loanstarhunter

I am having some difficulty with my shooting form and need some advice.

Set up: PSE Dakota 55lb draw with 65% Let off, WB rest, Carbon shaft with 90g tips, peep sight, kisser button, string leech and string loop.

Problem:
When shooting I have a difficult time with my " AIM"
It feels like a constant strugle between me and the bow. I draw back, anchor the kisser, get the sight pin centered in the peep with no problem. Where the problem comes into play, is putting the pin on the target. As I raise up to place the pin on the bull eye I feel like the arrow is going to sail way over the target but in reality it will hit right on the money. My eye tells me that the pin is on the target but my brain says you are way to high. I am not sure if it is a mental block issue, a form issue or just a practice issue.

Is it best to shoot with both eyes open or just one looking through the peep?

This is rather difficult to explain in words so I hope it is enough to get the picture across.

Rack-attack

Cofidence, confidence my friend - that your arrow will fly to its mark

Trust in the sword - and let the force be with you

springgobbler

" Be the Ball Danny....Hannnnannnnnaaaanooooonoooooooo"

Instead of " raising" the pin to the target, lower the pin to the target. Raising the pin causes tension in your arm. Concentrate on the target, not the pin and try to make your release as surprising as possible.

Good Luck!

Lady Forge

I also had a very difficult time trying to bring the pin up to the target, the arm would tense up because I was using muscles to raise the arm instead of allowing gravity to take its natural course of coming down , when coming down the arm and the rest of my body for me is more relaxed and I dont have to fight gravity and then the brain of mine dosent have the impression that I am raising to high.
If possible I prefer to draw back right on the target but when that isnt possible I will come down on the target.
I believe the issue of shooting with one eye or both is really based on the individual shooter JUST MY 2 CENTS I for one am training my left eye right now to shoot open by placing a small piece of colored glass cling ( like Tape ) on the left eye it is supposed to cause the dominent eye to grow stronger and take control instead of the 2 eyes fighting each other for dominence.
I think you hit the nail on the head , There is so much mental involved in archery, Its turned me on occaision into a mental basket case[&:]

kimndavid

That problem you are describing is called TARGET PANIC....As others have said, you need to lower your pin to the target. This helps keep the tension out of your body. The best thing to help retrain this is to shoot with your eyes closed about 5' feet away from a target bale(just make sure it' s big enough that you will be able to hit it). When you are shooting just relax, this is easier to think about when your eyes are closed. When you get back to aiming at a regular target, concentrate on the spot you want to hit instead of watching the pin. Your aim will be more steady this way. As for one eye or two eyes, my preference is to shoot with two eyes open because I think if you squint one eye you introduce tension into your body. However, some people can' t shoot with both eyes open and some people can' t close just one eye so it is basically personal preference. To me the best way to shoot a bow is to RELAX, and to practice enough that your routine becomes habit.

>>>---DAVIDP---SILERCITY,NC--->

c903

There is no hard fast rule whether you raise or lower your pin to the target when shooting TARGETS. The method you choose for coming on target is an individual choice based on preference and comfort. I always rise to target, and I do so for three primary reasons.

1. I have always found that I have more control on easing up to and floating on my POA because of the resistance caused by muscle tension and gravity. Coming down to the POA, I found that, for me, the rate of drop when lowering the bow is harder to precisely control; because lowering is going with the gravity, and it is natural for muscles to want to over-relax when the brain perceives that a load is being lowered.

2. Raising to the target allows me to keep my eyes on the POA and the pin, unobstructed and through my entire draw.

3. If my release trips as I start my draw as I raise the bow, the arrow will hit the deck. If the release trips when my bow is up, the arrow is going to sail down range, or where a wild arrow should not be going.

4. I am a firm believer that shooting targets at known distances on a range in preparation for bowhunting, is to tune your gear and yourself, and nothing more. Once you have your gear and yourself tuned, the " range" and any shooting methods best suited only for a range, should be history until you need to retune.

For bowhunting purposes, I have always used and recommended practicing and programming the " raise the pin to the POA" and a " level bow push and pull draw" to new bowhunters, or not so new bowhunters open to (some) new ideas and methods.

Why?

Primary rule when preparing to shoot a deer, is minimal movement during the set, draw, and shooting phase. When you are standing, rise to standing, or when preparing to shoot from a sitting position; in what position is your bow usually in? I would wager that most of the time you bow is in a riser down position, and most of the time the arrow is pointed down or angled down.

If your bow is already down, and you raise the bow up and then lower to your POA, you might as well just wave your arms at the deer. In addition, when raising and then lowering to the deer, you may lose momentary sight of the deer. If the deer is moving, the problem could be compounded.

