Starting over or giving up

[Tallhunter]

I have been shooting a long bow for almost twenty years, but over the last few years I have had a difficult battle with target panic. It got to such a point that I had to put my bow down for almost a year.

Now that I am I am trying to shoot again, everything feels alien to me. Like I have never shot before in my life, it is proving really frustrating.

If any if you have any advice it would be incredibly appreciated.

It has really come to a point that I am having to contemplate giving up traditional archery.

[nhbuck1]

Look up Joel turmer

[McDave]

You didn't say if you still have target panic or not.  There's only one reason I know of to shoot traditional archery, and that's because you enjoy doing it.  If you enjoy doing it, just keep doing it at whatever level you can, target panic or not.  If you look hard enough, and try enough of the things that have worked for other people, eventually you'll find something that works for you too (after trying a lot of things that don't work, probably). Don't give up unless you don't enjoy shooting arrows anymore, and in that case, I guess you should try something else.

[Tradcat]

Amen McDave

[Preston Lay]

X2 on Joel Turner. He can forever change your shooting and put target panic on the shelf. But you must listen to him and work the system because He will tell you over and over that "no system will work for you". You owe it to yourself to give him a try.

[mahantango]

This is supposed to be fun... don't make a job out of it. I've been shooting for most of my fifty six years and have been fighting target panic for the last several. I've almost got it beat, but never once did I quit having fun. Relax and enjoy the ride, consider it a challenge, seek professional coaching if you feel the need. Joel Turner is a terrific suggestion. You can work through this.

[Ron Vought]

I had target panic as well but its mainly due to snap shooting over the years instead of coming to full anchor. I have beat target panic for the most part by concentrating more on anchoring and also try canting the bow a bit. This has worked for me. Trying different things is not a bad thing. I have found that target panic really comes from too much aiming and not enough thought about the draw and anchor process.

Ron

[TSP]

You didn't mention the steps you've taken to 'get back into' archery after 20 years of shooting, or in your earlier days whether you were primarily a competitive target archer or primarily a hunter.  It does make a difference.

I'll assume you are a hunter or you wouldn't be here.  If so, keeping your approach SIMPLE (basic form, good alignment, bow weight manageable) will go a long way for avoiding TP.  
Choose your internet/media instruction sources very carefully...some will help your cause, others (though meaning well) may only make your TP issues worse.

Keeping it simple and having fun with rather than enduring the learning process are key ingredients to enjoying archery. Don't stress if you never qualify for the olympics, I hear the hunting there is awful.  

[Matt Fowler]

I don't know about target panic but Masters of the Barebow III helped me "start over".I was struggling with switching back to right hand shooting after shooting left handed for about 30 years.

[Jock Whisky]

Joel has come up with the only explanation of the cause of TP that makes sense to me. And no, it ain't fear of missing. Personally I think the term target "panic" is part of the problem. Let's call it what it is...loss of shot control. We can do something about that.

Usually if I know what is happening and what is causing something I can change it. I think this applies to all of us.

I've had "loss of shot control" for years. After talking to Joel a couple of times and working at it, life and shooting is a whopping site better.

Check him out.

[katman]

If it just a form issue i highly recommend Ron Jenkins class, best $ i ever spent on archery. If target panic is an issue you may get a lot out of a book i did, "Intinctive Archery Insights" by Ray Kidwell.

[Captain*Kirk]

It is my personal (and unqualified) opinion that most TP stems from being overbowed in the first place. The mind is trying to tick down your mental checklist while holding proper tension and waiting on the right time to release while your muscles are shrieking at you to "release!" and you end up in a mental skirmish which evolves into your body triggering early release to avoid this situation.
Your daily practice bow should be light enough for you to fully engage your back muscles, count to 20 or more, and then let off pressure without firing the arrow. Not being able to accomplish this is an indicator that you are attempting to hold more than your body can deal with comfortably...

[Draven]

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