When Zen philosophy is applied to archery. daniel petronzi he is 32 years old and is an archery instructor in the sports club of the CH4 Sporting Club.
His students not only teach how to win races, tournaments or competitions, but how to try to achieve personal well-being. To practice archery, according to Daniel, you need a certain mental approach that is also useful in everyday life to cope with stress, problems and improve concentration.
What does it mean to apply zen to archery?
“It is impossible to separate the two things. In archery you need a certain mental approach, as in martial arts. The idea comes from a manual by Eugen Herrigel, “Zen and archery”. The book is a diary of the experiences of a western man who to better understand the concept of zen decides to approach archery.The author tries to express the concept of art without art even though he cannot fully interpret it as a western man .
Zen aims to learn something to the point of becoming a master, to perform gestures without even thinking about it. In my case I teach archers detachment within the sport, the starting point is to separate personal life from sport. I use the metaphor of taking problems like a sack and leaving them outside the sports club, which is a place to put your head off and relax”.
So is this the opposite of seeing sport as an outlet?
“Partly yes, but not entirely. Those who go to meditate repeat a mantra, archers come out of training and are able to handle life’s stress better than those who go to the gym and instead come out more energized than before. It’s a real and proper centering, the goal is to find one’s center of gravity, the focal point to go and rebalance one’s psychophysical condition given that we are surrounded by a thousand sources of stress”.
What does anyone who takes on archery like this learn?
“Adults benefit from the ability to learn how to manage their mood. The goal is to ensure a place to disconnect from everyday life and have more lucidity in dealing with everyday problems.
For children, on the other hand, the bow helps improve concentration time. It is a sport in which a lot of preparation time is needed and the success of the shot comes from a clear mind. Archery requires entering a state of immediate focus and requires patience, training improves the ability to quickly enter a state of focus. The good master teaches to be a good archer in everyday life, to be able to apply these principles in everyday life”.
Is this concept common in Italy?
“No, archery schools don’t work on the psychological part but only on the repetition of the gesture. In Italy there is a more competitive conception and the sport is not supported by a psychological, introspective discipline. In other countries such as The United States invest a lot in sports training, in Italy we are years behind in sports psychology”.
