Lady Arwen:

Before you write yourself off as someone who " stinks" at archery, and convince yourself that you are not able to improve and just accept that you will always stink; as you consider what others have said, also consider the following.

Mental attitude and take 3 Tylenol and get a good night' s sleep are all good advice, but do not discount that your problem(s) may be tangible. When I hear (read) someone explain their dilemma as you have, my first reaction is that there is an actual problem or an assortment of problems that the shooter has mistakenly adjusted to.

Shooting very good at times but terrible at other times can be an indicator that, in part or in whole, your setup and/or certain adjustments may be wrong, your form may be improper and/or inconsistent, your shooting techniques may be faulty, or all of the above.

I have known shooters, as I am sure others have, who have had the very same problem. Upon dissecting all of their gear, adjustments, form, etc, it was not uncommon to discover that some were shooting mismatched or extremely corrupted setups and/or had learned and were using faulty shooting techniques. However, they tried, fought, and struggled until one day they stumbled upon a " sweet spot." Mistakenly believing they had finally solved their problems and had finally learned how to shoot accurately. However, consistency was still beyond their reach.

What they had done, was to have unknowingly learned to mate the incorrect with other incorrect so well, one day several shafts hit the mark and grouped well and they thought they were in the game. Upon watching them shoot, it usually was not difficult to detect that the person was struggling to get off a good shot. It was as if they had a mental pre-fire checklist and were having to overly concentrate and check off each process before they fired. In fact, some were.

Through trial and error, they had convinced themselves that (for them) there was a very thin line between a good shot and a bad shot, and that everything had to be held exactly at the line to obtain good flight and accuracy. Most thought that it was the norm of archery. Some were even good shots, but inconsistently so. The second they relaxed and natural and correct processes crept in, their accuracy went to hell almost immediately.

Not realizing the good was trying to displace the bad, they would start tweaking their gear, readjusting their form, trying new gear, etc, often resulting in making matters worse After total frustration, they would lay the bow aside for awhile, or for days, and when they returned they would be back in their usual incorrect mode of operation and would shoot well again, but not for long.

If you are in this catagory, and you could be and not realize it, there is a process and that can provides solution that will allow you to improve and be consistent.

Don' t give up. Your words and your constant striving to improve, even in the face of believing you can' t, tells me you have what it takes to be a consistently good shooter.