Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Shooters FORM Board => Topic started by: Loosenock on December 19, 2009, 07:38:00 PM
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Over the years I have heard two sides of a story. One side says that during the off season you should shoot and train with a light bow. You can get more practice on form developement, build confidence etc. And when hunting season starts up switch over to a heavy bow.
The other side says train with a heavy bow in the off season to build strength etc. and when when hunting season starts up hunt with a lighter bow.
I could see advantages to both sides of the story. I shoot Hill style longbows and during the year I shoot them all from light to heavy.
I would be interested in hearing if anyone trains in one of these sides.
Your comments would be appreciated, thanks.
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Experience has taught me to train w/ the Bow I hunt with. If I HAD to train w/ diff bows-- I'd definitely train w/the heavier and hunt w/the lighter but I'd want to train w/the lighter one for a few days before hunting--to get accustomed to the releasing cleanly off of a reduced string pressure at the finger tips.
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Ihave decided that i will shoot heavier this summer and hunt lighter. There is only five lbs diffrence between the two bows. The heavier is a long bow and the lighter is a recurve.Both have exactly the same grip.Both shoot the same arrow to the smae point of impact.I figure i have a win win situation.
Talco
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Just switched from compound to longbow. Shot a 70-75 compound for 20 years. I find that my 55 lb longbow makes it difficult to establish consistent good form. Since I can't afford to purchase a lighter bow, will I eventually be able to comfortably shoot my longbow by daily practice?
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Mark P when I made the switch from compound to initially a recurve and eventually a longbow and back to a recurve I had the same problem it aint as easy to hold a 50lb trad bow as it is to hold a 70lb compound but I got use to it and love shooting traditional
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John-boy maybe I'll grow into it. Just ordered a 45# take-down recurve. Why did you go to a recurve vs longbow?
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Train Same.
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I used to shoot the same weight all year, then, a strange thing happened--I got older, and can’t do it any longer. I now shoot much lighter in practice sessions and during the summer 3D season. I just make sure my arrows are flying at the same speed (within a couple fps), and my look doesn’t change.
Having said that, if I could, I’d shoot the same weight all the time.
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I would train the same because your trajectory will be different if your train with a different bow from the one you hunt with. When it's crunch time, you may revert aiming based on the trajectory you are most familiar with.
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Rob Fin,
Trajectory is not an issue if the arrows are flying at the same fps. Very easy to do.
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train 55 hunt 55
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I too shoot what I hunt with all year...
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I train and hunt with the same bow. I also have a bow that is 25# lighter that I use when my groups start opening up. I can concentrate on draw, anchor, sighting, release and follow through in slow motion, without fighting the bow. I can pause and check something like back tension or where my right thumb is. Bill
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I too shoot what I hunt with all year...
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practice (train) with what you hunt with. Not only in poundage but also with arrows
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I practice with 80#'s and normally hunt with that also. Will drop down to 60# for some hunts, but normally train and hunt with 80#.
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I have a set of 60 and 65 lb limbs for my Bob Lee Longbow. They both shoot an arrow on a similar trajectory at hunting ranges. I like to practice part of the time with the heavier limbs and hunt most of the time with the lighter. After shooting the 65s the 60s pull so easy!
Like the "practice the same" responses, I can see how shooting bows that are too different could throw you off but I don't seem to have that problem with my setups.
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absolutely train with the bow you'll hunt with. in fact, always shoot just the same one bow and the same arrows you'll use for hunting.
for my hunting practice, i rove the backyard or the woods with judos. i take shots from many different positions, postures and angles. my judo pointed arrows are carefully built to weigh and fly just like my woodsman tipped broadhead arrows.
i'll rarely ever just stand upright and plunk away at a butt with field points - that ain't practicing for hunting, imo, that's target archery.
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There are a lot of good points for both sides of the discussion. Training with lower poundage than that with which you intend to hunt can allow for longer shooting sessions without fatigue. I know a lot of excellent archers who shoot competitively with lighter poundage than their hunting bows. They don’t seem to have any problem taking game every year in the hunting woods.
On the other hand, training with more poundage can assure that you won’t have problems shooting your hunting bow in cold weather when you’re covered in several layers of clothes. I also know a few folks who follow this path and it works well for them too. Personally, I shoot the same bow all year, mostly because I’m cheap.
In the end, the proper answer is, “whatever works best for you.”
