I've been shooting nearly every day for a few months now. I think I am an average to slightly below average shooter. I do not have any friends who shoot traditional so my practice sessions consist of me shooting at targets in my yard at various distances. My progress has really come to a stand still and I have not seen any improvement in my accuracy and grouping.

I'm looking for some shooting drills or exercises that would help me improve my shot. Is there a defining moment in your shooting career where something just clicked or a shooting exercise that helped you improve?

Picking one part out of my shooting and I work on that until I nail it down.

Trying to work on every part of my shot sequence at the same outing does not work for me. Then after time it all comes together. :)

A 300 round with a sight on your bow. If you've quit improving, you didn't say how well you're shooting now which is important to know, but you may need to work on mechanics. Shoot at something that give a measurable standard.

Concentrating on a repeatable follow-through, or as some say, a second anchor point, has done it for me. I also switched to a fixed crawl and that has helped. I can use the same anchor point but get the arrow up more in to my line of sight.

I am 67 and have been shooting since I was about 10. I went through Rod Jenkin's shooting Clinic about 3 years ago and have improved more since that clinic than in the previous fifty years. Don't ever think you are too good or too old to take lessons from someone who knows what they are doing, someone who is a proven winner. There are some out there who run clinics but have no proven record of winning or even trying to compete. Look at the shooting style of the best archers in the world and ask yourself why do they all have the same style? They shoot that way because that is what it takes to win at the highest level. Then ask yourself who can teach you that style of shooting. Don't believe that the olympic styule of shooting does not fit hunting. Shooting a bow is shooting a bow, whether you are shooting from a tree stand or on the Olympic field. The same winning process will fit either.

When my shooting needs a boost, I get really close, say around 10', I shoot one arrow and retrieve. If I like the shot I take one step back and continue. If not, I retrieve and continue at that spot. Sometimes out to 30 or 35 yards. Jawge

"Is there a defining moment in your shooting career where something just clicked or a shooting exercise that helped you improve?"

Honestly, when I stopped listening to people who were more interested in being "traditional" than putting their arrows where they belong.

I'm really impressed with Sipsey River's statement. It really mirrors my own improvement. Ron Jenkins really shortens the learning curve. Unfortunately in our class there weren't may young students. Something about archery makes people want to learn by themselves???

Another moment was when I was about 17 and I asked someone how they shot so good. They explained gapping to me.

Most recently I read the book TOTAL ARCHERY by KiSik Lee. The book goes back to Sipsey River's comments about Olympic archery.

Bowmania

Maybe mix FDP and Tom McCool's suggestions. Just DON'T get frustrated and quit trying. It takes a while. Maybe step back for a while and think about it. I visualize my shot sequence all the time.

A long, long time ago, in a far away land, there was a young, blonde-haired know-it-all that thought he was pretty good. Then he joined an archery club in 1967. He found his idea of accuracy wasn't really all that accurate..pun intended. I learned what proper form was. It was not necessarily a "Voila" moment, but it was defining.

And I also second what JRW said. Cast aside the neotrad definitions of what traditional should be, and you can better focus on the process of shooting well. Just like we did in the 1960's.

How sure are you that everything is tuned and matched as well as it could be?

I've had a few defining moments over the years.

Going down in draw weight from time to time really helps. As jakeemt said on another thread, I believe a steady bow arm is the cornerstone of accuracy. Even if you can handle more weight, a lighter draw weight is easier to hold steady upon release making good FOLLOW THRU much easier. Lighter bows also force you to focus on your release. Generally, I practice with heavy bows to build strength, practice with light bows to refine my release and form, then hunt and practice with mid-weight bows to benefit from the combination of a cleaner release and steadier bow arm.

If I find myself in a "slump," I will often watch some of "moebow's" youtube videos. They always bring me back to the basics.

When I find I'm not focussed enough, I'll clear my mind and just STARE harder at the spot I want to hit. With a good follow thru, this never fails. Good luck! - John

The single biggest thing for me is my bow arm. When that gets sloppy everything else follows suit..... so I guess my defining moment was when I realized that

c -

fdp and Mr. Stout are spot on. You need a way of quantifying your shooting/progress. The 300 round on the blue target is pretty universal and can be shot at different distances, based on your ability. Joining a club with more experienced shooters can be quite an eye opener. My experience was exactly the same as Mr. Stout's. When I was a "kid" I though I was pretty darn good, until I joined a club and found out what "good" was. It was also the best way to learn to shoot with more experienced types watching you over time. (Yes, I understand, it's a little different now, but most clubs and ranges still have good people who are willing to work with newbies.

