Target panic

Target panic is a psychological—and perhaps neurological—condition experienced by many archers, both competitive and recreational. The condition manifests in various ways, impacting an archer's ability to shoot confidently and accurately.

Target panic has been discussed in archery circles since at least the 1970s. It was originally called "gold panic" because an archer would experience symptoms (panic) when the arrow was brought onto the bullseye (gold circle). The name later evolved into target panic because it was discovered that the symptoms could be experienced when aiming at any target.