"Why Did I Do That?"

[ChristopherO]

I've shot rifles for many years and am at the point that I can usually tell you why I did or did not hit what I was aiming at.  I took up archery over 1 1/2 years ago, set the rifles down for now, and am shooting as much as I can.  After a 3D shoot on Saturday the realization came to me the I am NOT at the point where I can pinpoint, regularly, why one arrow will go exactly where I am looking and the next may go 7" up and away, or low under the chest, even though everything felt exactly the same as the shot before. Is this normal at this stage until more arrows are sent down range?  Am I loosing my focus or are there tricks and secrets I have yet to learn?

[jhansen]

Wow...big question.  Here's the short answer, consistency.  If every element of the shot, from how you grip the bow to how you follow through and everything between, is the same, each and every arrow should go to the same spot.  Unfortunately, few of us are that good.  Not to offend the "draw and let fly" crowd, accuracy develops only after you establish a solid repeatable form.  Doing that takes not just practice but quality practice.  I often hear folks say that they have however many years of experience doing something.  I always wonder if they don't really have one year of experience repeated over and over.  I don't say that to be rude but to point out that a shooter can become just as consistent at having bad form as good.  It all depends on how you practice.  I'm not a great shot.  I'm a decent shot within my self-imposed range limitations but when things seem to be falling apart I get up close to the target and work on form with my eyes closed.  No visual distractions, just the feel of correct form.  It works for me.
John

[BLACK WOLF]

John offered some great advice!

When shooting at most unmarked targets an archer has to also be good at judging distance. If an archer is good at judging distance and has a good aiming system the arrow should go where the archer wants it too...IF...their form is consistant to how they practiced and learned their aiming system.

If an archer is truly aiming Instinctively it can be hard to determine exactly what went wrong...unless they knew for sure their form was off....because many Instinctive shooters primarily aim and judge distance using their subconscious...which is also why it's a harder aiming techinique to master for accuracy in many cases.

Ray  

[Scott J. Williams]

I disagree with you and John on this one Black Wolf,  instinctive shooting is not defined just by the way the shooter addresses the target, and calling one's shots for the instinctive shooter is no more difficult than it is for a firearms shooter, or gap shooter.  

For those of you who have not been around shooting sports for a longtime, "calling your shot" means an instant analysis, by the shooter, of why the bullet, or arrow went where it did, instead of where it should have gone.

In fact, if I shoot high, left or right I can tell you what I did wrong, that had nothing to do with my "instinctive aiming method", it has everything to do with the mechanics beyond what the bow hand is doing.  For example, most release problems are nothing more than back tension problems, and or alignment problems.

Losing back tension for me results in an arrow high and right(I am a left handed shooter), an arrow low, is the result of me failing to follow through, shooting too quickly will result in a high arrow, because I palm the grip in those situations.  

My bow hand is the what I point at the target, not the arrow.  Yes, not only can I tell you why I missed, I can tell you if my string has stretch, my nocking point has moved, or if my string silencers have slipped.

Coming from a Military, and Police background, like my father, who was a expert marksman with a rifle.  He taught me the importance of being able to call your shots.  He said that it was key to becoming an exceptional shot, he was right.  I may not hit the spot every time, but I can tell you why I missed, and that can go a long way to becoming a better shot.  just the way I see it from here.

[BLACK WOLF]

Scott,

My post was primarily addressed to beginners...and someone only shooting a bow and arrow for a 1 1/2 to me is somewhat a beginner.

An Instinctive shooter who has been shooting for a while has most likely mastered their form and should have a better idea what happens when they miss...especially if they have had some really good instruction along the way.

A beginner on the other hand often times has no clue...I see it and hear it all the time...especially if they are trying to teach themselves.

At least that is how I see it.