So, if anything was a "turning point", that was it, and even though back then my goal was bow hunting, in retrospect, I learned a heck of a lot more from the "target" guys than I did from the bowhunters - except for the guys who did both, of course...

Viper out.

your shooting to much give it a break you will get stale and get bad habits

Jawge & George x2

Building a shot a shot sequence and useing my arrow to aim. Last night with my hunting bow. I've still got plenty of room for improvment.

Shooting at 5 yes for months and practicing at 60 yards. The 60 gives you time to see the arrow and it's flight - allowing you to determine if the problem is you or the arrow. The 5 yard practice allows you to dedicate shot mechanic's to muscle memory.

Those are the two things that helped me most

Typing on phone, sorry about the bad grammar.

Several years ago, I took a good look at my setup and decided everything was good there, so it must be me. I was OK but had room to improve. Then I learned about sinking anchor / second anchor point and falling bow arm. I corrected those two and now I pretty much always hit what Im looking at, unless I do something stupid, then....

Understanding that form is everything for "consistent" accuracy. Avoid staleness by changing routine. Some days shoot really close and close your eyes thinking only of perfect form. Indoor shooting with a mirror above to check form. Great form creates great scores. Instruction is the best money you will spend!Travel a bit to 3d shoots. Shooting with strangers is an education while becoming friends. Best of luck.

7 Hours in a lawn chair listening to Dan Quillian circa 95.

JRW hit it on the bullseye. Get away from the nostalgia.

Get Master of Barebow 3 watch Rod Jenkins.

Both eyes open.

Shoot only 2 arrows- each well.

Get away from the crowds for now

When I finally admitted that I was over bowed and dropped down to a reasonable poundage that I could attempt to conquer my target panic and hold steady improving accuracy. Regards

Sigh... I don't shoot competitively but I get tied up in knots when I am not placing my shots consistently,. Its a WIP for me and I do everything from checking the brace & nock heights to my form. I keep in mind the basic mantra of elbow, shoulder bow alignment and drawing hand etc. I don't have a coach but I could use a video of my shot sequence. I am betting that somewhere in my form is not in sync. Other than that it comes down to a relaxed draw (big emphasis). Some of us may need to drop down in bow weight. I bet that would solve a lot of problems (mine any ways).

Sigh... I don't shoot competitively but I get tied up in knots when I am not placing my shots consistently,. Its a WIP for me and I do everything from checking the brace & nock heights to my form. I keep in mind the basic mantra of elbow, shoulder bow alignment and drawing hand etc. I don't have a coach but I could use a video of my shot sequence. I am betting that somewhere in my form is not in sync. Other than that it comes down to a relaxed draw (big emphasis). Some of us may need to drop down in bow weight. I bet that would solve a lot of problems (mine any ways).

Yardage and gap marks written on my bracer, and crawls marked on my longbow string.

Look up Arne Moe on YouTube. His videos are quite good relating to form, grip, release, follow through...etc.

Read G. Fred Asbell's books

Sipsey River gave you the best information and I had the same experience taking a class from Rod. The only thing I would add is that it was harder to "unlearn" all the bad habits I taught myself then it was to implement what he taught.

Exactly what I have ben doing. 15-18 yds. and its at this posting elusive. I am in the process of breaking a new bowstring so maybe a little of that figures in. Right now my shooting is not good. I try to forgive myself and go with it. I will never take a shot at game shooting the way I shoot now.

As a tourney shooter I never noticed any defining improvement in my Form, for me a it was just a steady process of building experience and confidence.

I basically got to a point in my shooting where I didn't hope to win but where I knew if I commit to every shot with the same solid Form I would put myself in a position to place in the tourney, you do that enough times, the odds go up in your favor and you start to win.

The Internet and sites like Leatherwall. Specifically, arrow tuning made the biggest difference in hunting for me.

I watched some Moebow vids on you tube. There was a little glitch with my bow arm elbow. One of those things I knew 30 yrs. ago but seemed to have forgotten with old age. Arnie knows his stuff.

