Shooting less, but better?????

[YORNOC]

I usually shoot every day, like most of you.
I do pretty well, but hit sticking points where all of a sudden things tweak a bit for the worse.
Nothing major, but it's annoying. I figure the more you shoot, the better you get.
Well, it's trout season, and I'm now down to shooting 3-5 days a week instead of 7, and MAN has my shooting improved since cutting back a bit.
Anyone else notice this?

[longbow fanatic 1]

Not me. I need to keep shooting to stay in form. I have those off days too. On those days, I end the shooting session and come back the next day.

[NBK]

I'm the same way in that if I shoot every day it'll start to deteriorate after about four straight days.  Then I'll start to tweak things and REALLY screw myself up!  If I take a couple of days off then suddenly I'm ok again. (Stressing the "ok"   )

[BWallace10327]

Winter indoor leagues kill my shooting... The worst I shoot all year is at the end of the season.  I improve almost instantly, and keep improving until about half way through the next indoor winter leagues.  For me, too much shooting practice leads to too much repetition, and bad habits rear their ugly heads again.

[Michael Arnette]

I have noticed improvement with a brief rest, just a few days to a week and I normally have an amazing session when I start again.

[Possum Head]

Yep I've seen this myself.

[NBK]

I'm the same way in that if I shoot every day it'll start to deteriorate after about four straight days.  Then I'll start to tweak things and REALLY screw myself up!  If I take a couple of days off then suddenly I'm ok again. (Stressing the "ok"   )

[Thumper Dunker]

I like to shoot about every other day.

[Steelhead]

I think when your young and in your prime you can get away with lot of shooting physically and the mental side of maintaining concentration/focus is typically a little better when we are younger.

I would shoot better now as I am older with less practice.I would get burned out if I tried to shoot as much as I did years back.I would not be as able to recover physically and their is some mental drain in my opionion.

I think you should listen to what your body and mind tell you is right for you

Sometimes less is more.Sometimes more is more. Depending on your age,condition and ability to maintain your form,concentration, strength and how well you recover from your shooting sessions.

[cacciatore]

I am with you David,I shoot many hours a day to the point that my shoulder are 24 tired..
Resting for acouple of days fixes my poor form.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I shoot once every couple weeks in the winter and maybe once or twice a week in the summer. Personally I didn't notice a  change but last summer shooting less, my scores improved on the 3D courses.

Perhaps its coincidence, but I was thinking there is something to it.

[Tim]

To combat my obsession I mix in different types of practice days.  One day I will work on the bag target at 20 yards.  One arrow for form and go get it.  The next day is a judo point throughout the yard at all distances.  The next will be 30 yards to 50 yards on the bag target, again one arrow at a time.  For years I shot multiple arrows and the next thing I knew I was shooting 100+ arrows a day, everyday.  I did this for 25 years!

Too much shooting will catch up with you.  I've had surgery on both shoulders.    

[NYRON]

I went through a rough patch (divorce) a few years ago and didn't have much desire to shoot for almost a year. When I came back to it, I found that I was shooting better than ever and had the "head space" to completely re-work my form.

I think frequent, short breaks and extended breaks can both help to interrupt brain and muscle memory, giving your skills a chance to grow and not stagnate.

These days I shoot about 3-4 times per week, which seems about right for me.

[Sam McMichael]

Since I have been started back shooting after shoulder surgery, I have to limit the number of arrows I shoot at a time. Also, I only shoot every 3 or 4 days. I find, after a few warm up shots to loosen the shoulder, I shoot better than before the surgery. However, since things are not totally stable yet, a few shots go askew. Well, I have always had a few shots get away from me, but now I have an excuse.

A break allows muscles to heal as well as the mind to assimilate new things learned regarding form.

[maineac]

I like to shoot daily, but usually only shoot twenty of so arrows.  If I take a few days, or even weeks off I don't notice any real decline.  It might take a day or couple of rounds to "get back " on if it has been a couple of weeks.  I think this is true of anyone who has shot for a long time and has their form grooved into their sub-conscious.  If I am shooting for a long time I star to over think my form and it goes wrong.  A break lets me forget my doubts.

[stiknstringer]

Hey Tim, I'm ready for some stump/groundhog shooting...you?  

[stonewall]

Yep the mind and body need time to rest. But I'm a hunter , I guess if I had to earn a living doing it I would shoot everyday. My pop and granddad didn't start shooting til about a month before hunting season and they always killed game. go figure

[CRM_95]

I'm still shooting every day, but I've learned not to shoot as much. If I shoot 25 to 30 arrows I shoot a lot better than if I try to shoot 50 or 60. I've figured out I haven't built up the strength to shoot that much yet. I'll get tired and shoot poorly.

[Terry Green]

I'm 51 and I don't know how many arrows I've shot since I was 8 years old but I've never had surgery on my shoulders. from 58 to 100# bows the last 30 years.

Anyone who knows anything about body training knows that the body needs a day to rest in between workouts and a warm up session. ... a casual shot or two shouldn't mean anything and you should also correctly draw the bow if you do not know how to correctly draw a bow you could cause injury.

If you want to learn more about training read the argument for heavy bows thread and if you want to know proper alignment to prevent injury see the form clock thread on the shooters forum