Passion for the Sport of Archery

Passion in the Sport of Archery can be meant to be an extreme interest in or wish for something.

It is important to have Passion in whatever one does.

In the attempt to maximize their athletic abilities, skill acquisition seems to be a much easier proposition than having the motivation and resiliency needed to succeed.

i.e. to shot the bulls eye consistently it is much easier for the Archer to just learn the skills of playing the sport of Archery. 

But usually that is not the case, in the pursue of greatness the Archers have to be motivated and keep being motivated on a daily basis as well as dealing with frustrations and adversity successfully.

Mental toughness is sometimes overlooked and it is perhaps the most important sport psychology skill that an archer can develop in order to achieve greatness. 

To have Passion and Purpose is where the Archer is dedicated and have a specific target or goal to shoot for in the bigger picture which is life.

Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists or an intention of doing something.


It is very important to state goals clearly and to dedicate 110% of your life towards achieving your goal. If you truly want to achieve great things.

Unfortunately in sports, not every athlete has passion and purpose for playing their sport — while some do, many play because they enjoy the sport, or because others in their life (like their parents) expect them to play.   

While there is nothing wrong with playing sports or archery without passion and purpose, it will just limit the athlete from reaching his or her full athletic potential.  

Many coaches and parents involved in youth sports struggle with this concept, as they see the natural talents some kids possess but don’t see the “heart” and motivation they would like to also witness.

Without true passion it is extremely difficult to truly reach your full potential in life.

Athletes with passion and purpose literally love being engaged in all aspects of their training.  

Of course, they may complain under the hot sun of a 2-a-day Archery Competition, but in the big picture they appreciate all the hard work that goes into excelling in their sport.

By having passion and purpose it does not imply an athlete will love every moment of training, but instead suggests that he has the heart and motivation to push through the tough times.

When athletes do not have passion and purpose, their “holes in their game” tend to show through during tough times.  

Take for example when an athlete is playing well – everything is great and the athlete seems to play effortlessly.  But what happens when a slump occurs? Without passion and purpose, the typical response is to give in to the pressure and stress, and/or begin to point fingers away from oneself and onto just about anything else (i.e. the coach, referee, other team, weather, etc).

When athletes have passion and purpose, they quickly move through tough times and stay hungry for the next day.  They will think of ways to get back up again.

Their resiliency is seemingly hard-wired into their DNA, and they understand and accept that they will take their lumps along their way to greatness.  

Stress and failure are actually accounted for in the passionate athletes mind, and therefore quickly (and successfully) dealt with efficiently.

Its pretty obvious the ones I meet with who are completely devoted to their training, versus those who are pretty good at their sport but not necessarily in love with it.  

It is neither is right or wrong, good or bad. 

But the differences are quite alarming and are usually good predictors of which athlete will stay in his sport longer. They are more likely to succeed in the long run.

In conclusion, one sports quote with athletes is “the only thing you deserve is what you earn.”  

Passionate athletes know this, and don’t make excuses for their failures and shortcomings.  

Instead, use each lesson as a building block to do it even better tomorrow.