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I have lots of bows and like to shoot with various of them, even in the same shooting session. It just adds variety to my practice sessions. I know I would be a better shot if I just shot one, but I don't want to do that. I also shoot different weights of bows from low 40's to about 70 pounds. For months before I go on a hunt, I try to spend most of my time using the equipment I will use on that hunt. So I agree with the statements of others that you should practice with the equipment you will hunt with, but I don't always follow that good advice.
Allan
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practice with the equipment/weight you will hunt with
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It really depends on what you are trying to do. If you need to work on form issues, then a lighter bow makes sense, but once you have your form down using the same weight or heavier bow will make for easier shooting during the hunting season...especially on a cold winter morning after sitting still for 3 hours.
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Yea, it does depend on what you are trying to accomplish. Personally, I go down to 4 pound therabands (red)to burn in form and shot sequence. The highest I train with are SPT's with my regular bow along with additional bands wrapped around to add additional weight.
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Many of us own several bows. I have seven in my collection right now, and I like to shoot most of them.
In a typical year I will shoot many of those bows from the end of deer season until about June. Then I will pick the one bow that will be my deer hunting bow that year and that will be the only bow I will shoot until the end of deer season. Then the whole cycle starts again.
I guess I am in the "train with the bow you hunt with" group -- except I leave myself a few months to experiment around and have fun with my other bows before I get serious about practice for the hunting season. I don't use a bow to work on my physical strength -- the strength work gets done at the gym so I can be strong enough to handle my bows and so that I can concentrate on the act of shooting whenever I practice.
The above works for me. My suggestion is to experiment a bit and see what works for you.
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"Fear the man with only one weapon, for he knows how to use it."
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Shoot the same all year whether 3-D, roving or hunting.
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I would shoot one bow if could maintain good form throughout all my shots for the number of shots I like to shot in a day, and do it with a bow weight I like to use for hunting.
If I only shot light then jumped up in weight for hunting I would have better form training, but I don't think I would have as good of strength and control to apply it unless I made the change mid summer.
If I was really training with good form with the heavy bow and shooting comfortably I would see no logic or need to go light to hunt.
For me only shooting a heavy bow can lead to sloppy form because I like to shoot a lot; my release gets sloppy, and I don't get full extension after a while. I think most target shooters shoot lighter bows than the bows they use for hunting so they can maintain good form to the end of a long shoot, and for extended quality practice.
I usually have two bows about 5# or more apart. I often shoot both most days when it is not hunting season. Some days or weeks I only shot one. I like to shoot light to work on fine tuning form, shooting endurance, and just so I can shoot a lot. I shoot heavy to apply the form I have learned and to build strength. I get them to both shoot to about the same place just by using lighter arrows in the lighter bow. When the end of summer rolls around I shoot the heavy bow with less shots per day and more varied shots. I only shoot the hunting bow during hunting season, and I only hunt with one bow.
If I only hunted and didn't want to shoot a lot everyday, I would probably only shoot my hunting bow and keep my shot count within what I can handle without form breakdown. I just can't shoot 100 or more arrows a day and not develop bad form with a heavy bow. I also find it much easier to condition and work up in weight by shooting light and heavy bows as part of standard practice.
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I also have more than one bow and like to shoot them all. When it is getting close to hunting season I cut back to 2 bows from around 10. I shoot the recurve I hunt with $ the longbow which is 12 lbs heavier but I shoot it well. Then when I hunt in cold weather I have no problems drawing & anchoring my recurve. I do love to shoot and on a good week will shoot a couple thousand arrows. Guess that is why I had shoulder surgery.
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I regularly shoot 2 bows 60/50 lbs that I have tuned to shoot the same at 20 yds so I can pick up either without making any changes in my shooting technique.
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Glenn
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Exactly like amar911.
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Back in the sixties dad and i shot feild archery all summer.He shot a 36# Hoyt for target.When Sept rolled around he would get his 51# B.E.Pearson out. I was too young to hunt so i would shoot his target bow.They would cut deer sillowettes out of card board and shoot one arrow per round for maybe an hour.He killed his deer every year till he switched to compound in the mid 70's.I know of at least two deer he took at 65yrds with that recurve.
So i say go with works best for you.
Dave
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I shoot the same bow for hunting,IFFA,3D,indoors.
I've yet to hear a logical reason to do anything else,,,,other than pure enjoyment I guess.
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Originally posted by Terry Green:
Train Same.
Agreed!
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Train with the setup you'll hunt with. You don't want to screw up that once in a lifetime shot.