"Is there a defining moment in your shooting career where something just clicked or a shooting exercise that helped you improve?"

This one cracked me up... Big Time:

"Honestly, when I stopped listening to people who were more interested in being 'traditional' than putting their arrows where they belong."

"Something about archery makes people want to learn by themselves???"

Well... YEAH! Hell, if it's all "instinctive", why in the world would you need anybody to TEACH you anything???

"Read G. Fred Asbell's books"

Sorry, but I beg to differ. His first book may have been the best - or maybe even the ONLY - well-known book on the subject at the time, but given what has been learned about learning in the 25+ years since it was published, it's simply not helpful. JMO, the first book (which I have recommended to many people over the years) fails the beginner because it attempts to teach by starting at the desired end point, rather than focusing clearly and simply on each of the building blocks which are REQUIRED in order to get there.

And not to pick on a neighbor, here, but....

"I think a lot of folks have too high of expectations. Most, and I do mean most folks cannot shoot softball size groups at 20 yds. I have been to quite a few big shoots with say 200 trad guys and if there are 20-25 guys there that can do that, that is a lot. "

I think it IS a great question to ask how well the OP is shooting at this current "plateau", because you'd hate to see a guy doing a solid job and then screw everything up just chasing some very slight improvement, but overall, I think our standards and expectations these days are closer to too low than too high. So I was over here in Amen Corner when George and Tony (Viper) spoke up about getting out to see where we stack up in the broader world of things. Do something CRAZY, maybe even... Like keep an actual score on a 3D round and TURN IT IN so that others can see where THEY stack up as well. JMO, a competitive shoot is one of the few places where we can go to see how we stack up in the grand scheme of things, and if the only ones turning in scorecards are the guys who expect to win, then there's no sense of where you stand.

I know a lot of people don't seem to want to know if they're top, middle, or bottom of the pack, but I like it, personally. Not because I think I'm particularly good, but I'll never settle for being "average" without a fight.

Regardless, though... You simply cannot beat keeping score against yourself to prove to yourself whether you're getting any better or not.

So... Back to the OP...

"Is there a defining moment in your shooting career where something just clicked or a shooting exercise that helped you improve?"

Maybe it's too much to call it a "moment", but to be honest, stepping away from my wild-eyed bias against modern archery, buying a good compound, and seeing what I could do with it was a REVELATION.

The day that I looked at a 40-yard group and started beating myself up for my sloppy shooting… before I realized that I would be very happy indeed to shoot anywhere near as well at HALF that distance with a recurve… Like I said - that wasn’t The Moment, but it was because of that experience that I decided that I was cutting myself WAY too much slack.

So I thought it through – why was I shooting so much better with the Contraption, and what pieces of that could I transfer to a recurve without giving up everything that I liked about single- string archery in the first place?

And… Can’t add let-off; didn’t want to mess with a release. So it came down to sights. Peep sight. OK, replace that with a more precise anchor. Front sight. Didn’t want to add sights. But I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to take just a peek and make sure that my arrow was pointed at my target before returning my attention to the mark. Just like I used to when I was just a dumb kid and didn’t know any better.

Wasn’t long after that that I stuck an old 2117 in the ground in front of my target and hit it 4 times in a row at 13 yards, with the 4th shot shattering the nock that I’d been aiming at. No, I am not always that good. Not even close. But since I switched back to gapstinctive, I have been much BETTER than I have been in a lot of years, and probably better than ever…

I thank everybody for their reply. I talked my wife in to letting me attend an archery school this year. I'm really looking forward to that and working towards improving myself as an archer.

I've read a couple guys mentioning being committed to the shot at hand. There's real truth to that. Not in just archery, but about any sport.

I've mentioned this before, but one of my true passions is golf...without a doubt one of the toughest games ever to play WELL. Anybody can play, but few can play well. I've read where over 90% of people who golf will never break 90...I dunno about that, but I do know I broke 80 for the first time 3 years ago at age 60. And believe me, I've REALLY worked to get to the level I'm at now...about a 9 handicap.

Anyway, I've read a few books regarding the mental side of golf. Excellent reads which truely transpose to ANY sport...including archery.

One noted sports psychologist asks if you are committed to the shot, or mearly involved in the shot...example; bacon and eggs for breakfast. The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. I got a chuckle out of that, but he's right.

