ACCURACY

[targets3D]

Originally posted by waiting4fall:
We all certainly have our bady days. You may want to consider only shooting one arrow at a time during your practice session.For instance, when hunting, you usually only get one shot. In 3D, if you do that, only the first shot counts.So perhaps if you just did an "experiment" & shot the same arrow 5 times, from 5 different spots, & acted like it is the only shot you get, I wonder how your accuracy would compare to the grouped arrows? If you choose to try it let us know how it works out for you.Best of luck.

I just thought I would chime in on this. I tried W8TN4FALL's suggestion - which I understand is also the Rick Welch practice method - and the results were quite surprising. My accuracy really shot up. Can't say I like the walking too much though       I am curious though as to why my accuracy did get better - I mean competitive archers are shooting 12 6-arrow rounds in a tournament and doing very well.

[RocketDog]

Practice whatever kind of shooting you enjoy.  If you shoot short yardage, one arrow per round works well, if you go longer you will probably want to shoot groups.

As your form gets more consistent, your fliers will disappear.  Fliers are a lapse in some part of your form.

As for goals, you should always strive to be the best you can be at whatever yardage you shoot.

Why settle for 8" groups when you know you should shoot 4" or 2".  Yes, archery is fun.  Just because it is fun does not mean you shold not strive to improve your performance.

[ncsaknech1ydh]

Striving for performance is exactly why I started this thread in the first place, I know alot of shooters, and only the very best of the best are shooting 2 to 4" groups, and I will continue to strive to some day be that good, thanks to this sight and what I have learned here it just may become a reality.

A question to 'Waiting4Fall' I agree with targets3D, it has now been 2 months since I have started this post, and I am sold for life with the 1 arrow at a time, other then the latest Welch DVD I purchased last winter and shooting tips I got from that DVD, the tip you gave me has helped me like no other. That may have also been on the Rick Welch DVD but in that case I overlooked it. I do enjoy walking back and forth on the longer shots, it gives me time to regroup for the next shot and reflect on what I did either right or wrong on the previous shot. It has made shooting even more fun then it was before.

A question to Waiting4Fall if your on the site, is one shot at a time the way most 3D shoots are held? I was only a part of 1 3D shoot about 20 years ago as I live in the middle of nowhere!

Also, you posted video on the 3D world championship shoot a few days ago, I watched as and on part of it it showed a shoot off between about 4 archers, and they were shooting like what seemed very quickly, did they only have so much time to make so many shots or do they all just shoot that fast? I would have only got one shot off I think to all of theirs as I always hold at anchor for a few seconds before I loose my arrow, and then I keep my bow arm in place and unmoved until a second or two after my arrow hits the target, of coarse my best day of shooting would not match their worst day, Just curious! DK.

[Cottonwood]

Awesome answer Dave          

[GraniteStater]

Dave summed it up real well.  I feel (especially being a new shooter), every few weeks or so I peel back a new layer of understanding and it takes a few weeks to drill that into my form and connect it to the mental aspect of shooting.

Lately for me it's been back tension, and how deeply it's related to my release and bow hand.  It feels like a continual evolution of my shot, and it's a fun and rewarding experience.

[bawana bowman]

Here's my take on accuracy.
Don't settle for paper plate consistency when it's possible to do better.

Back in my late twenties and thirties I shot a lot. The range I lived near had lanes out to 100 yards. This was late 70's early 80's, range was designed pre-compound era.
I shot there daily and shot at fluorescent orange target dots, 2". bought them in rolls of 500 because they were cheap! Just stuck one on a target butt and shot at it.
Back then I shot routinely out to 50 yards and played around often from 50 to 80 yards.
The point is this, from 1 to 30 yards I could hit those 2" dots 8 out of 10 shots, out to 50 yards I could shoot 3-4" groups. I never shot more than 3 arrows per target, so were talking 2-3 arrow groups. Always treated the walk to and back from target as a relaxation time. The minimum number of shots and the walk kept me from getting fatigued.
These days with my eyes going bad I can't concentrate as I did then. Can't get use to shooting with glasses and contacts aren't a possible option. Now have to deal with the frustration of the blur on almost every shot, really plays havoc with concentration.
But I still strive to hit the 2" group standard as I did years ago.

My point is this: Aim small, Hit small

Don't over shoot at any one time, take time to relax and let muscles recover. This will help make each shooting session more enjoyable and beneficial.
Also shoot at some long targets, really helps improve accuracy on the shorter distances.

[Ranger B]

David - the quicker shooting was the 3D pop up shoot off. Yes, they had to get ready for the next target to pop up so it was quicker.

The critical opening phrase of this poem will always be the release. Slowly the string is pulled back. Pulled into position not by the hands, but by the back which turns away from the target shifting weight to the right side without shifting balance. Tempo is everything; perfection unobtainable as the body locks into position at anchor. Theres a slight hesitation. A little nod to the gods. A nod to the gods? Yes, to the gods. That perfection is unobtainable. And now the muscles of the back begin to slowly ease the elbow to the rear pulled by the powers inside the earth. It's alive, this shot! A living sculpture all the way through release and follow through. A tuning fork goes off in your heart and your balls. Such a pure feeling is the well-shot arrow. Now the follow through to finish. Always in line - and a smile.