I've been doing some work on really aiming my arrows instead of just doing the ol' poke and hope. Well, today I was out in the back yard messing around (I love fall! Yellow leaves on green grass make great short range targets. Side benefit is I'm aerating the turf at the same time. Hey, it's hard work, doing that one arrow at a time. )Anyway, I discovered a flaw in my shooting form.I noticed I was moving my bow arm to get on target![:'(]I KNOW not to do that but... It's one of those things that happen when you get old and forgetful,I guess.[&:]

When you bring that bow up and draw, the bow arm should be in it's proper position and SHOULD NOT BE MOVED. If you move the arm instead of the shoulders, you wind up using muscle tension to shove the arrow into alignment, which shortens your draw length and is unstable.

Muscles get tired and start shaking or just don't stay steady. Not to mention that the muscle tension you're using to push the arrow into alignment will also make the bow arm recoil off to the side when you release, and can throw the arrow off course.

The bow must be supported by the bone structure instead. Bones don't get tired. You use a lot less muscle power, so the bow will tend to keep pointing at the target when you release so the arrow can fly true.

So, if draw and see you're pointing off to the side of the target, do not move the bow over from the shoulder. Instead,twist at the hips to bring shoulders around. The bow arm willmove with the shouldersand put the arrow in line.

Good point, thanks for the reminder on that.

Hmmm.
Thanks for that Arthur. I know I've read about the importance of anchoring the bow arm, but only briefly, and I don't recall it being stressed much. As you usually manage to do, it makes sense, and I get the impression you're not just making it up

I'm pretty sure I move my bow arm to the target instead of twisting my hips. I'd have to shoot to know for sure, but if it's the wrong way, I probably manage it at least part of the time [:'(]

The other point I'd like to comment on is your ablity to shoot at all!!! I know it has good an bad points, but I WISH I HAD DAYLIGHT TO SHOOT IN!!!!!!

I'm going to rush home tonight and try to figure out if I'm anchoring that bow arm. Well, if it warms up a bit. Finally got cold, and I hate it.
C-

Man, I do everything wrong.

Yeah, Guss, me too. That's why I seem to catch myself making mistakes every time I shoot.[&:]

Dang Arthur, me too!![:@][8D][:-]

I know I do it and when it's bad, I miss bad.... Thanks for the pointer, I will definitely add that to my growing list of mental checks......

I've been very pleased with my shooting lately....... this back tension thing is finally sinking in....