beginner advice needed
 

I'm just curious if someone can point me into the right direction on shooting a bow as far as a general form? I got my bow last year and literally just picked it up, read a few threads and started shooting it. The problem is I have no clue what I'm doing right or wrong?? In general what are some pointers dealing with form, etc to get me started in the right direction. Any tips would be appreciated!

If you didnt get it from a local bow shop, take it there, make sure your set up correctly, have a kisser button installed if you dont have one. Also have them make sure your using the correct arrows etc with your bow.

Good advice here, I'll also add that let your pride take a back seat when you're shooting a bow. It's always better to start with a lighter draw weight to get your form correct... not saying you're doing it but many people start out with something WAY to heavy and develop bad form right off the bat.

You should be able to find some good instructional info out there, but nothing replaces quality practice. As already mentioned, having a comfortable draw weight is essential to excellent accuracy. No need to get macho. I have bow hunt with a 12 year old, medium built kid (now 16). He had a "youth" PSE set at 40#. Killed the heck out of deer with most shots pass-throughs ... about 100gr./lb. pull shaft wt. and a Muzzy 100 gr. broadhead. Clarence Yates, a local legendary archer gave me a great hint about how to determine a good hunting draw weight. Sit in an armless chair. Lift you feet off the ground. Put the bow directly in front of you and draw slowly in one continuous motion until at full draw. Hold and count slowly to 30. If you cannot do this with comfort and ease, your draw weight is too high.

As far as form. Where to start ?

One common error is to "choke the chicken" as a buddy of mine put it ... holding the riser with a strong grip. In most cases a tight grip will lead to torqueing the bow to the back hand side of the grip hand .. left ward for a right hand shooter. Try keeping the grip hand very relaxed at full draw.

Next up probably would be a consistent anchor point. A common practice is to use the thumb or finger of the release hand as one point and somewhere on the face/head as the other .... corner of the mouth, ear lobe, tip of the nose ... shooter's choice. Whatever you decide, repeat that anchor as best you can every shot. It's a geometry thing.

Another I'd add is what I call "become the arrow". Sounds weird, but I started out instinctive and later went to a sight system. When I release the arrow, I hold the "form" and sort imagine the arrow in flight as I watch it head towards the target. Keeps me from pulling off the target at the release.

Another is the release it self. It shold be gradual, controlled and never herky-jerky. Finger shooters sometimes tend to sort of what I'd call "pluck" the string rather than simply let the string escape. You should almost not know when the string releases. Same sort of concept when using a mechanical release. "Punching" is a common error. Practice releasing the arrow as smoothly as possible. I more or less used my entire shoulder to create that last increment of trigger pull. And always tried to sort of pull though the release in one slow, controlled, steady motion.

All that said, sadly I can no longer shoot a bow. At least not yet. I switched to a X-Bow 2 seasons back due to a severe injury and have yet to gain enough strength to go back "vertical". Oh well. Maybe soon !! But at 63, it ain't coming back like when I was 23 !!

lots of subtle points , hard to cover them all,
if there is a public range anywhere, worth trying to see others,
maybe strike up convos and they could give you tips,
as others stated, keep relaxed, and use the same anchor point,
as for adjustments,
do not try to adjust the bow everytime,
you groupings should be consistent, even if they are 4" off the mark, as long as they are all off in the same general area, say lower left,
when your groupings are tight and in same area off the mark, then can work on adjusting the sights,
when practicing, dont try to spend all day firing +50 arrows,
if you have a high poundage bow, will get shaky and will become harder to stay on the mark after multiple shots,

I would say to find a friend or someone you feel comfortable with who hunts (or shoots a bow) and have them spend half an hour with you with your bow and target. Buy them a six-pack or case of beer or dinner or something to thank them. I think the advice you've gotten here is good, but there's no substitute for having someone there with you to see what you may be doing wrong before you start getting bad habits.

Go to a professionally-run range and/or pro shop. This is all great advice in this thread, but having someone actually on-scene critiquing you is worth 1000 pages on this forum. They'll see little things that you're doing that you're not even aware of...and therefore won't know to correct. When I first learned to shoot a bow, I didn't have great instruction, so had a lot of bad habits to correct further down the line. Had I gotten a good start, I could have really shortened the learning curve.

Fantastic advice!

Archery is consistansy! Tht describes everything

You just don't write like a nubee. You write like a guy writing an article.

Self education is priceless. State what you've learned through trial and error (earned) and others will understand.

I just have a hard time understanding why someone who's at least 18 years old has no clue.

Lets start with what you do know. Nothing! I don't beleive it.