Compare the average amateur golfer on the range with the average Joe shooting in the back yard...the "golfer" is most likely mindlessly banging balls with no target and little thought. The archer may very well be doing the same.

As a long time hockey coach "we" always practiced with a purpose...nothing was happenstance. Think about that. Does your practice have purpose, or are you/we just "banging away".

Hockey again...one of my mantras was, "practice makes permanent, perfect practice makes perfect". I'm by no means an expert archer, but my practice does have a purpose...I concentrate...really concentrate...on establishment of repeatable mechanics. But, there are still days in archery and/or golf that I wonder if I'm even right handed...lol.

In my practice for archery and golf, I think through my results...what did I do right or wrong. In both endeavors, if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.

The late great Moe Norman once said, "The most difficult distance for anyone to master is 8 inches...between the ears".

Coming down in draw weight.

Not sure if it was a "defining moment", reality check, whatever, but I suppose "it" happened when I decided to shoot the bow in a way that enabled me to be consistently accurate. Prior to that, however, and for whatever ungodly reason, I was hung up on doing it a certain way that didn't allow me to be the best archer I could be.

Things are changing around here - you can kinda see, hear, taste and smell it all at once. People's mindsets(quite a few anyway) are opening up to some new old ideas. :) In fact, it's my prediction that the end is near for the Great Neotrad Occupation Period.

I believe attending ETAR provided me with the opportunity to watch many good archers, their various styles and taking from that the things that work for me. It also gave me another opportunity ~ to try out the many bows that are there and to settle on a bow that suited me. I believe that you can't be exposed to enough trad expos. You will always pick up something from the other guy. It's a great community to belong to. Go TRAD!

Roger, "The end is near for.......".

Now that's funny! I like that :^)

I like to think that I have moved from below average to average. I have worked hard to build a stronger back and to hold a little longer at full draw. Two regional champions are friends of mine and I notice that they hold for about 2 seconds at full draw.

Thanks, rick.....you know, " blind squirrel gets a......" sorta thing. :)

Still waiting to hear what average is. Your perception of "average" has a lot to do with it. That said, Viper and JRW are on the money. I have two defining moments...first as JRW said I made a decision to hit what I aimed at without any care how my particular process was perceived by the guys wearing fedoras(which I sometimes wear too but you get my point). Second, like Viper said, and taking his advice several years ago, I hung a big blue spot and shot 60 arrows at it from 20 yards away. You want to measure your ability? Measure it in a quantifiable way to gauge your level and progress.

I'm average on a normal day. I think too much, I shot compound for 4 years before I switched. And I had to learn how different the form was.

Not much really just a few tweaks. The big one was to be able the push the riser through the draw and release. It can't just hang anound in you hands like an 80% let off. You also have to mentallt push the riser through the bullseye.

Early in my shooting, I wasn't going to full draw. I was shooting 26 or 27 insead of 28 to 28 1/2". Just had to get to know how far I was really going and loose fear of babying the darn thing and just give it a good pull.

I also realized a good cant was for me. Its not 45 degrees but it feels like it.

Now thinking too much. I'm pretty good instinctive, and my accuracy skyrockets when I snapshoot (I have no clue why, but it does). I guess I second guess myself and my mind and focus start to wander if I hold back too long.

That's my next deal, figure out why if I have a relaxed mind with focus and a snapshot I can hit anything. But if I try to hit it, I will but the consistancy isn't there.

My shooting's not terrible, but wow if I could tap into what makes me do so good relaxed...

I think longshot just said 90% of what I said... in about 10% of the characters.

Well done, brother!

And I agree with roger - which I don't always do. Nor do I make it a point to disagree with him, but whatever....

A long time ago (say 20 years), I got to where I was shooting at tennis balls from 40-50 yards out and grouping not much WIDER than the balls themselves (TALLER being a different issue altogether!).

But some time after that, I re-read Asbell, fell for the hype, and committed myself to really ignoring that darn arrow.

Dumbest

thing

I

ever

did.

And I've done plenty of Really Dumb Things, now that I think about it, so you know this one was a BEAUT!

And what GF said, at least in spirit if not in practice.

rick allison too. He's got golf's number lol!

and going up 20# in draw weight, made my form better

GF, it appears we cross posted! Too bad you're in Connecticut, I feel like we'd have a good time shooting together.

