holdin steady
 

i have problems at full draw holding steady. the bow seems to walk all over the place. i have been shooting for years and have compensated for this but i would like to know if anyone has any suggestions or any advice to help me hold steady at full draw

RE: holdin steady
 

how old are you? hopefully not a medical problem, but if you;ve noticed a major change......get a checkup, otherwise if you've just shake some.....


I believe being stronger can only help......practicing holding at full draw for longer periods.....ie building up endurance muscles, can only help.

Aside from that I once heard that rather than trying to hold dead on a target....since without a bench that is impossible......try to circle the target......or kinda a controlled wobble, dont try to lock on if you will.

Hopefully this makes some sense.....try to relax, not too much, but be comfy, not like a super tight ball of muscle.

so relaxing and trying not to lock on target might help....

RE: holdin steady
 

i am very young at only 25 and strength is not an issue. i shoot tight groups but i was wondering if anyone has this problem and if they do what do they do to compensate for this. as it can be distracting when you are shooting.

RE: holdin steady
 

I thought i was young at 25 now only two years later 27 now I feel like an old man.[:o] Enjoy it while it lasts man. Good luck with the wobble. I fight that after shooting for over 30mins I think my muscles just start to fatigue. I have never heard about the circle idea though I will try that next time I shoot.

RE: holdin steady
 

Eighter try lighter draw weight and see if it makes a difference, dont worry we wont bash you for not being able to grind your teeth when you draw.
Sometimes it could be an issue with you draw lenght eighter to short or to long and is not comfortable for your muscles to relax, and my third guess is your grip .hope i dont get banned for this but when my uncle thought me a few years ago is to hold it like it was the thing between your legs im sure you dont put a death grip on that.Try to see if any of these things are a issue first and then see if its something else like target panic maybe.
good luck hope you figure it out soon .and like salukapiv said eighter lightly circle your target or like some people in my area is to have the pin on the side of the target slight and dont have the pin right in the center of the X

RE: holdin steady
 

Your Draw weight should be easily handled. Draw length correct? I know it doesn't sound right but learn to relax your body as you aim except for your back muscles. It's harder to do than you think, and tensing muscles to try and hold still will only make things worse.

Dan

RE: holdin steady
 

This usually indicates a fit/form issue.IMO,both draw length and poundage fit into this category.


This is the main reason I do not like a bent bow arm,much more difficult FOR ME to get good bone to bone contact and stay relaxed during the aiming process.

Another thing is most good shooters really aren't trying to get the pin to stop moving,that is almost impossible to achieve,they key is to LET the pin float on the intended AREA while executing back tension,you will be amazed at how the arrow will hit the center of that area more often than not.

RE: holdin steady
 

thank you for your input. i guess i was thinking that you had to hold the bow almost completely steady while at full draw. or that adding some sort of stabilizer would fix the problem.

since i got my new tribute i have noticed this bugging me more than before so i think i will look at the draw length and give that a try to see if it will change anything.

thanks for the input.

RE: holdin steady
 

Is that why everyone looks like they have a big gut (me too) in pictures of them shooting???:D

Chris,
I've had the same problem since I started shooting. I can't explain it either, but my shooting is still what I'd consider pretty good. One thing that's really helpingme hold steadier with my compound is learning to shoot the longbow. Holding that thing at full draw for a little bit on each shot is really strengthening those muscles.

RE: holdin steady
 

STABILIZER'S,are named that for a reason.;)Yes,they help and I like more weight on the end of them.

RE: holdin steady
 

you are supposed to let the pin drift over the target

RE: holdin steady
 

it sounds pretty certain that what i am experiencing is normal. and that i should not worry about it.

if i was going to look at getting a stabilizer which one should i go with on a budget?

RE: holdin steady
 

No, you dontwant to drift over the target. You want to float on the target.

RE: holdin steady
 

well thats what you do, but you pull the release when its drifting over where you want that arrow to go

RE: holdin steady
 

When you are practicing if you are commanding the shot you are asking for troubles.;)

Dan

RE: holdin steady
 

First thing is that if you are shooting good groups, really, and good groups for score (because archery isn't exactly benchrest, and some people can shoot good groups, but can never get those groups actually on target) worry, less keep doing what you are doing until something changes.

A few points:

1) While one does float the pin, good archers can hold right on the X no deviation for 10-20 seconds, it's just that they couldn't do that for a whole slew of shots and there is a difference between holding and shooting.

At the PSE school they rigged our bows so that we held a laser dot right in the X when we had the sight on theX, and then they videod all the shooters's target as we said we were holding as steady as we could, and you could see where the laser dot settled.Out of about 43 shooters, with 3 small time pros who weren't that knowledgeable, every shooter held his laser on the x less time than it took to execute the shot routine (we had previously worked out our ideal shot time). The three pros, who could barely spell their names, all had dots on x times that were longer that their shot routine (good), and none of the rest of us did. One pro could hold it about twice as long as required to execute a shot. A lot of us would have sworn on a stack of bibles we we not overbowed, but we were. The reason PSE does this is because nobody admits they are overbowed until they see it proven on video.

2) Mechanical problems like see sawing cams can lead to a feel of not being steady, if modern bows still do that stuff, I am a little out of date on cams.

3)Not having a low torque grip type, or hand placement will make your bow squirrely.

4) Look up Bob Ragsdale's 10 archery laws. One of these is something like decide when you are practicing, and when you are shooting for score. If you are "shooting good groups" while your mind is thinking "why does my bow move all over the place" You are at the very least not separating out when you are practicing on form, and when you are shooting for score. In Golf the difference would at one level when you are at the driving range as opposed to playing a round, though you could break it down even further. When you are playing you never question the game you brought with you.

5) If you are asking this question, you need to read some books and rent some archery technique specific videos, or go to a shooting school. However, if you are really "shooting good groups" you might want to wait a while. Never fix stuff that is working, unless it isn't. Learn to lay off perfecting your equipment and technique if the results you are getting are as good as they need to be. But if they aren't don't tell us, and most importantly yourself, that the results are good. As Bob says you are either hitting what you aim at or you aren't.