#109 - John Dudley: The beauty in archery, the love of practice, and a model system for life

The Peter Attia Drive

In this episode, professional archer, John Dudley, shares the many insights he’s gleaned through the process of not only becoming an elite competitor of archery but also an exceptional teacher. John describes how his desire for improvement has cultivated a sheer love of practice, and how pursuing mastery helped put into context how archery is an amazing model system for life. Additionally, John discusses the often misunderstood nature of hunting, but also makes the case as to why one should consider trying archery even if there is no desire to hunt. We discuss:

• Why John loves archery, and what it means to be a professional archer [4:50];
• How John’s love of practice and training led to archery [10:45];
• How an intense desire to improve drove John to quit football and pursue archery [22:00];
• A traumatic childhood event that changed John’s course from troublemaker to committed athlete [34:15];
• The nuts and bolts of archery—Competitive events, types of bows, hunting, etc. [45:30];
• The blissful nature of archery, and the uselessness of anger [57:15];
• Hyper-focus and flow states—Did John’s ADD and task-driven personality give him an advantage? [1:07:15];
• The common traits found in the most successful people [1:12:45];
• The keys to maintaining credibility as a salesman—Integrity, honesty, and straightforwardness [1:18:45];
• The coaching technique that makes John a great teacher [1:28:30];
• Why you should consider trying archery (even if you never want to hunt) [1:36:15];
• Hunting discussion—The morality argument, hunting vs. commercial farming, managing overpopulation, and the unique emotional connection [1:45:00];
• Resources for those interested in taking up archery [2:12:00]; and
• More.

Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Show notes page for this episode: https://peterattiamd.com/johndudley Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Connect with Peter on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.