Yesterday at about 9:30 am when after a very long time, ever since last spring I was finally able to shoot a bow with a draw weight greater than 20# And I thank Almighty God for His grace to be able to do so!!!...And I shot with accuracy! And I shot right handed!...Very defining indeed!

Glass Powered Hoosier...if I'm reading your post correctly, it sounds like you may suffer from a condition in...uh...that...other activity...refered to as "paralysis by analysis".

Yer brain's maybe getting in the way.

Think less...simplify.

GF...yer preachin' to the choir brother!!! I did the same G. FRED THING YEEEAARS AGO...took a goodly amount of undoing for me.

when I bought a SBD bow string.

Two come to mind both related to a long standing problem with inconsistent, lousy release and bad arrow flight.

First, about 20 years ago I attended a G.F. Asbell clinic and he kept reminding people to push the bow and pull the string. Duh, kind of. I was just holding the bow and when I started pushing and pulling my string plucking disappeared.

Second, earlier this year I stumbled upon a video about shooting form. Part of this video was on the elusive concept of back tension. The guy doing the video showed a method of moving his drawing arm elbow vs. squeezing shoulder blades together. I tried it and it works unbelievably well and my shooting improved immensely.

For me it was meeting Vic Berger. He's a guy who was one of the best shots ever. I was at his shop shooting and thinkin I was good. I was keeping softball or a little larger groups for the most part with the occasional flyer. He ask if he could show me a couple things. I was tickled and said yes please do. He showed me mistakes in my form and a couple other things I did wrong. I worked on the things he showedor told me hard and started to shoot alot better after some work.

Number one is you need someone who's a good shot but more importantly , knows what to look for like a trouble shooter , to watch and help you. Second thing I'd do is forget "how to" books and videos. They'll have you so confused you won't know up from down. Too many people giving advice can be good but usually sucks so find someone and stick to it. It could be someone in a club or a clinic.

If you're gonna continue on your own put a tape on sight of some sort on your bow n shoot that way a while. You'd be surprised how fast your "instincts" will improve while you shoot that sight.

When I decided to stand up and shoot like a man! :)

ctaggart said, "I've been shooting nearly every day for a few months now."

All you said was that you'd been shooting every day for a few months. That doesn't tell any of us, unless we know you, how long you've actually been shooting...how long your archery career has been. We need to know that, or at least I think it would be good for us to know.

I'm not going to mention my defining moments just yet, at least until you tell us what you think average is for you. I'm not talking in reference to a 300 round, but of a given number of shots per day during practice, how many are you truly satisfied with? That's your first hint...

...From a kid to a teenager, to my upper teens, to a young adult, now to middle age...I've had varying degrees of what I thought was acceptable shooting. From my upper teens to now what is acceptable has been more of a constant, where early on as my knowledge increased and I honed my skills what I would accept for my shooting ability was on a sharp incline moving towards hardly settling for anything but hitting what I was aiming at.

...If you'll remember back to what kind of accuracy was acceptable to you as a kid to what is now acceptable...you'll probably have a similar experience as many of us...a sharp incline towards not settling for mediocrity in accuracy.

I like a 300 round. Even more than that I like to use a single spot target and focus on one arrow at a time without keeping score...even forgetting about the last arrow. Once it's loosed...I free my mind of what ever happened...good or bad. Still, keeping score or not, is something you have to work out on your own. No one...no one...can tell you what will be best for you. You have to discover that on your own. A lot of hunters shoot one arrow a day...some even posting that shot on the called shot threads posted here on the leatherwall each day.

I agree with some comments and not so much with others. Regardless, I can't tell a person what their defining moment was or that it was wrong...after-all their defining moments is what they're telling you. Apparently something worked for them.

That said, I think many of us can agree that time...lots of it...is the biggest key to success once you determine what is acceptable to you. Me...I'm competitive by nature, so I never settle for mediocrity...at a micro-level...make that a nano-level.

Until a guy has learned the basics of form and tuning and then put some time behind all of that, a Rod Jenkins school really won't benefit him until he's ready for it. Sure, he could start newbies out, just as Viper could, but either of those guys could overload a newbie with information so fast it would make their head swim. So, in my mind each of us have to get to a level where we can accept new information, process it, then apply it, to go from one plateau to the next...and there should and will be many plateaus over your archery career.

