needs some encourgement

[caleb7mm]

I havent lived in a place without a yard in over 10 years. This whole apartment thing sucks. Today was the third time ive really shot my bow in a month. I used to shoot everyday! It was very dissaponting. My normal 20 yards groups I could barley keep them together at 10 and 12 yards.

This is going to be my first 100% recurve only season and now I am in extreme doubting phase after today. On top of all of this I have been having right shoulder issues the past couple weeks and today on the first few draws it felt like it was going to explode.

[Dry Creek]

Hang in there!

[mattmcdonald]

last year was my first full season for trad hunting i went almost all year and i shot one in november with my recurve and could not find the deer then in mid feb i was so dissapointed that i had not got a deer all year long i started using my compound and got one i was so ashamed of my self i felt like i let my self down so stick with it and hang in there use some creative thinking and find a place close to home that you can shoot at like a small field or patch of woods somewhere

[ckanous]

Keep shootin when you can Caleb it can only help your self confidence when you get back in the groove. As far as Matt McD goes that nothing to be ashamed of as far as I am concerned. Its all about hunting  at least in my book and bringing home food for the freezer no matter how you do it is rewarding! Now I have been trying to go all Trad for a couple years and always break down at the end of the year. Well last year I ended the year with my compound and still didn't have a deer down, it happens no matter what. Do what you gotta do to make yourself enjoy the hunt. Start off with the compound if you don't feel confident but I bet if you get to shootin a little more it will come back to ya right quick.  Good luck   Chris

[gordie]

some archery specific warm-up stretching
before shooting will save that shoulder.

soon as it cools down i'll be stump shooting/
squirrel hunting dawson forest, your welcome
to join me.

[Mike Bolin]

Caleb, I know folks might argue my logic here, but that's o.k. Due to my working in another state and the time change when I cross the state line, plus sporadic overtime, I have not had much opportunity to practice at all. I have only attended three shoots this year. What I have found is that as long as I maintain my concentration, I shoot as well as ever.....for up to 30 or 40 shots.

I attribute this to lack of conditioning from not being able to shoot my 50-100 arrows an evening. As long as I concentrate on form and let my mind and body do what it has done thousands of times before, my shooting is fine, but I DO wear out quicker.

To prepare for Cloverdale's big shoot this year, I left the bow strung up in the spare bedroom and made an effort to draw the bow to anchor and hold whenever I possibly could. I was feeling some fatigue by the time I finished the shoot, but I managed to shoot my second best ever score there this year.

Don't put pressure on yourself. Try to shoot just a few arrows with absolutely perfect form. Shoot only a couple of arrows (maybe just one) from each different yardage. I shoot my first arrow from about 18 yards....the distance  is up to you! If I am not happy with that shot, I move up a few steps with each shot until I put the arrow where it needs to be.

Follow thru the shot! I think that follow thru is the most overlooked part of the shot execution. Keep the bow arm in front of you and your eyes on the "spot" until the arrow strikes.

If you are shooting well, don't fall in to the temptation to shoot too long. You will fatigue and start to develop bad habits.

After suffering from some pinched nerves in my neck and shoulders, I was put on a weight lifting schedule that I still maintain. Some dumbbells is all it takes and it has helped by bow arm and shooting overall alot! PM me if you want a run down of the basic exercises.

Don't over analyze, just enjoy shooting the bow. If you aren't "on" for some reason or another, don't force the issue. Move up close and do some form work....close your eyes and feel the shot, standing close to the target/bale.

If the season gets here and you aren't shooting the way you need to to feel confident at 20 yards, set your stand/blind up for 15 yard or ten yard shots. My first couple of seasons, I would shoot past 15 yards. I set up for that and killed deer each season.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!
Mike

[GraniteStater]

Good advice, I've also been having shoulder issues (my left-bow arm).  As has been mentioned, stretching is essential and warming up in general is alway's a good idea.

Not sure the layout of your apartment, but a buddy of mine lives in a two family and he is on the second floor and we improvised on his small patch of backyard and were shooting second story shots off his porch about 20 yards off.

With a portable target you can make any patch of land into a place to shoot, just may have to think outside the box.

And most of all try to have fun and stay positive, just enjoy any time you get to shoot.

Nice bow too, I shoot a 50# Rose Oak and I'm absolutely in love with it.

[Dean Lintz]

Get a good target set it up inside and shoot from 3to4 yards. When shooting this distance just work on form. I shoot this way in the winter time when don't want to drive to a range. After shooting a while you will find yourself shooting and hitting arrow holes in target.