Ray  

[ChristopherO]

Thank you for your replies.  
Here is a bit more background to work with.  My Dad was an archer before I was born and from what I've been told he was very good.  21 years ago I picked up his old Herters recurve to give it a go and could barely hit the broadside of a barn.  He came out and first thing he told me was, "Consistency is the key to accuracy".  Then he proceeded to put 6 arrows into a 6" circle at 20 yards.  Needless to say I was jealous.  
Being young and distracted by a growing family and work I picked up the rifle/muzzleloader/slug gun and took his admonition to heart with my bullet casting, hand loading, load development, shooting from various ranges and positions, yardage estimation and hunting pursuits.  So I can confidently say I don't have a years worth of experience packed into a couple of decades with the shooting sports.  Admittedly, I am a novice to traditional archery.
Dedicating myself to the bow in the winter of 2006 I've read Terry Green's posts on form and the positions of the clock.  I've put into practice using the shoulder muscles to complete my draw.  I've worked over my release to make it as smooth as I have ever achieved and have toyed with the various aiming techniques as well as instinctive to see what fits me.  There are days when I can place nearly every shot where it should be, like last night.  There are times, too, though, that just don't seem to click.  The first shot may feel great and hits where it is supposed to be.  The second shot feels great and hits elsewhere.  (yes, I even have shots that don't feel great and don't hit well, too.)  It is those times that both shots will be executed with utmost care where physically and mentally it all seems to be in place, yet, they do not end with the same results.  
On a previous 3D shoot I had the revelation that I was dropping my hand and not following through and have since worked on that.    
I realized this past Saturday after a disappointing 3D shoot that I could not pinpoint this time what fell apart.  The older gentleman I was shooting with commented a couple of times that my form was very good.  But that didn't keep me from shooting so sadly.  
It this helps you further to troubleshoot my lack of being able to troubleshoot I’m ready to learn even more from you gentlemen.
Christopher

[BLACK WOLF]

It really is hard to diagnose you're possible problems without seeing you shoot.

You're dad was absolutely correct. Consistency is the key to accuracy...how or whatever that may look like...as long as you are not consistantly missing you're target.

You need a solid repeatable form that fits your body structure, specific goals and conditions you will be shooting in and your personality. This usually can vary from archer to archer along with key similarities.

There are certain aspects to an archer's form that can make it easier to attain and maintain consistantcy.

If you can video yourself for us...that would be a huge help...especially if you can video yourself from behind, above and from the side...which would make a great start in helping us diagnosis what you might be struggling with.

Ray  

[wtpops]

Your problem might be tring to trouble shoot. I bet if you stop and think about it, those times when things are clicking you are not thinking about your shooting you are just picking the spot and hitting it with out thinking. I find that if i start to fall apart during practice, i stop take a deep breath and stop thinking about my shooting, i pick a spot burn a hole in it and just shoot. it works for me

[ChristopherO]

I noticed one thing last evening:  Some of my arrows were dart straight, others were what I called "dipping to the left."  I noticed that those times my release was more plucking than releasing.  I will keep working on it and it seems that the more I consider what is happening and discussing it with archer's like you I tend to see the issues to work on.
Thank you, Christopher.

[Scott J. Williams]

Black Wolf,

     I stand corrected, and under those situations as you stated, you are correct.  Next time I will pay more attention in class....

Scott

[Don Stokes]

Christopher, you must be sure that your arrows are properly spined for you and your bow in order to achieve the necessary consistency. Have you shot broadheads? That's a good way to tell if the spine is right. Feathers can hide a lot of arrow problems by making them appear to be flying well with field points.

If you're shooting wood, you should check to be certain that they're all the same spine, no matter what the seller told you. Once you're positive that you're shooting the right arrows, you can forget that as a possible factor. Then it's practice, practice, practice.

Don

[JRH]

I love this site...  One thing I had to learn, especially during 3D shoots, is IF my form starts falling apart during a shoot, I STOP SHOOTING!  I don't want to reinforce bad habits and get TP.  I will walk the rest of the course with the group and help score/pull arrows and relax.  Then later, I will go the practice range and practice good form at close range with one arrow.  After a few shots on the range I usually figure out what is wrong and fix it.  I enjoy my day more, have improved my shooting and lose fewer arrows... Every group I have ever shot with has been very understanding.  I am a hunter first so range scores are not as important as they once were to me.  Hope this helps.  

[buckeye_hunter]

I have found that when I am shooting inconsistently, I should hold my form for an extra 5-10 seconds after releasing the arrow and hearing it hit the target.  Then, I line my eye up with the shelf of my bow, and sure enough the arrow is exactly lined up with where my bow arm ended up.
After that, I try to slow down a bit, hit my double anchor better and slow down my release.  It usually helps.

I still, however, shoot for crap if I am too distracted with other things.!

-Charlie