All of that said, I'd like to see what is acceptable to you...what is average to you (doesn't need to be a score per se...just how many shots of the total shots were acceptable) before I mention my defining moments...which will be much more brief than this post.

I'm going to go ahead and mention my defining moments in archery. They'll likely be different from many of the others, yet some may be similar.

After-all, you mentioning your definition of average was really just to get you to thinking, although the information could help some of these guys guide you with suggestions.

I'll try and brake my defining moments all the way down for you. Perhaps you can find something to compare and start your own list and begin building/improving based on that.

My defining moments were (all stick out as defining moments as my shooting improved)...

1. My first hunting trip at age 10.

2. Getting my first bow at 11.

3. Having to practice on my own...bow untuned, arrows wrong spine...and I didn't yet know it.

4. Shooting every day as a kid, and 3-4 hours at the range by myself every Saturday (for years) in a one lane shop.

5. Got drivers license and began shooting with other archers at other shops (6 different ones back then...can't find but 2 within 45 minutes now).

6. Asked for advice at those shops from "good people who are willing to work with newbies"...(Viper's comments).

7. Started shooting indoor shoots (shot terribly) and found out what good was in those shops and sought help from the best shooters who helped me here and there. Learned mostly by watching and listening.

8. Found a shooting friend who became my mentor, best friend, best man, and still best friend...taught me how to tune my bows, pick my arrows, tune those arrows, re-tune the bow, and refine the arrows even more. Taught me about all kinds of tuning, he took me to 3D shoots where we met other shooters who became friends and competitors.

9. Started buying archery books and videos, using internet. Competing in tournaments...winning and losing.

...somewhere in-between finding a new love with longbows and recurves...

10. Realizing how hard it is to compete with release shooters and striving to keep up with them and even surpass plenty of them while shooting fingers was and is a big defining moment.

11. Biggest yet...getting hold of some Len Cardinale videos (and others too) about the mental game, visualizing the shot, setting up the shot, shot sequence, after the shot.

12. Getting board with compounds while my love for hunting, longbows and recurves became stronger and I began to practice more taking what I'd learned about tuning and form, and the mental game to the next level with a stick and string.

13. Being content, unlike the compound days, in knowing that all my shots won't be perfect. That relaxes me and since the shot sequence has become 2nd nature I can use more of my mind for visualizing each shot from start to finish...that is, from nocking the arrow, placing the bow hand, placing draw hand on the string, to the arrow impacting after follow thru and everything in-between all those steps, all the while focusing so intently as to burn a hole clean thru wall...and if I miss I was still focusing at the nano-level. When I focus that hard...it's a hard place to get to and I can't do it every shot even though that's the goal...to get to the level that the focus is so intent that the release happens without thought and you know you'll hit or miss as soon as the arrow leaves the bow and before it gets half way to the target.

14. Still doing what my mentor taught me. Learning how to beat my biggest opponent...me. I'm my biggest supporter, and biggest critique. Which takes me back to once the arrow is gone, forget it...just shoot the next shot better. If you can't improve upon your own score, there's no sense in worrying about the other guys score. If you can't beat your last score, your opponent will...improve your score. How? Shooting time...shoot...shoot...and shoot some more. If the shots are bad, quit for the day. Draw...let down. Learn when to let down...off days are good for this. Utilize those days.

I've always said, "There's always something to learn...even if it's what not to do."

If it doesn't feel right, learn to let down and start that shot sequence all over again. Learn not to take bad shots. It's harder than making good shots, I personal think so. As I said earlier, once the mechanics and mental game are down a good shot will sort of go off on its own without much thought...it felt right. If it doesn't feel right, let down. Learn that by utilizing the days where good shots aren't coming easy. Practice drawing and letting down. Get up close and do it, far away and do it. Shoot blank bales up close and with your eyes closed. Try a Foremaster for practice (although there may be some more modern ways off practicing letting go of the string while not dry-firing the bow).

You've got to decide if you want to be good or dang good. It's not whether you achieve it or not, it's the mindset. Pick your shooting venue and practice it.

