The other thing you have to concern yourself with is which discipline you' re practicing - tournament or hunting. If it' s hunting, one shot at a time and then rest. You' ve got to make that first shot count and you' re normally shooting close to your maximum poundage. If it' s tournament, you could be subjected to up to 200 shots (including practice). In this discipline, you' ve got to keep the poundage way done to facilitate the need for endurance.

I have been a bow hunter for 40 years and in those years, I have learned to accept the fact that I am not perfect but I have learned to capitalize on that deficiency.

FIRST: DON" T practice too much. Every other day is more than enough.
SECOND: DON' T shoot more than a dozen or two arrows in a session. One session a day.
THIRD: When practicing worry more about form than accuracy. Mentally and physically think, aloud if you wish each step in your form as you nock an arrow, draw your bow, anchor, aim, release, and FOLLOW THROUGH.

FOURTH:[b]FOLLOW THROUGH[/b]. When I have accuracy problems it is because my follow through did not follow through. As I anchor I say to myself " Push and pull through the shot . . . Follow Through"

FIFTH: Do not grip your bow [I use a wrist strap] this can cause torquing. DO NOT LOWER OR DROP your bow arm until after the arrow hits the target

If there is a reason for my shooting poorly it is lack of follow through. When my follow through breaks dowh I shoot high left or left. When I dop my bow arm, I shoot low right.

These are the flaws I have found in my own form in my years as an archer and I hope that sharing them will help you analyze your form and develop a method of overcoming them.

One last thing I would like to add. Practice how you plan on shooting. I hunt exlusively with my bows. I will shoot from odd spots on my range. I will climb trees around my house to shot from. I will also shoot from odd distances 15 yards, 27 yards, 38 yards 42yards ect. This will help you judge distances. I try to train my game as well as my shot. I also like to shoot a couple of rounds first to cause some fatiuge. I know this is not good and depends on whether you still hunt or not. If you do some still hunting you might have to work a buck for a couple of miles before you can cross him and take a shot. If you havent learned how to calm yourself and relax after you are tired the shot is worthless. I guess this would only apply to those who like to get out and stalk.

As for the shot, dont worry so much on where you are hitting when trying to correct the problem worry more on form. Like dic-cress mentioned the follow throw is one of the keys to accruacy. Practice it every time you shoot.

I agree with not taking too many shots if your goal is hunting. The key is quality not quantity. That 1st shot while hunting is going to be the one that counts.

If you are practicing and after 12-18 shots your accuracy starts to decrease. Stop shooting and put the bow away. The more you practice w/ poor form - the more likely that poor form becomes your normal form.

After my whine session yesterday I read some of the key points from " Idiot Proof" and then read all the advice that you guys have posted. Gee, they were both basically the same!

I get really frustrated from year to year because I never really improve even though I think that I learn a little more each year. Archery is my one passion and it stinks to stink at it! I also don' t feel very comfortable hunting when I know that I have days when I don' t keep ' em all in the plate at 30 yds.

I think that all the advice that you all gave was good and I will try to remember it when I am shooting. Probably my two worst transgressions are not following through and trying to make a bad day good by shooting more arrows. The hardest part is going to be admitting that yes, I am human and it isn' t going to be perfect most of the time. Thanks

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.

c903: quote]Upon dissecting all of their gear, adjustments, form, etc, it was not uncommon to discover that some were shooting mismatched or extremely corrupted setups [/quote] Here is my setup: PSE Nova (vector wheels) 26" at 54#, Goldtip 3555 XT at 27 1/4" with 4" vane offset, 100 gr. tip, GKF micro adjust rest, wrist sling, Scott Shark release off of the string with 1 brass nock above arrow. Granted the round wheels do not seem to be the greatest thing since it doesn' t give me a solid wall and some may argue the choice of carbon over aluminum. Can you offer any suggestions that may improve my setup?

Form could very well be a big issue for me as I have to judge myself. Beyond having to remember to shift my hips forward I think my form is fairly close time after time. I believe that I have a solid anchor with string touching nose and lips, and knuckle behind jawbone. I recently paper tuned and then micro tuned out to 50 yds. My broadheads even impact the same as the field points.

Lady you have been given some good advise

Nice post C903

Lady, can you post some pictures of you shooting.

Rack Attack:
Yes, I can post some pictures over the weekend. Don' t have the digital at work. I won' t be responsible for any damage caused to your computer screen though!

Lady:


Cyber coaching and troubleshooting is difficult, but not impossible. It may take time, and may at times be repetitive, but with the good shooters that I see (obvious) on this forum, I would wager that they will help you eventually determine what the/your problem(s) is/are, and quite possibly be able to cyber-coach you to a degree.

First: Regardless of the age of your equipment, or what you might assume, are you absolutely positive that none of your equipment has any worn or flawed components e.g., wheel bushings, axles, string/cable, etc? I am a firm believer in troubleshooting by the numbers, never assuming, and double checking.