Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

Since Len brought this up today I have to vent for a moment. I am beyond sick of being so inconsistent in my shooting ability. I have days of almost Zen-like perfection and then I have days of being so far off that I want to throw my bow away and never shoot again. The only thing that I can see from this is that it isn' t an equipment problem, it is just my inconsistency from day to day. I have read magazines, posts on this and other sites, bought books, etc. and year after year it never changes. I haven' t been able to find a coach out here to help me out either. Do all the rest of you fight the same thing or am I just the lucky one?[:@] Is it possible to tune yourself?

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

Lady Arwen, everybody has bad days. That' s just something you have to accept. One thing I used to do before I got target panic is, if I started out shooting poorly, I' d stop immediately. The tendancy to shoot thru it to get better usually makes you shoot worse. Whatever the problem is, whether your tired, your muscles are tired, or you' re just not mentally into it, won' t get better the more you shoot that day.

Archery is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical. Some say, HOW CAN THAT BE??? It' s not difficult to shoot a bow. You pull the string back, and you let it go. The hard part comes when you have to think the process thru from shot to shot and do it the same way each time. Form, aiming, smooth release, and follow-thru are all part of the mental side of it.

Don' t sweat it, just chalk it up to part of the experience. And make your practice sessions perfect. Perfect practice, makes perfect. Bad practice makes bad shots.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

So you aren' t a " great" archer. Neither am I. I also can' t shoot a rifle perfectly at 1000yds, throw a baseball in the strikezone every time, I don' t even sign my name exactly the same every time.

My point, yes you are inconsistent you are human (I assume). The problem is that you admit you are missing. Just start saying that you can hit a fly at 75yards 99% of the time, and you just might start to believe it. I won' t, but you might.

:D

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

The thing i do, is consistancy im sure uve head it a million times but thats it.... grip and hold your boy the same evertime, anchor it in the same place all the time and always use this form. this will help keep accuracy in tact

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

Lady arwen

I gave up golf about 18 years ago because I found a better way to raise my blood pressure and give me a good reason to cuss, its called archery. I feel your pain. The only time I almost lost it was when a nice buck walked up on me at about 20 yards and I missed it. Shot right over him. I did lots of cussing that night and had even stated I was throwing my bow away and only rifle hunting. Good thing I didnt. I wrote it off as a bad day and went on. I have been having the days you are talking about recently. The last two days I shot started out great. first few trips to the target were right on the money, after that I could hit the ocean throwing rocks from a boat. I do as Danny45 mentioned, I put it up and start new the next day. Today is the next day for me, I hope things are back to normal.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

H2K, I' m not sure I' ve seen this shooting form before....and I' m not sure I really want too either. :D

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

heh, everytime... not to loose but not to firm.... hehe j/k

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*BOW*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

;)

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

I too would like to be more consistent. I have arrived at the conclusion that any problems I am having are not equipment related. Any inconsistency is brain-related in my case.[&:]

I can suggest two books. " Advanced Archer, How to Stay Calm at Center" is a great book for training your mind. I have read it a few times, the only problem being that it can relax you to the point of falling asleep.

I am currently reading Bernie Pellerite' s book " Idiot Proof Archery." Like the first book, it does stress the importance of shooting more or less subconsciously, and only concentrating on aiming. It is also a better book than Advanced Archer in terms of acutal archery shooting form, etc.

I am guessing that your bad days are happening when your conscious mind is trying to control more than one thing at a time, which it can' t do. " Zen in the Art of Archery" stesses the role of the subconscious, but in a round-about kind of way.

The subconscious is where it' s at for consistent shooting. When you start to think too much, a bad shot is coming soon!:(

I' ve got a lot more work to do, but I think I' m headed in the right direction.

Good luck to you Lady Arwen. Hope you are shooting like Legolas soon.:D

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

LA: Form, fit and function! We use that terminology in the engineering community and it certainly applies here.

A GOOD coach is hard to find. Many attempt to make you conform to their standard rather than adjust you gradually while adapting to your bodily requirements.

One thing I will tell you is NOT to GRIP the bow or the release. Other than that, I' d have to see you personally to offer any constructive criticism.:)

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

Everyday stresses can wreck havoc on your concentration which is the key to consistantcy. I always start my sessions about 10 yards from the target since this is the easiest distance to concentrate on the bull. AFter a few shots the confidence is there so i' ll back off to 20 or 25 and shoot somemore. I quit shooting well before I start getting fatigued. I actually became alot more consistant with good shooting when I started shooting every other day instead of every day. And shoot just enough to keep that confidence built.

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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.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

Lady you have been given some good advise

Nice post C903

Lady, can you post some pictures of you shooting.

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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!:D

RE: Tuning the archer!!!!!!!
 

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.