Additionally, by keeping your bow riser down, you can bend at the waist before you draw. This can be an advantage when the deer is close and/or on springs. You can position yourself for your shot, wait for the right opportunity, and still able to draw your bow. Try bending at the waist, and then lifting your bow up and draw to lower your pin to your POA (deer). I believe you may find it awkward to do so; and doing so will tend to force you out of your bent at the waist posture.

I also suggest learning to shoot by having your bow vertical (plumb to your body), and shoving your riser away from you (pin at the POA) and drawing at the same time. I am sure there are others that know what I am describing. I have always practiced and used this method, and it has come in handy more than once. One reason I stay in form using the vertical push and pull method, is to break up my face and my eyes when I have a " sky watcher" on me, or a smart Alpha doe checking the trees for snipers.

I have always operated on the theory; that since predators are usually camouflaged or blend, and that prey know this, prey will try to spot the eyes of the predator. When I have deer coming in or are close, and they are looking around (nervous), and I have not been able to (yet) draw, I pull my bow into my chest to where my face and eyes are not far from my riser and top limb. This helps hide my eyes. I peek slightly past the riser or limb, just enough to watch the deer. When the shot is available, I push the bow straight out and draw at the same time, and have my pin settling in the kill zone as I draw.

loanstarhunter

Thanks everyone for your imput.

c903 in your reply you mentioned something that brings me to a slightly different question regarding shooting form. Every year I hear someone talking about " bend at the waist" which brings me to my new question. Especially since I do 100% of my hunting from a tree. I practice from both ground and elevation. I shoot a single fixed pin from the ground and a penduleum from a tree.

When I shoot, I position my feet and body in a maner that makes this bend at the waist concept difficult. My feet are more or less perpendicular to the face of the target as opposed to parrelle. In other words my toes do not point directly at the target.

Is this part of my shooting form that I should re-visit?

Pinwheel 12

It sounds like you are fighting it because it is not set up correctly, which is a common occurance. You may be reaching for your kisser or you need a slight tiller adjustment to be able to hold the pin onto the target with no stress. Normally this scenario will occur when your kisser is too high and you reach for it, this puts you " off-plane" and you exert undue tension through your forearm in your atempt to gain a solid hold. Any excess tension anywhere is BAD, and accuracy always suffers. A comfortable, relaxed hold is the way to the winners' circle.

Take the bow, rip the kisser off and draw it with your eyes closed. Anchor comfortably with your eyes still closed, relax, comfortable...have a friend/wife/friends' wife mark the spot for the kisser. Re-install it. draw back again, eyes closed. Make sure the kisser hits the same place. If it doesn' t, fix it. Then comes the peep---draw, eyes closed. Fit the kisser, comfortable, relaxed. Now open your eyes. One two, your preference, but I do recommend two for less strain and better field of view. The peep should be right there so you have a full view of the pins with no movement. If it' s not, fix it, try again.

Once this is done, draw, and aim at the target. If you cannot get your pin to stay onto the target, give a 1/4 turn on one limb or the other, and remember which one you turned and how much. Play with this back/forth to find your best hold. Sometimes it only takes 1/4 turn to bring it in. Check your arrow tune afterwards if you turn a limb and leave it there. Not many can hold steady on the target for more than a few seconds--each individual has their own set " rythmn" and from draw to shot is usually about 6-11 seconds. Work to consistently place your pin onto the target and get your shot off in roughly the same amount of time each and every shot. This also makes a more consistent archer.

I do not think you have target panic--yet. But like many archers, those who may not be fitted correctly can easily find their way to that malady quickly, and lots of times it drives people from the sport when it really isn' t only a fault of their form. Work at it, and it will come, even if we have to walk you through it. That' s what we are here for, and what these boards are all about! Good shooting, Pinwheel 12

c903

When shooting from an elevated position, you must try to duplicate the same upper-body position as when you were shooting in while on the ground. Sight type is irrelevant.

Incorrect shooting form when shooting from an elevated position can negatively affect each person differentl. However, some adverse affects are common.

If you lower your bow/pin rather than bending at the waist, following are some changes and affects that can occur, in part or all:

1. Your anchor will be altered.
2. You may draw your bowstring closer to your chest.
3. Your draw-length could lengthen.
4. Your line of sight angle to POA can be wrong regardless it appears to be correct.
5. Etc.

Consequently, your arrow flight will most likely be off on left/right horizontal, and/or low or high hits/miss can occur.

Mahly13

#1 sounds like target panic in it' s early stages. I prefer using a Back tension release to beat target panic
#2 I think it' s best to shoot with both eyes open.