This is today’s round of shooting at 18yds. Probably the most consistent I’ve been. Still some of the WTH moments. Not following through or release hand collapse but for me a pretty good day overall. Working on getting rid of the WTH moments. Think it’s more a mind (concentration) thing. Is there anything else you guys seen on this target that’s shows some form issues? Only month 4 of the journey to traditional but it’s heading in the right direction I think.

Looking good

Are you left or right handed?

I would only suggest that you balance working on form with having fun.

What bow(s) are you shooting? Pictures for Batman.

I’m right handed. Shooting a Bear Polar 66” at 38 lbs (around 40 at my DL). Love that bow. Fits me very well. Here is the only pic I have of it currently- it’s from before I purchased it. Has the built in sight but I don’t use it. Shoot instinctive. If I try to gap it’s a disaster. For me focusing on a spot and framing it seems to work. I’m only looking at getting good enough to hunt so no long range stuff. I’d love to be deadly at 25 yds. and in. That’s my goal.

Nobody can answer your question because we don’t know why you missed.

Just a thought…. Accuracy is a function of 1) precision aiming and 2) precision execution (aka Form). If you want to know about one, you’ve got to control for the other.

When you’re working FORM, a sight (or some other hard aiming tool/technique) is a damn fine idea because you know right where you were aiming; only then (barring gross mistakes) can you chalk up your misses to FORM errors and not just sloppy pointing…

And not-for-nothin’, but you’re already (clearly) using the arrow to set your elevation; might as well/more important to get the same benefit for windage. Just take a marker to the crease in that box (any vertical line will do) and center your arrow on the line. If you want to ignore anything, I vote for the elevation, since for hunting purposes, that will basically never be same twice; so no sense in grooving a fixed range and missing high/low in the field.

Hard to analyze over the internet but since most of your scattered shots are left, you may be collapsing or short drawing occasionally, making the arrows dynamically stiff.

Looks to me like damn good shootin consistency for 18 yards dude. Well done.

Month 4! Looks pretty good.

Thanks! Hard to tell how many arrows I’ve shot in 4 months. Don’t think I’ve skipped more than 2 days. I’ve been working hard at it. As for fun - I’ve never had this much fun shooting archery ever. So addicted. Next I’ve got to get a 3D deer target and get outside and shoot in the weather. Pretty much been all indoors so far. The 18yds is my max I can do in my basement

That is very good, by mature standards. I count 22 holes right, 30 left, 3 on the line.

And I count 37 high, 15 low, 3 on the line. I call this reading the target, which I do every end shot, to see how I am doing.

You could get some 20 yard targets as a further measure, and even shoot a standard 300 round for comparison with other folks. Or, I usually put up a paper plate and try to keep all my shots on it. A friend puts a dot on his plates; I don't. Your deer might not have a dot in the right place and ducks never do. Imagine the right spot and shoot there.

Most of us do most of our missing to the left - here's how I fix that: do not change your tackle, your tune or your form. Just make a stronger shot with a good follow through. That will pull them to the right a bit.

Elevation is a mental matter, a subconscious one. I talk to my my subconscious, mostly silently, The subconscious mind has great capacity to achieve goals. I regard mine a good and obedient friend. I call him Emil the Aimer. If I am reading my hits a bit high I give Emil the goal to bring them down a bit, right in the middle. When he does I think 'Good'. He thrives on praise like a good dog.

Incidentally, that bow would be great for deer hunting. Just dull the back of the limbs temporarily, maybe with a lumber crayon. - lbg

I ignore the fliers. In that many shots I'll have more than the couple you have at that distance. You're doing great, enjoying shooting nad getting that smile on your face. All positives.

What FDP said could be right.More misses left.

Often when I miss left it could be short drawing or loosing back tension a bit.

Allignments off and I am not getting my drawing elbow back around enough to allign with the nock.

Thier are times whenits just bad aim though.Whether its high,low,left or right.

