I recently got a new guardian and shot it great the first 300 shots but now I'm starting to get a little sloppy. I can still shoot a good goup at 20 yards (size of a fifty cent piece) but I'm shooting low. Everyone is telling me to move my sights down but this isn't my problem. My problem is that I can't get my pin in the target.

I always come up on the target and can never quite get it to the target when I release, unless I use poor form,what should I do? I feel like I could be a decent archer if I could only get this target panick or whatever it is solved.

Target panic sucks. I had it and switched to left handed. First I would get real close to the target and just practice aiming. Don't do any shooting just pull back and hold the pin on the spot. You need to try and train your brain to get the pin on the spot. Target panic is very frustrating. Just take your time get close to the target.

MC Bowhunter

I am going through the same thing right now, shot great for about 3 months and then BAM, things started to go sucky. Sounds exactly the same, I just can't get the pin to lock onto the spot. Like you I bring the pin up to lock on and someone suggested I trysetting up high on the draw and then drop down onto the mark. I can still shoot a good group at 20 but in my mind it's not good enough and from 30 to 40 just too inconsistant. I'll tell you one thing I'd suggest not to do and that is, "don't take the target panic thing and really latch onto that in your mind or it may get worse". I say that because I did it and was getting more dejected and frustrated by the minute.One thing thatseemed to help me a bit was to take each shot one at a time as if it was the only one, just like hunting I tell myself there will only be one shot and concentrate onit. Another thing that helped me mentaly.I was shooting field course targets andalso plunking in theback yard and getting depressed due to poor performance, well we had a local 3-d shoot and I forced myself to go even though Iknew I'd probably embarress myself. It was a totally differant situation that the field course and I found out I wasn't near as bad as I expected so try something differant ifit's available. You'll probably see like me that it'snot as bad as you think andin the back of your mind that helps a lot. Yep, TP is real and folks get it but I know I was making things out to be much worse than it was/is. I'm still working on it myself, just not beating myself upso bad. there's lots of threads on it and a lot of opinions on what to do about it so read around andask around. Also,
maybe quit shooting at that little dot all the time, I'vedone that. I took a yardstick and outlined it with Black marker on my target it the yard and just shoot to seeif I can get a good vertical group (up and down, doesn't matter where as long as I get um in between those 2 lines), try shooting one arrow at 1 dot and worry about the groups later. 3 or 4 good shots at differant marks tells you ya can't be all that bad in my mind. Good luck!

another thing I have noticed is that the color of my target matters. I didn't get this problem untill I started shooting at a neon orange sticker. Thanks for the replys so far, keep them coming.

Definitely sounds like target panic. I would try to figure out what's causing the "panic". Fear of missing? Anticipation of the release? ETC

When I can clear my mind and avoid mental distractions....I can drive tacks. I've played competitive golf and am use to tuning out things.

When I get sloppy it is due to my mind not being in the shot, I'm listening to side chatter, or just thinking about something other than what I'm doing.

Several things you can try, one being just draw your bow with an arrow loaded always and hold it while concentrating on the target and then letdown with out shooting. Do this several times while not shooting and try to hold the bow longer each time. Count out one one thousand and on up. I’d do this five times before taking your first shot. Second one is simple too, it’s blind target shooting. Just like it sounds, just draw back while up very close to your target like 5steps and close your eyes hold and then release your arrow. It doesn't matter where you hit the target but the hold and feel of the release breaks the pattern you're in.Do this for a week or five times before you start your practice shooting. I hope this helps out.

its amaxing what you learn on this forum, i did not know there was such a thing as taget panic, but it explains my groupings out to 40 yrds i believe.

Can you explain that a little more? Is it because you can't see the pin on the target or are you releasing before it gets there. I ask because if you were shooting well and now have 300 shots through a new bow the string has probably stretched a little and you may need to adjust your peep, sightand nocking point to compensate for that.

I do believe the string has stretched but I don't think that is the real problem. It seems like when I'm at full draw and try to place my pin on the target I have to bend at the waist in order to get my pin to the target. When I think I have perfect form I'm always about half an inch from the bottom of my target and I can't get the front of my bow up enough to get the pin were it needs to be. I hope that makes sense.

You may want to try coming to full draw with your pin above the spot you are going to shoot at......... this combats the haveing to come to full draw below your target and having to try fight gravity and bring the bow up to the spot..... most will try to move the bow arm at the shoulder up to the spot= this equals the feeling of trying to lift a 100lb weight.. when you should bend at the waist to bring the bow up to the spot....just make sure you stop when you come down to the spot with gravity .. dont " Drive By Shoot " Failing to stop at the spot...
Now if the issue is you come down on the spot and fall below the spot and are freezing below the spot and no matter what you do your mental game wont let you rise avove your freeze spot you may have an issue with a form of target panic...... and that is a whole different horse to ride.