ORIGINAL: Black Frog
i believe that form is not as big of a factor in terms of accuracy. doing the same thing every time you shoot is what helps accuracy.
True to a point. But for *most* people, good form AIDS in being consistent. Sure, I've seen some people shoot lights-out with what I consider to be really poor form. But those are very few and far between.
Having good form allows the archer to be more repeatable (consisnent). And that consistency will in turn lead to being more accurate. But hey, if you can do the same thing the SAME way everytime- it won't matter if you shoot behind your back standing on one foot.
As I mentioned in my first post, the original poster's forearm is at slightly downward angle. That downward angle is the forearm/elbow/shoulder that is pulling on the string. And pulling at the rear of the arrow shaft. Any differences here from shot-to-shot are really going to show up downrange.
If the forearm were pulling straight back (or elbow slightly high), the likelyhood of doing it the same way everytime is greater than if the arm is down like it is. Sure it may be comfortable as is, but is it CONSISTENTLY repeatable? Possibly for a select few, but doubtful.
And I'll have to disagree with the post that said that the mental game is less important as you become an accomplished shooter. Once you are in big tournaments, it is CRUNCH time. Unbelievable pressure. If you don't have your mental game in order- all can be lost very quickly. Top archers are always working on their mental game. Ever watch a big shootoff at the top level? Every once and a while you'll see some major chokes. The mental game wasn't there. Ever been in a shoot-off for top honors with hundreds of people watching? It can be very humbling if you're not prepared mentally.
You could be the best archer in the world during practice. But when the HEAT IS ON, and it really counts for score, for cash, for big buck, whatever- that's when the mental game is *huge*. Many people tell me that they can shoot good scores in practice, but during a tournament they shoot lousy. That's alllll mental aspects of the game.It is a very large portion of what archery is.