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Main Boards => The Shooters FORM Board => Topic started by: john shofestall on December 26, 2010, 07:05:00 AM

Title: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: john shofestall on December 26, 2010, 07:05:00 AM
It just seems like my arrows tend to fly left.  Im not really sure its a form thing either.  I baretuned my arrows and thats not the  problem. Any ideas or suggestions? thanks johnnybow
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Bud B. on December 26, 2010, 07:12:00 AM
Good question John. I always hit right of late. I'm left eye dominant but my left eye in the last few years, especially the last few months, has gotten worse. EVERYTHING with my left eye is fuzzy except at about arm's length away up to about ten yards. Then fuzzy again. I'm beginning to wonder if mine is and eye vision/dominance thing where my right eye is now trying to take over.

Are you posssibly a right handed shooter with some left eye dominance?

In my case, my right eye is pulling my sight picture to the right.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: John Nail on December 26, 2010, 07:13:00 AM
if your bow is not center shot, simply cant it more to compensate. try a markedly different spine arrow. it may want a stiffer/weaker spine.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: mahantango on December 26, 2010, 07:14:00 AM
Might want to post this on Shooters Forum. If arrow spine is good, look at your anchor point. If you are RH, not getting the arrow nock underneath your eye, or "floating" off to the side of your face will cause a left miss. Also, short-drawing will make the arrow act stiff causing a left miss for a righty. Where in Pa. are you?
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Bud B. on December 26, 2010, 07:18:00 AM
One more thing...try shooting with your left eye closed or shoot with the clearest no-tint glasses you can find and put a spot of tape over the left lense where your pupil is when in shooting and sighting form. This may give you some answers.

I'm sure others will jump in with more experience than me.

Good luck.

EDIT: (This is if you're a right handed shooter)
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: ishoot4thrills on December 26, 2010, 07:18:00 AM
If I'm hitting left, it usually means I'm either anchoring too far away from my face or my string has stretched causing my brace height to be lower, resulting in my arrows acting a wee bit stiffer.

Oh yeah, like mahantango said, short drawing will definitely cause it as well.

I am assuming you're a righty?
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Precurve on December 26, 2010, 07:45:00 AM
Speaking as a RH shooter, for me a "soft" bow arm will give an arrow impact to the left of my target.  You need to keep pushing with your bow arm until after the arrow reaches your target.

Dave
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: john shofestall on December 26, 2010, 08:11:00 AM
Im right hand shooter and right eye dominant.  I use a clicker so im sure im not short drawing it.
Mahantango, im in clarion county.  Has anyone ever found for one reason or another that some bows evan properly tuned tend not to hit where they are looking? thanks
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Roy Steele on December 26, 2010, 08:13:00 AM
It can be only 3 things. Your not useing the right eye.(Domnanint) Or your spines to heavey. Or if your ankoring to where your string way away for your eye. No one uselly dose this.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Randy Morin on December 26, 2010, 08:41:00 AM
I miss left a lot. When I miss.  Runs in streaks.  For me it turned out to be almost always my anchor and release.  Try focusing your mind only on pulling the string exactly opposite your aim point and the same thing when you release.  Try and pull through exactly opposite.  A relaxed hand, wrist is important to.  If you "draw" with the back of your elbow (vs biceps etc) and execute back tension after reaching anchor with the slight movement of your draw elbow exactly opposite and away from your aim point.....clean relaxed realease... you will send one "right down the pipe".  You may want to slow down your shot to practice this feeling of pulling opposite.  In fact slowing down is a good idea for a lot of reasons I have found.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: hvyhitter on December 26, 2010, 08:43:00 AM
Need more info:

Are all arrows hitting left or just flyers?

Are you shooting one day good the next day left?

Are you shooting another bow good but this bow left?

Were you shooting good a month ago and now shooting left?
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Cory Mattson on December 26, 2010, 09:56:00 AM
Most of the time when a right handed shooter hits to the left after tunig an arrow properly it is because of a quiver on the bow.
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Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Otto on December 26, 2010, 03:47:00 PM
Randy Morin's got it....