Much longer winded than I intended to be. Sorry about that. I just hope I can say something...one thing...to help just one person be more successful at archery. I love shooting bows and arrows. I'm not the best, but it is a passion of mine...even though I haven't been able to shoot for awhile now. I think about it every day. Even when I work I can visualize being at an archery range, setting up a shot, following the sequence, seeing the arrow impact the target...all with a hammer in my hand.

Then again, some of these guys don't do any of the above and can shoot circles around me probably. That's good. I'll net fish all day as long as someone's catching them. LOL!!

Acceptable for me. Worst shot is still in the kill zone.

I shot a lot better before the internet!

Since you guys asked here is the first paper target I have shot at. This was last month.

Sorry I forgot to mention, that was at 20 yards. ^

When I bought an expensive rosewood 32# target bow and some skinny arrows a year after I started shooting a short hunting weight bow. Took some concentration on form and release to get those arrows in paper at the 80 yard walk up field archery target. You learn quick if you don't like picking up arrows in the dirt.

Several years ago I was temporarily laid off from my job. I used that time to see how good I could get. A few things I did took me to that defining moment:

1. Stick with one bow. Rather than switch every few days like I had done for 20 years, I stuck with my Hummingbird recurve. It was a very comfortable 45#.

2. Practice with a purpose. I shot up close with eyes closed a good bit to feel what a good shot felt like. I also tried to shoot every arrow like it counted rather than just emptying the quiver without thought. I shot my range a lot and always at varying distances from 10 to 50yd.

3. Roving with a Judo. Getting away from a formal target and backstop is perhaps the single most shot improving thing I ever did. Too much shooting at spots or 3-D 10 rings will mess with your head. I shoot instinctively, only looking at what I want to hit. Roving will really help with this form of aiming.

4. Good arrows. I was a diehard wood shooter but grew tired of inconsistant flight and unexplained flyers that defied my best efforts. I broke down and tried aluminum for the first time. Holy Cow! Instant improvement which increased confidence. Perfect flying arrows drastically helped the mental process. Instead of wondering what went wrong I started busting nocks on a regular basis.

For two and a half months I was able to shoot every day. My accuracy improved almost daily. The things I learned became burned in and are now done without thought. As an added bonus I was able to break my all time record and killed 36 groundhogs that year! I still refer to that time as my "Summer Of Love". :)

c -

You need to get closer. Seriously, you're throwing a scatter pattern. Start at a distance that you can keep all or most of the arrows in the red. When that happens, move back 5 yards, repeat.

Viper out.

No single moment for me because there are so many things that go into a good shot.

Something that's helped me a lot over time has been to become more methodical and disciplined about how I study, practice and analyze...as apposed to just flinging a bunch of arrows.

All in all I've spent quite a bit of time shooting the same flawed shot over and over or making "wild guesses" as to what might help hoping to find some magic formula. It doesn't work.

Red Beastmaster,

#3-Roving is something I left out that improved my barebow shooting. Helped me to relax too.

Just like throwing a spot target away and shooting at a spot (or nock placed sideways)on a blank bale and varying distances. It took a colored target away (when shooting compound)and for whatever reason allowed me to relax. I began putting nocks in the bales and shooting them as far back as my vision would allow, even though I began up close. Confidence has to be built, in time.

Lots of good comments from people for the OP and others to think about, me too, and hopefully we all can improve our shooting.

Bill,

I am a strong advocate of random shooting. My advice to anyone with the dreaded target panic has always been "Take a Judo for a walk".

Every year without fail I get myself in a shooting funk as the hunting season nears. I guess it is the added pressure to preform. When I'm spraying arrows on my 3-D target I stop and take a walk shooting random leaves and clumps. It's a good way to reboot your mind.

Follow through is my main problem.I have consistent anchor and release but the follow through made the difference. OSR

ctaggart, a defining moment for me was when I tried gripping the bow tight with my palm in full contact and all my fingers wrapped around. It was like flicking a switch.

SB posted "I shot a lot better before the internet!"

I sorta agree but rather than the internet it was how-to books and videos. When I stopped trying to do what the experts suggested, and found what worked for me, my shooting improved.

try different things and use what works best for you.

"Is there a defining moment in your shooting career where something just clicked or a shooting exercise that helped you improve?" Honestly, when I stopped listening to people who were more interested in being "traditional" than putting their arrows where they belong."

What JRW said above.

For me, this means bow held vertical, anchor and hold long enough to acquire target with mind/body, and release. I shoot split finger but mess around sometimes with three under. I employ "split-vision"" most of the time.

