rings in their mounted archery techniques
• 02:03:22

  Mounted archery and bow design

  • The speaker discusses mounted archery and the unique challenges it presents, such as holding an arrow against the bow while riding
  • The Mongols used thumb rings to draw back farther and achieve better alignment
  • Bow design was often tailored to the specific needs of the shooter and the game being hunted
• 02:09:26

  Concentration and Control in Archery

  • Shooting with a thumb release requires concentration and control
  • The sight picture is different as the arrow is on the other side of the bow
  • Practicing archery can be used as a method of meditation and can clear the mind
  • Celebrities taking up archery may punch the trigger and not understand the importance of control
• 02:16:42

  Determination and Adversity in Archery

  • Determination is crucial to being successful in archery
  • Children who struggle with punching the trigger may become frustrated and quit
  • Archery can be valuable for developing determination and controlling the mind
  • Archery is a valuable tool for life as it can make other difficult tasks seem easier
• 02:18:07

  The problem with motivation

  • Doing difficult things makes other things less difficult
  • Motivation is becoming an industry, and some people are unqualified to motivate others
  • Those who have personal experience with difficult tasks are better suited to motivate others
• 02:20:34

  The Shot Control House method

  • Method for precision shooting involves a Shot Control House with multiple rooms
  • Aiming room should not be lingered in
  • Concentration room requires determination to walk into, even if it feels like walking into a burning building
  • Practicing the method is important for precision shooting