Hitting the bullseye, the South Korean way

New Delhi: Only one word describes South Korea’s reign in archery. Domination.
And they are more dangerous when they come together as a team. Since the team event was introduced in archery at the 1988 Seoul Games, South Korean men have captured seven of the 10 gold medals. The women’s team has been more ruthless in their chase of perfection — they won their 10th consecutive title in Paris.
The script could have been very different though. Up against China in the final, seasoned Jeon Hun-young, 21-year-old Lim Si-hyeon and 19-year-old Nam Su-hyeon were pushed to do something extraordinary and maintain their unblemished record.
Against the backdrop of Esplanade des Invalides — one of the most iconic monuments in Paris– the Chinese women challenged the mighty South Korea. They came from behind to draw level at 4-4 taking the match to a shoot-off. There was more drama to unfold. Under intense pressure, South Korea edged past China by the barest of margins — two of their arrows — when checked by a judge through magnifying glass — had landed closer to the line bordering the bullseye. Unreal!
Such moments in sport make it beautiful for spectators but equally cruel for competitors. Yes, luck does play its part, but can you prepare to win those freakish moments?
This South Korean women’s team was inexperienced at the international stage, so their preparation was meticulously planned in a way to make them mentally tough to handle any situation. Sessions were conducted by the river and in stadiums to deal with the vagaries of wind, noise and weather.
The archers shot against robots that had only one shot in its armour – a perfect 10. The archery range of Paris was replicated down to the last brick at Korea’s National Training Centre to simulate match situations. All this prepared South Korean to deliver under extreme pressure.
So much goes into the team’s preparation for the Olympics. But that’s just the finishing touches being given after the archers are groomed and nurtured from elementary school level and numerous archery clubs dotted across the country. Children are introduced into archery quite early as 7, 8-year-olds and brought up in a highly competitive sporting environment.
“In Korea, professional coaches are deployed from elementary school, middle school, high school, university, and general business teams. Absolute value is instilled in the coaching of coaches and managers,” renowned South Korean coach Baek Woong ki, who is coach of the Indian team, told Hindustan Times.
“The Korean team is strong in competition, because they practice like is a competition. In preparation for the Olympics, they practice in advance for all the things that can happen in the Olympic Games,” said Woong ki, who has guided the Korean archery team to gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics.
Teamwork lies at the core of their activities and that’s the reason why they come out stronger in team events. Highly experienced coaches design goal-oriented training and call the shots in camps . In any given year, eight recurve men and eight recurve women are named to the Korean squad – with only half of those competing at the most prestigious events.
“The national team is operated by the general manager, men’s and women’s team managers. Their period of stay is one year, and the archers who enter the village must absolutely follow the coach’s instructions. Their period of stay is strictly observed and teamwork is fostered through various activities. Korean archers have clear and accurate goals,” he said.
Repetitive training under different conditions makes their muscle memory stronger. When they draw the string of the bow, they are clear of the target and don’t flinch. They usually shoot at least 400-600 arrows a day, depending at which level they are playing.
“The Olympics is such a big stage, and the pressure and weight of expectation is so high, so the coach and the manager have to make sure that the archers are stable and can shoot in normal conditions,” he said.
That is easier said than done. Mental training is part of their grooming programme from a young age.
“They are mentally very strong. Even if one or two arrows go wrong, they cover it up like nothing happened,” says Indian archer Jayalakshmi Sarikonda, who faced Korea in the finals of the Asian Archery Championships in 2015.
“The co-ordination between coach and player is superb. Their practice sessions are really tough. The weather conditions they train in, the facilities they are all top class. Training is so structured.
Archers from around the world go to Korea to train, and their coaches are sought after. But replicating the same system has been difficult. The South Korean culture of teamwork, besides remaining grounded, goes a long way in shaping their personality.
“The recurve archers go to Korea to train but their mindset is unmatchable. They are too strong. I remember a training session in Korea and we saw Olympic gold medallists coming, wearing the janitor’s suit and cleaning the washroom. They then took their equipment, trained, cleaned up and left.”
It is often said that making it to the Korean team is tougher than winning an Olympic gold medal. They have to go through a rigorous annual selection process.
“They practice the same technique 1000 times over which becomes their muscle memory. They derive confidence from a strong legacy they have built over the years.”
Korea’s success tells you there is no magic potion and nothing ever really succeeds like hard work. That’s how you become Olympic champions and that is how you build a legend.