I can shoot with a canted bow; I can shoot staring at nothing but where I want to hit; I can shoot with a touch and go release; I can shoot without coming to full draw, BUT I am not my most accurate doing those things.

My point is, YOU have to find out what is best for YOU. The best way to do that is practice, a lot, and maybe some formal coaching if it's something you want to do. Good luck!

My defining moment: When I learned how to draw my bow to anchor using my back muscles instead of my arm/shoulder. Made shooting heavier bows easy, no pain afterwards. Now I draw all my bows that way. It's a habit I can recommend. One other; making my own strings, both flemish and continuous loop.

I got diverted a few years way back, I wanted to shoot a 300 PAA round. I adopted the Vic Burger anchor, I was hunting with a 42 pound Black Widow and a 64" Bear takedown 44 pounds. I never quite got that 300 with my target bows, my average was just under 290. One day I tried to shoot a buck that I knew was 40 yards away about six feet up and paying attention to nothing. I shot three arrows under his chest. I could not get myself to raise that pin. I passed it off and came up with 41 big steps. What I found was that my draw was shorter when standing on a steep up slope and the lean forward to keep my balance made it impossible for me to hit my draw. I went and got a compound for the next year. The first one cracked opening day, a Wing Impact. The next one a Wing four wheeler got broken twice by bumping the wheels on stuff and it did not matter the group size that I could shoot, because every deer that I shot at jumped the string. I had a set of Bear limbs that I got from the Bear company, 55 pounders, that were signed by Mr. Bear. I put those on my short riser, went out on a day that was about 10 above and windy. I jumped a deer, it stopped, swung up and put a Deadhead through it, shooting Hill/Bear style, the way i did in the 60s. I left the target style behind and began killing game again after a three year drought.

Let me shorten that a bit, Dean. You hunted, then you became a target archer and then you started hunting again.

I'm still waiting for mine.

I guess I'm not clear on the difference between "target style" and "hunting style".

I don't know about Bear but both Schultz and Hill talked about using the arrow to aim. Schultz even referred to Hill's aiming method as "gap". So I take it that we aren't necessarily talking about aiming method?

The mechanics of what constitutes "good" alignment and the physiology of which muscles to are "best" to use seems pretty universal.

Where's the big difference?

When I got a widow. I think you can just point that thing at the target and will be in the red.

MGF -

"Where's the big difference?"

It's just hit or miss.

Viper out.

What you described of improving then hit a plateaue where you don't improve more is common.

Try and attend a Rod Jenkins clinic, get Joel Turners book or his online course or find some really good archers to shoot with.

Check out ironmindhunting.com I think that is Joel website and safarituff.com is Rod's

There is a different psychology when shooting target form, besides the the restrictions of having to shoot with the bow always straight up and down when using a sight. I think my problem with the target form that I used was that I was going for a longer draw than I should. the stance worked on level ground, but notes good at irregular steep footing. A hunting form needs to have some versatility in it , to match the conditions and timing needed. Viper's, little 'Hit or miss' slam is a bit childish, which is usual for him.

Probably the smartest thing I've done was to never, ever, be influenced by the Trad Police...ever. LOL, as a matter of fact, I've learned that the more I can piss them off the better! I showed up at my first 3D tournament with a Warf. My entire rig was thrown together for less than some of the other guys' quivers, let alone all the big name wood bows they were carrying. Of course the snickers ensued but I kept shooting what I could afford and worked best for me while complying with both the letter and intent of the rules. If asked if I was shooting instinctive or aiming I just said "Yep!"...

That first year shooting the traditional class I came in 2nd at State. The following year I won it, and this past season I backed that buckle up with another and Shooter of the Year, shooting a plain Jane Warf off the shelf.

Figure out how badly you want it and put in the effort. It's never been about the bow, it's always been about the Indian.

When I switched from RH shooting and started shooting with my dominant eye .

Good one Jack. I'm lefty and dominant eye, so never had that issue, but I know plenty who discovered it like you did.

One I forgot to mention was shooting with both eyes open. My shooting improved greatly then.

Draw your bow slow and steady with your eyes locked on the target and don't watch your arrow coming back. If you catch yourself doing something wrong, let down.

The day I put a clicker on my bow.

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