DeerWhisperer

Thanks guys, I will definetly apply all the knowledge i gathered here. Just 1 more thing, i heard this awhile ago about the hand holding the bow should be relaxed and sort of open. It should be like after you shoot the bow should practically fall out of your hand. I have not tried to apply this yet cause it just does not feel natural. But is this the correct way of holding the bow, or should i have a firm grip on it as i do now?

MichaelT.

A firm grip on the bow will lead to torquing the bow more and more with each successive shot, due to fatigue. If you are fresh and start shooting, you might not see it reflected in your shots, but it becomes more noticable the longer you shoot.

Plus, think about this. Most shooters start out at the shortest distance during their practice session. In other words, you go get your bow, walk out 20 yards and begin shooting. After a couple of rounds you move to 30 then 40 ect....... So as you are getting more tired, you are also moving back in distance. It is at this point that the shooter can see his groups starting to open up more and more. You are fatigued, you have moved back more and more, and your grip is torquing the bow. That is what happens, and yet people don't understand why the groups open up.

But if you practiced in reverse, start at 40 , then 30 , and finish at 20, you would still suffer fatigue, and you would still be torquing the bow, but at only 20 yards, the distance is short enough that the shots cant open up as before, and you would think you were shooting great.

The farther the distance, the more your form issues get amplified.

Hope this explains it a bit.

And to answer your question, No , you should not have a firm grip. Basically, you should have the last 3 fingers open, withthe thumb and index finger wrapping the grip to touch. Not any tighter.

Good luck.

DeerWhisperer

Thank you micheal, like i said before, i am new and a loose grasp just did not feel natural. But i will start practicing more with loosening my grip.
I think i get more fatigued pulling the arrows out of the target, they don't come out to easily, l0l.

crew

i had the same problem when i first started but i learned over time and it takes lots of practice and patience.
Make sure that your stance is the same every time without fail or your shots will be all of the place because your body is turned different ways every time. make sure when you pull the bow back that you keep the same anchor point because if you don't then you will pull your shots or your eye will not be looking through the peep hole the same every time. another thing is if you wnat to shoot out to 40 yards i would suggest turning your bow up to 70 pounds this will make you tired faster but will give the arrow the extra push to get to 40 yards. last when you shoot try to keep the pen on the center of the target the whole time untill you hear the arrow hits. well good luck

DeerWhisperer

Thanks for all the info. I am gonna go out in the woods with my bow this saturday and i will not take a shot unless i can get the deer within 20 yards. I have been a gun hunter all my life and have never used scents or calls. I figure this weekend i will practice with the scents and grunting just to gain some experience. I am not expecting to shoot my bow at a deer saturday just to gain some experience on grunting and learning patience.
That is unless i can get 1 within 20 yards.

AllenRead

That is the beginning of target panic. You want to avoid that at all costs.

I notice that you live very near Len at Marcrotech. Call him and set up a lesson or two (410-789-7777). He can help you much more in person than any of us can on the forum. Get to know him. He is a valuable resource forbow huntersin this area and a certified instructor.

I understand that he is very busy at the store during the hunting season, but he may be able to work you in.

If he can't help you immediately, try the following during practice:
Shoot at 20 yards and pay attention to how the shot feels and the rhythm of a good shot.

Once you think that you have it at 20 yards, move back to 22 yards. Be honest with yourself. If you have any shot that is not quite as good at 22 as it was at 20, immediately go back to 20 yards.

Get the feeling of a good shot back at 20 yards and only then move back to 22 yards.

Continue doing this in 2 yard steps and it shouldn't take long until you can shoot 100% good shots at 30 yards or more.

Just be sure that if you shoot a poor shot at any distance, immediately move back to the shorter distance. Don't say "well I normally don't do that". Don't try another shot at the longer distance. Just immediately move up to a distance where you can shoot good shots.

This is a technique that target shooters use to develop a disciplined shotand avoid target panic. Len Cardinale taught me this drill. He is aformerOlympic coach and a member of the Bowhunter Hall of Fame.

Good luck,
Allen

DeerWhisperer

I have been to macrotech twice trying to get some help and info. The 1st time is when i dry fired my bow, he fixed it on the spot and when i started asking him questions he acted like he did not want to be bothered. The 2nd time i went there was to get my sights and rest lined up cause my sight and pins were as low as they could go and still i needed to go lower. He imediatly took the bow and adjusted the knocking point and gave me back my bow. I then told him i wanted to buy some arrows from him and he told me to ask the guy in the back. Well after waiting for 20 minutes for the guy in the back,( he was stocking some items) he told me to get the arrows from len. I did not say a word and started walking out. Len stopped me and asked if i got the arrows i told him no, that the other guy sent me back to him and i was just going to leave. He said hold on and started looking for the arrows, he did not have them in stock and could order them. By this time i am still a little pissed from the run around i said no thanks and left.
Both times he acted like he did not want to be bothered with me so i never went back. A few friends of mine were saying how good he was and when i told them about my experience with him theyseemed really surprised.
I went to bass pro shops and got lucky, there was a guy working who seemed to know quite a bit and worked with me for about an hour. he Had me shooting fairly well for a newbie. I still was not hitting the bullseye when i left there but was withing 2 - 4inches of it every time. He told me to go home and work on 20 yards till you feel comfortable then move back a bit.