Good shooting by the way.Your off to a great start.

Keep after it.Ingraining good technique is critical in the beginning.Watch out for bad habits.Thier hard to break.Before you know it you could shoot thousands of shots with bad form and be up crap creek.

Short drawing

I definitely have an issue with collapsing every so often. I feel it at release. It’s kinda funny that normally after a really bad collapse the next shot is almost always perfect. Like I got slapped in the face to wake up. That’s why I think it’s a mental thing for me. I lose focus and need a wake-up. One good thing I seem to do is my first shot is normally good. My focus is sharp starting out. Hopefully this translates to hunting.

How many arrows are you shooting in one shoot before you retrieve them?

Are you moving your feet between shots? Good form begins with a consistent stance.

Your stance should allow for a natural alignment of shoulders, bow arm and target.

That you need to have someone watch you shoot. ThTs a lot of left/right.

I'd say your killed the sh%$ outta that pie plate at 17.3.

D -

You have a horizontal dispersion, which is always a form issue, but which form issue, we can't tell from here. My suggestion would be to keep doing what you're doing. And BTW - showing all the holes in a target tells us a lot more than a isolated group or two. Good move.

Viper out.

I shoot 3 arrows in each group. I actually have tape I placed on the floor to align my feet but must confess that I don’t always check my position. When I start getting really erratic I’ll do a reset starting with stance. This could be some of the reason my first shot is normally good too. I start with stance and posture check before that first shot. I should try one arrow at a time and check stance/posture every shot just to see if dispersion tightens.

Dman75, don't look at your feet. Instead, point your bow arm while looking at your target and move your feet to where your stance feels correct. While pointing your bow hand at the target, draw your bow all the way to anchor without moving your bow arm up or down. Just draw straight back. If you have to raise your bow arm to draw your bow, you are over bowed. Please let me know if this helps.

It shows me you are probably going to kill a lot of animals.

“ I actually have tape I placed on the floor to align my feet but must confess that I don’t always check my position. ”

Similar to what deerhunt said, but a different approach…

I’ve done fairly well figuring out my Natural Stance by looking at the target, then closing my eyes while I draw and settle in at anchor. Then I open my eyes… If the bullseye isn’t perched on the front end of my arrow, I try to keep everything (from the hips up) from locked in place while I shift my feet to bring my point onto the target. Rinse & Repeat.

Alternatively/next, draw/aim/anchor, then close your eyes, settle at your anchor for a beat or two (or as long as you can stand) and shoot - eyes still closed. A half dozen or so shots will tell you what your anchor and your core muscles think of your foot placement.

Good call to mark it out, though… the way you get to solid “instinctive” (aka Subconscious) form is to be very conscious of your precision as you practice.

For the whole process, every time you check, you’ll likely be closer to Correct… until you either seemingly never need to make a correction, or (more likely) you’ll have learned to do it so quickly and fluidly that you don’t even realize that you’ve done it.

Speaking of which…. Good books on how this Brain Stuff works are Guitar Zero and The Talent Code. They don’t tell you how to shoot a bow, but they are FULL of information on how physical skills like Archery are learned. Tons of information which did not exist when I was in college…

I’ll try that deerhunter51. I do the part of pointing my bow arm but usually have my feet set already. Never really adjust footing after draw. I point my bow arm and set it close to aim point. Usually make a small aiming adjustment once at anchor then focus on target and try to pull through release. If I do it correctly I feel a good roll of my hand away from target. Not sure I’m phrasing that correctly but I know how it should feel

So here’s tonight’s effort. More paying attention to footwork. Still had a few WTH shots. But dispersion seems better. I also used a small piece of tape. Really only 3 or 4 shots I’d love to take back but something to work to eliminate. Ill get rid of those- I hope. Lots of shots in the bullseye. Probably 6 or so. Very happy tonight. Funny how I like to either surround the bullseye or hit it. Like a defined gap around the tape.

Another superb group. Well done!

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