Why do i shoot good without............

I have seen lots of people shoot with good tension that did not know they had it.  Some call back tension a stiff unnatural jamming of the shoulders, others good use of the larger muscles and still keep a fluid feel in their shooting.  Double anchor?  Raise the thumb knuckle a little, drop the head a bit, you may be closer than you think to good form.

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by SaMbO2:
The use of back tension? The use of a double anchor point? Just all the things i hear you guys tell people to use and i dont use them and i shoot just fine, i just have a hard time understanding it            .

Why is this?

I dont mean any disrespect to people who shoot with those methods.

Thanks and God Bless.

The race is not always to the swift, nor the fight to the strong . . . but that's the way you bet.  The reason tips on form are given is because, in the long run and for most folks, they work.  Even then, there are many "systems" that are proven and successful - some of which are contradictory.

If you are truly able to draw a bow without back tension (arms like Popeye?), hey, go for it.  But think what you could do with proper muscle effort!  Plains Indians drew to their chest . . . most of the way . . . with a pinch grip.  Worst anchor in the world but they could chop corncobs to bits with consecutive hits and ate much buffalo.  Practice, practice, practice.

[zetabow]

AS a Tourney shooter I see lots of people shooting all kinds of methods and some breaking all the rules and still doing Ok.

I think all kinds of shooting methods work but the classic  shooting form with good back tension is considered a more reliable and consistent method than other shooting styles. We all have good/bad days but with my classic shooting form I feel that when I have the odd Bad day it's still pretty decent by most others shooting standard.

A lot of people get hung up with back tension, with the higher anchor used in Trad Archery it's pretty hard to feel the Scapula correctly working, just try the fita under the chin anchor and you will understand what back tension really feels like and why Oly shooters choose to Anchor under the chin. when shooting with Trad Anchor as long as your maintaining good balanced push/pull at anchor then it's very likely that your already using back tension and not to get too hung up trying to feel the Scapula working.

[reddogge]

One of my archery friends whom I have known since the late 60s is the best shot of anyone I know and does not have a classic form.  He shoots split finger, very high anchor and seems to hunch into the shot a little.  One thing I've noticed is his form has not changed in 40 years and he still is a deadly shot.

Could he gain an inch in draw lenght?  Probably.  Could he pick up some speed.  Probably.  Do I ever discuss or mention his form.  Never.  Does he need to do this to shoot better?  Probably not.

[Ben Maher]

Nicely put reddogge !

I think that good shooting is product of good repeatable form. This can be many things to many archers but with consistency good results can be achieved ...

As for "back tension " ... what Zetabow said .

[TSP]

The easiest way to learn to shoot well is by learning good repeatable form but some people are naturals when it comes to being accurate.  Check out the short vids of some of the archery greats...Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, Stacy Groscup, Sterling Harrell, etc.  They weren't exactly picture-perfect with their form yet could shoot lights out consistently.  Alot of one's results comes from  the mental side...sight picture, natural 'feel', confidence in what looks/feels right, etc.  But adding some insurance in the way of good alignment, repeatable anchor point, smooth release, etc., sure can't hurt for most of us mortals.

[zetabow]

A good point TSP, I've met lots of people I consider as good as I am and a few who can shoot better than me during practice BUT when it comes to a tourney and the shot really matters, I tend to shoot the same while these others cant make the shots when it really matters.

I think a lot of things go into making a good shot and Form is only one small part of the equation, likely it's the part we can have the most influence over and thats why people tend to focus on this the most.