Perfect practice makes for perfect shooting

[snag]

Mike, I thought we were talking target archery. If I am hunting I use my back muscles to pull through the shot. I do not consciously think of releasing the arrow. It happens quickly so there's no problem with having the animal move or reposition.

[Javi]

Originally posted by snag:
Mike, I thought we were talking target archery. If I am hunting I use my back muscles to pull through the shot. I do not consciously think of releasing the arrow. It happens quickly so there's no problem with have the animal move or reposition.

I shoot at animals like I do targets... cause once I decide to shoot it's just a target... once I commit and relax my fingers the shot is away.. but that is a conscious action as is every step from the moment I decide to shoot.  

I decide on the best stance available to me, I focus on the target then I draw and nock my arrow with a conscious thought to properly align the nock and pay attention to how the nock feels on the serving. I hook my fingers to the string feeling for the correct fit, I fit my hand in the handle, again feeling for the proper fit. I raise my bow and drawing arm as a unit, rotating my upper body to the target as I raise the bow. I begin my draw by rotating my upper body back to shoulders square with my hips, I feel my shoulder drop down in alignment with my bow shoulder, the load in my back and I bring my hand into my face feeling the spot on my cheek that is one of my anchors, the string on my face and the cock vane against my lips being the others...  I decide if I will shoot, heighten my focus on the intended POI and relax my fingers allowing the string to pull from my fingers, my bow arm to recoil forward and my draw hand to recoil backward... I never remove my eye from the intended POI until I see the arrow strike...  All of this takes just a little more than the blink of an eye... and is purely instinctive from years of practicing and not allowing myself to shoot a single arrow during practice that wasn't right...  But each step is also conscious and I allow no other thoughts to surface because my concentration is solely on the process

That is how I learned to shoot...

[snag]

Glad you enjoy shooting so much Mike. Sounds like you are very passionate about it and must be very good as well.
Thanks Rod, you worded it better than I did.

[Javi]

Originally posted by snag:
Glad you enjoy shooting so much Mike. Sounds like you are very passionate about it and must be very good as well.
Thanks Rod, you worded it better than I did.

Not nearly as good as I wish I could have been, and now not as good as I was... mostly today I'm better at teaching than I am at shooting.. old age ain't for the weak...  :D

[Yelloweye]

I have some fun with my practice by playing games.
Shooting on a course with animal targets, chose 3-4 arrows per target. Shoot the first round of 3-4 arrows  at your max effective range. You do not move on to the next target until you can put all the arrows in the kill zone. Pull the arrows and shoot from the same distance or move closer. I like to the same thing with 1 arrow, Sometimes holding for about 30 seconds.

[NJWoodsman]

Right now I use 3 different targets, a bag and 2 3D. I'll do bale and target work on the bag, and various range shots on the 3D's. I have them set so I can shoot at 1 target from the other, when I retrieve arrows. Sometimes I do bale work to warm up, sometimes the first shot is off a step ladder, simulating a tree stand shot. It's good to break things up, but I'm always mindful of form and shot sequence.