Where Is Your Anchor?

[JoeM]

Another great thread!!  Great advice!!   Thanks Joe

[Mojostick]

That video clip or Terry should be a sticky!

[30coupe]

I can't remember if it was Rod or Denny who said it in MBB III (I'm getting old, and I've only watched it 4 times so far), but one of them said that anchor isn't a stopping place but a starting place. That really clicked for me. My cousin had been telling me to pull through the shot, which helped, but changing my thinking to anchor being the place where I start to add back tension until the arrow releases. It's kind of like the bow going off instead of me releasing, much like squeezing the trigger of a gun.

When I'm working on my form, I think anchor - touch my shoulder. I don't give release a thought; it just happens. Blind bale work helps that too. Then, like Rod, when I'm shooting, I just focus on aiming. When I do that, the arrows usually fly true. When I miss the mark, I can usually tell which part of my form I missed. When I am hitting the mark, I really don't recall any part of the shot except aiming

Yup, I aim. It's kind of a modified gap, minus the math (sorry Rod, I was an English major for a reason). I think it is similar to what Byron Ferguson talks about in his book. I'm not ready to shoot aspirin (even stationary ones) just yet, but my results have certainly improved by following the advice of Rod Jenkins and Denny Sturgis on MBB III. Everyone, regardless of their skill level, owes it to themselves to watch Masters of the Bare Bow III. It is almost an iron clad guarantee of improved shooting.

[30coupe]

I forgot to add, there is one bad point to watching MBB III: by adopting Rod's shooting methods, I now have to put a darn bandaid on the side of my nose!    

[Terry Green]

Hey...if that's what it takes to be accurate...its a small price.  

[TheFatboy]

I anchor just around my earlobe. It feels comfortable  

[SlowBowke]

Interesting thread and viewpoints.  I actually find most of them pretty surprising.

A long LONG time trad shooter and friend and I were discussing this just yesterday. (I dont enter the shooter's forum much..its embarrassing LOL)

Both of us "taught" ourselves in the 60s and when you've shot a certain way for decades, its ONE VERY HARD THING to do, when attempting to change.

It's interesting to me that so many are going for a LONGER draw.

With my fat face, "longer" also means further to the right (right handed shooter) and if I dont cant my head quite a bit, my eye is not over the shaft and Ill consistantly shoot left.

With a index finger in the corner of my mouth and thumb under my jaw, my jawbone sits directly in the "V" formed by my thumb and index finger.

"Aiming" at a mirror shows my elbow staight back and only a slight head tilt puts my eye over the arrow dead center.

Besides, anything longer rips the bejesus out of my beard, yanking hair out, and my rotator/shoulder joint is screaming bloody murder.

While longer draws give a person more zip, I find them very uncomfortable and inaccurate.

I know it's from decades of doing so and my self conscious is as bullheaded as I am but if my left eye is facing my intended target, dead center, I can reach full draw without any head movement, time after time.

MY and also my buddies big problem is it is so very hard to stop the "timing" of the shot.

Looking at the "dot" I want to hit before I start to draw, the arrow is habitually GONE when anchor is hit and consistancy is mediocre.

When I CAN hold just a second or two, Ill bust arrow nocks but consistancy is not yet here.

For decades as well, we never worried about it. We just grabbed arrows and went shooting. The more we shot the better our groups got BUT we still let er rip when anchor was hit and have killed dozens and dozens of deer doing so.

Ive a book coming to read up on the "mental" blocks of shooting and will be working on this but...dang, OLD WAYS DIE HARD. LOL

Excellent thread! Hope I didn't mess anyone up.

God Bless

[Paul WA]

This has to be the best site ever for learning. You guys hit on topics I haven't even thought about in 50 yrs of shooting...PR

[mrpenguin]

Currently, and from here on, I use Ruis and Stevenson's method of back tension (see "Precision Archery").  Target archers and coaches consider the face anchor too inconsistent... and it is IMHO.  I found this out myself recently when a friend noticed that my head came back when I anchored... not good.  The result, sporadically elevated shots!  So, I adopted a method where I find a level of tension in my back and position of my scapulas for my anchor.  This method takes practice but it works!!  

For those interested, here's how I learned this method.  First, I got RIGHT in front of my target, closed my eyes, drew my bow with an arrow cut to my DL.  Then I opened my eyes to check it.  I did this until I had a good sense of what my anchor feels like.  Then I began releasing the arrow, using the cut DL arrows.  Those grouped well, so I moved to longer hunting arrows.  Once I found consistency there, I then began noticing where my hand ends up on my face.  I use it as a subconscious check.  Having learned this method, I am now getting nice tight groups at 20 yds... better than I ever have!