I've never had an archery coach or pro check my form out, Like Nike I "just do it". As such, when I practice, I usually just shoot at varying yards at different targets. I'm thinking I should have some sort of routine in order to get continually improve. I had thought about something like, 15 minutes blank bale shooting with closed eyes, etc. What do you guys do or recommend, technically?

Edited by - Rangeball on 02/15/2002 11:20:22

Range,

I think I'd start by finding a coach!!! Heres why, if you practice incorrectly, you are simply reinforcing bad habits. Its been said before, its not quantity, but quality of practice time.

Aim Hard!

FL, If I was gonna go to alot of shoots or get into serious target archery, You bet, a coach would be the way to go. However, we've none in our area, and I don't think I could sell the spouse, who thinks the sun has risen again when bow season ends, on the thought of traveling to find a coach. I don't think I have bad form, I concentrate on a consistent, comfortable grip and eliminating tension from my body when I shoot. I don't move my head to accomodate the bow, and I don't lean backwards from being overdrawn or bowed. I'm very bowhunting competent out to 35 yards or so, and am really looking for some kind of practice routine to follow so I have a plan when I go shoot. Kind of like hitting golf balls at the range, it's better to work on specific issues than to just flail away at a bucket o' balls...

Once you think you have form down fairly well, I think getting into competitive indoor 5-spot and outdoor field spot shooting can help immensely.

There are no excuses- the yardage is known, and the target center bull is in plain view. Shooting 60 arrows at an indoor 5 spot while keeping score will definitely let you know if you're improving. Just keep a running log of your scores to see the trend. If you change something (draw length tweak, peep height adjustment, different release, etc) mark it down in the log so you can see if that change helped or hurt.

There is no wind to blow your arrow off-target, and the lighting stays the same and is consistent through the entire round. The only variable in the equation is YOU and your form. The bow stays the same and the arrows are the same.

3D shooting doesn't give you these controlled circumstances. Lighting can be different every shot. The wind can be blowing. You may not know ring placement on the target. Uphill, downhill, sidehill. You're estimating yardage, "did I estimate short but hit high, or estimate long and hit low for that perfect arrow placement"? Don't get me wrong- I think 3D can be a great shooting experience. But for really getting technical on form and execution I think having as many controlled variables as possible is the key.

Just my opinion.

Edited by - Black Frog on 02/15/2002 12:01:39

not sure if this is a good idea, but it seems to work for me. i generally just shoot 1 arrow only. it takes longer to shoot x amount of arrows, but for me it gets me to concentrate on each one better than just flying 3 and going and getting them etc...

John

Range,

It think you answered most of your own question. Just chucking arrows is not a good idea, fun maybe though. If you do not have someone to analyze your form, whether it be golf or archery, and you have grooved habits right or wrong, just how do you know what to practice or change? If your knowledgeable enough doing a video of yourself shooting is handy. I agree with Blackfrog that the best practice would be under controlled conditions. Shooting poorly executed shots just reinforces bad muscle memory.

Aim Hard!

rangeball, there are 3 things i work on when i shoot.
1.} strength, i shoot probalby 100 shots fairly fast. i use a 5 spot target and shoot 5 arrows. this helps with my stamina. once i find myself getting tired or my form falling off {creeping forward or shaking} i shoot 10 more shots not tryting to hit any certin spot and hold at full draw till i cant hold it any more.
2.) form and accuracy this is mearly hitting exactly where i want with good form. usualy at 20 or 35 yds.
3.) bow hunting. when your bow hunting its all about range and ONE shot. i take something and place it where i want to shoot from {we do this when were watching tv and a comercial comes on} and have my wife place the target some where that i dont know the distance and then i take one shot just one. i pace the distance when i retreeve my arrow. and we go back inside.
also i only do one of these each day.
hope you can get some ideas from this to improve your shooting
Ron

I practice at given ranges at spot targets. I do lots of this throughout the year and at ranges far greater than what I would ever try to shoot a deer. I feel this gets my consistency down and my strength up. I also shoot at deer pictures or 3D targets. This simple helps me pick a spot behind the shoulder. I believe this is the most important part of hunting practice-the years I have done lots of practice shooting at deer shapes my shot placement has been much better than if I just shoot at circles.

I see lots of people spending hours at the practice butts. But one thing I never seem to see them do is keep any kind of record of what they're shooting and how they're shooting. I just don't see how, without a record, you can really determine with any accuracy whether you're improving or not; whether slight changes in grip, release, stance, etc are really altering your scores for better or worse.

Jack

If you are serious about shooting really well, most coaches have books out on form and the correct shot sequence. I suggest you start here.