A topic that is often spoken about too quietly, ignored, or overlooked—but sometimes also discussed incorrectly. A subject that is natural, yet often misunderstood or even misinterpreted. That scary thing. The dark side of archery: “Gold Fear” or “Target Panic.” Let’s take a closer look.

All too often, people say, “Don’t talk about it, or you’ll get it,” but sometimes, talking about it is exactly what’s needed. The key with Gold Fear, or Target Panic, is understanding. Never say, “I’m too afraid to talk about Gold Fear or Target Panic.” Dare to talk about it, because daring to face it will lead to understanding. Incorporate it into your foundational training. If you always run away from the feeling by distracting yourself, you’ll never learn. The phenomenon is natural. Unfortunate, but natural. And just as important to learn as the rest of the sport.

What is Gold Fear, or Target Panic, as we’ll call it moving forward? Why does it happen? Does everyone experience it?

Target Panic involves a few different elements. For example, it could be a fear of missing the target caused by performance anxiety. But at its core, it’s about losing control of the moment of the shot. You’ve allowed the subconscious part of your brain to take over. The brain will do everything it can to simplify and speed things up. If you let it, you’ll start experiencing issues with your shooting.

Symptoms and Causes

The symptoms and causes can vary widely. Symptoms may include:

• Releasing the string before you’ve even anchored.
• Moving into the target after anchoring.
• Being unable to focus on the target.
• Simply not daring to release the arrow at all.

You’re Never Alone

Many archers—from local competitors to world champions—have faced this situation at some point in their careers. It often occurs after a period of performing well. Suddenly, out of nowhere, performance anxiety and the brain’s desire to simplify take over. Absolutely nothing works anymore. You’re not just shooting “badly”; you’re even missing the entire target. When you start missing, the stress builds, and eventually, you might release the arrow before you’ve even drawn properly. This is the moment to start addressing the situation immediately. Don’t give up. Don’t throw in the towel. And don’t think, “Taking a break from archery will fix this.” It probably won’t. Treat Target Panic as something to work on during your training. Otherwise, it will become a monster.

It’s also important to understand that not all issues in your shooting are due to Target Panic. You might have read a lot about it and think, “This must be what’s wrong,” when the real issue could simply be poor form or technique. To get to the root of the problem, talk to your coach. True Target Panic is also rare among beginners; more often, they “believe” they are experiencing it.

A Resource to Help

To assist you, we want to share a clip from archer Clay Hayes’ YouTube channel. He has enlisted the help of Joel Turner, who runs the site ShotIQ. Joel Turner offers online training and also holds courses worldwide to help archers at all levels avoid or overcome this problem.

Link to shotiq: https://www.shotiq.com