If the setup is known to be good, bow is tuned, arrows are spined properly etc....then the most common cause for shooting to the left for a right handed shooter is collapsing on the shot.

The loss of back tension causes the bow arm to swing to the left, taking the bow, and the arrow with it.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Ravenhood on December 26, 2010, 04:31:00 PM
I have lots of arrow bow combinations , I shoot left with all of them if I dont pull through the shot with my back with all relaxed realese hand.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: ishoot4thrills on December 26, 2010, 06:04:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Cory Mattson:
Most of the time when a right handed shooter hits to the left after tunig an arrow properly it is because of a quiver on the bow.
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That's why I tune my setup with a quiver already mounted on the bow, since it stays on there all the time anyway.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: jhansen on December 26, 2010, 09:10:00 PM
John,
Move in close to a large target and shoot with your eyes closed.  Have someone watch or preferably video you from behind.  Is your bow arm moving left on release?  Is your drawing hand reaching a firm anchor?  Is your drawing hand flying away from your face on release?  Are you engaging back tension?  I wish I could give you an easy answer but the truth is that this problem can be caused by multiple things and working on form by blind bale shooting is usually the best way to discover what the problem is.

John
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: camoman on December 29, 2010, 10:18:00 PM
If I hold my bow too vertical I hit high and left. When my bow is canted enough, I will usually hit my mark.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: fujimo on December 29, 2010, 11:07:00 PM
the other day i started shooting right-  tight groups- jut right about 5"
same arrows, nothing has changed.
i shoot rh, and only have vision in right eye.
tried a  bunch of things- nothing changed.
 wil keep trying different things.
anchor is good, release seems good- maybe should video it.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: calgarychef on December 29, 2010, 11:55:00 PM
When I bought my first recurve I got 2117 arrows....all i could afford was 1/2 dozen.  I hit left and I mean way left like 10 inches at 20 yards.  After a couple of years I started playing with spine and suddenly my arrows started moving into my line of sight.  

So my biggest question to you is "are you sure your arrows are spined correctly?"
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: R. W. Mackey on December 30, 2010, 12:41:00 PM
Lack of back tension, no doubt. I shoot left handed, shot right for years didn't know why, went to a Rod Jenkins shooting class and he picked up on it right off.  Now, when the shot goes right several times in a row, I know why, just start squeezing my shoulder blades together, and that cures it. There are many things that can cause this problem, but if it is all the time with differents bows, its back tension.  Try It....RW
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: gvdocholiday on January 03, 2011, 11:51:00 AM
There's a possibility you may also be lacking consistency with your grip pressure...maybe putting a little more heel into it.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Stinger on January 03, 2011, 05:43:00 PM
I thought of one other thing that hasn't been mentioned that certainly proved to be an issue for me.  I found that when I moved from a bag target to the 3-D deer that I was peeking at release to see where the shot went.  This slight lift of the head will cause a left hit.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Stinger on January 03, 2011, 05:45:00 PM
Oh yea, one other thought.  If you overdo the "push" part of the push-pull at release you will throw them to the left.
Title: Re: Why do i always hit left?
Post by: Xavier on January 04, 2011, 03:11:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by calgarychef:
When I bought my first recurve I got 2117 arrows....all i could afford was 1/2 dozen.  I hit left and I mean way left like 10 inches at 20 yards.  After a couple of years I started playing with spine and suddenly my arrows started moving into my line of sight.  

So my biggest question to you is "are you sure your arrows are spined correctly?"
I recently experienced this exact same thing... albeit i was shooting all over, not just left, but 2117's were way too stiff (my error in reading spine table with incorrect draw length and my #51 wasp actually shoots #47! i found out after the fact)
So i just ordered 1916's - after a friend (thanks Marco!) helped out, loaned me lighter arrows and immediately group got much tighter.
FWIW the 2117's were also making contact/causing noise on the shelf. I knew something was off, but didn't have the experience/knowledge to pinpoint it. (Thanks Marco!)