The extra half inch or so of DL that I've found, that is....

I've been working with a new anchor point; shooting better than I have in years, but with some fliers. First- shot accuracy is good.

But I was doing some bare-shafting over the weekend, with a few shafts that were shorter than my usual. So I came forward a bit with the anchor, and started stacking arrows pretty nicely.

The kind of thing that makes me wonder if I should shoot the exact same way all the time, or use different styles as the situation warrants....

Does anybody else take a flexible approach to their anchor point?

Good or bad, I never know my "exact" anchor point. I just pull it back and let 'er go. Much like golf, you can over analyze to the point of going nuts. I've heard of picking a tooth, thumb here, index finger there. I don't fix what ain't broke.

Deno

I try to be consistent, but have no compunction about changing my draw length to fit the situation. My draw length likely gets shorter when I have to bend over to shoot under an obstacle, for example. Likewise my cant might change. Too, I sometimes change the height of my anchor point to change the point-on. I try not to change the forward/backward position of the anchor on my face in any of these situations though.

Overextending my draw length (through pushing more on my bow arm and greater back extension) gives me the most problems. Often leads to left/right inconsistency.

I don't know how it is with others on here but I have found that when I make any sort of change in form like that I will begin shooting better--at least for a while. I believe it is due to the fact that when I am doing something new or different I tend to focus more intensely on the entire shot process and things work better. Then as familiarity breeds contempt I start to see more normal shooting for me. Then if I return to the old way the same thing happens for a while.

It is obvious that my focus needs to be better all the time instead of just when I change something. But try telling me that when I am out doing a long practice session.

An anchor point is something you have to ingrain through practice and attain without much forethought.

How did you make the change? Is it a change in the location of your face you touch, or a change in the part of the hand you make contact with? Are you determining the half inch, by the point where the shaft contacts the riser?

I think there's an awful lot to what you just said, Bill!

I was just noticing the tightened-up groups, which would be great for bare-shaft testing... but then I have to wonder what happens to my tuning-job if I then go and draw another half inch or an inch?

Why not draw the bow farther for longer shots? Maybe a different draw length for each yardage to eliminate the question of arc. A different weight arrow for each yardage. Why are arrows weighed and spined? Think about it. Consistency and repetition how ever you do it,is the key to accuracy. Like Bill said all changes work- --for a while. Just my 2¢ worth. Ken

I stay very consistent ecsp with my hunting set ups. I draw the broadhead till it hits my index finger. I know this way I am at my full draw and anchor each time. I sometimes over draw a bit with filed points or judos. I have changed every thing a bit the last several months due to my left shoulder being bone on bone. I have shortened everything up a tad and now draw just 27.5"s compared to a tad over 28"s for ever. Shooting carbons anything over a half an inch can have an effect on spine if you are borderline to begin with. Shawn

I will add one thing here. Do whatever you want, but all this multiple anchor stuff is only going to get you so far. String walking is a thing.... anchor walking is not. One day it works, next day you have the hook tool out searching for arrows in the dirt behind your target. If you want to elevate your game, pick one anchor and go with that. I dont think any of the top archers use a different anchor depending on the situation and I have found the results to be as stated.

my guess is that the increased accuracy you experienced right after the change was 2 things. One it was your brain. You unknowingly focused more because something changed. Second, moving anchor forward may have also caused you to slightly collapse bow arm which is actually a good thing. If you are full lock on the bow arm, lefts and rights will suffer. Need to push toward the target on release.

These are all speculations as I wasnt there to watch obviously but something to ponder which is what I bet you were looking for.

oh, ...my.....

Welll.....

Anchor walking may not be a Thing, but Face-walking has been around long enough to be prohibited in competition... at least depending on the class.

But yeah, there's a healthy dose of pondering the imponderables at work here!

Never tried face walking but my understanding is, it is a vertical thing rather than draw length. I believe they strive for a perfectly repeatable anchor for each yardage. Remembering one anchor is sufficient for me. I don't have any idea where the arrow might end up if I messed up and picked the wrong anchor on a target. When I miss I like to have some idea of where to hunt for the arrow. >>>-----> Ken

Right on Deno. Me too.

I suspect you're right, Ken, though it occurred to me to wonder what difference it would make, other than messing up your tune.. in theory, anyway.

As long as you know what the sight picture should be for a particular range, then you aim right and you're good.... I think.

I also think I'll see if I can sneak in a few dozen before dinner's ready!

Be damned. String blur plus a dynamic release. Consecutive shots.

I love doing that when I'm reloading. More fun to shoot with random amounts of gunpowder

Consistency is the key to this game.

Oh Matt, I remember that arrow,LOL. I hear that the 2016(especially the Gamegetter) makes an excellent forward end cap for carbons. Save the point insert!

Find your niche and stick with it. I was in consistent with anchor for a few months a while back and my accuracy suffered causing me to be frustrated at times. I finally found my spot by anchoring juat a bit lower to where I use the sight window a bit more and man has my accuracy sky rocketed. My form, back tension, and release are all effortless now. After 20 some years of shooting stick bows I have moved one step closer to figuring out this highly addictive elusive skill.

"Addictive" indeed! I just keep telling myself "OK - last group!"

I was shooting the Viper last night - my right shoulder has been acting up since the last stick&puck session - and odd thing: the slight change in anchor that seemed to make such a big difference with the Howatt Hunter... just didn't seem to matter. But I always did shoot that Hunter more upright... Makes me wonder what would happen if I were to just serve in a large-diameter peep.

I do think it's worthwhile to experiment some, though.. JSD was cracking wise about random powder charges, but if you're paying attention, it's more like sighting in, or load development.. Reminds me of when I built my .54 out of a kit. Took it to the 50m range, poured in 50 grains and it hit low, so I went up 10 grains and it hit almost one ball higher. Went up another ten, POI went up another ball. And again. And again.

Ended up putting 5 or 6 balls through one tall, skinny hole. Gotta love those heavy pipes!

So I think I have settled on a single anchor for the two longbows, since they seem to like being canted a bit more; will have to see about the Hunter yet.

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