[caleb7mm]

thanks for the kind words guys. On my way to work now, but when I get home tonight I will pm you mike b.

caleb

[mrpenguin]

Caleb,

There is good advice here.  Stick with it!  Break your practice into focused sessions like as Mike said, the pre-draw, draw, anchor, release/follow through.  Get close to the target and don't worry where the arrows hit aiming wise, focus on the bio-mechanics of the shot.  It will help tremendously.  Alway finish the practice session with a set of aimed shots.  If you are only able to practice to 10 yds, maybe that will be your limit this season... deer are often taken inside of 20 yds, so it should not limit you that much.  Another thing that helps me (got this idea from Jay Kidwell's book on target panic), mental practice.  Look at an object, focus on it like you are going to shot it and mentally go through the shot process envisioning the arrow striking where you looked.  It DOES help.  Considering instinctive shooting is a 70% mental game... get that part in check does not necessarily require a bow.

For your shoulder, doing those drawing exercises is a great idea.  I did that when I went from 50 to 55# to be more comfortable with the weight.  I also found doing pull ups and push ups helps develop the supporting upper body muscles.  It won't develop the key muscles in the back that really control the shot, but it will provide better overall strength and therefore control.  

Lastly, if you do not have time to shoot as much (like me in about 3 weeks when school starts again) practice by finding 5-10 mins and shoot 6 arrows with perfect form in simulated hunting situations.  Make every arrow like it was a kill opportunity.  I like this approach because it is closer to the real thing.  

Good luck!

[Bowmania]

You would not believe how much it helps to shoot two arrow in your mind before you fall asleep.  I mean think of everything from drawing the arrow out of the quiver, to nocking it, to follow through.  Very the distance.  You never, I mean NEVER miss.

What it really does is help you memorize the shot sequence.

Bowmania

[Hud]

Great advice from your friends; I will try to add a couple things that have helped me.

First, when does your shoulder hurt? It could be from a lack of exercise, but it could be another issue. If it last more than a week, you should get it checked. I recently went through rehab for an impinged rotator cuff. It may sound odd, but it was probably caused by a lack of exercise, followed by shooting, or work. Does it hurt when raising your arm above your shoulder? Does it hurt when pushing out with the back of your hand against a door frame or wall. Try it while standing relaxed, arms hanging down, push against the wall. If either of these results in pain, you should have it checked.

Shooting routine:  I limit practice to every other day at most. Same with strength or running exercise; one day on and one day of rest.

If you do not have a public range available, try to find a few Traditional Archers to shoot with, they may have a place or know of one. Next, check to see if there is any State, Federal or public land where you could take a portable target, and get in a little practice.

Practice routine: When getting back into it after a layoff, I will shoot from 10 yds. for 30 min. without a target. Picking a spot, focus, draw, anchor, and release in one smooth action; working on rhythm and timing. I might do this for several weeks or longer, until I am satisfied, everything is being done right. I am a believer in what Howard Hill said, upon release do nothing, with the bow hand or release. The bow should be still on target, and the release hand should be next to the face. Fred Bear shot much the same way.

Establish a few simple goals, write them down. Follow up by reviewing them, and measure your success. Stay committed and positive.

[Ssamac]

Get a big overstuffed target and shoot a few arrows for form each day right in your apartment. Be perfect in every way. You can stand 6 feet in front and that's great practice
Stretch first and warm up
Maybe try a lightweight bow until your shoulder improves.
All this will keep you in the game.

And I agree-- if that shoulder does not stop hurting, get to a doc and see what's up. It will only get worse otherwise.

Good luck
Sam

[RocketDog]

I would go with the practice draws in the apartment, and visualization -- mental aspect is very important!

Try to find someplace close to shoot legally.  An arrow will go through several walls unless it hits a stud!

[pickaspot]

Caleb,
Lot's of good advice above. In Jay Kidwell's book "Instinctive Archery Insights" - a very good & quick read - he discussed the great value of visualization and mental "practice". I do that all the time, wherever I am.

Close up practice inside (I shoot a vertical stripe on a bag) with intense focus on form will pay big dividends when you head outside. Shoot a few good arrows. That will eliminate all of the variable except for trajectory... a few shots at longer distances and you can get dialed in pretty quick.

Take care of that shoulder & hang in there Bro!

Jay

[caleb7mm]

So I am able to get 10 yards in the apartment across the living room and down the hall way to the door. I have been doing drawing exercises with very intense concentration. then shooting the 10 yards I do have. It seems to be working. I have the skill and the ability its just the string time that has been killing me. My methods are quickly coming back to me  

[baretraks]

this is gonna sound screwed up, but here goes.

I'm better if I dont practice. (yeah, I know, I know.)

I lost my job last summer and of course the first thing to be sold for the benefit of the family was, yep you guessed it, my Black Widow.

I didn't shoot again for almost six months.

I finally came back into the posession of one of my old bows that I'd sold a guy and accompanied all my friends to a little indoor shooting action at the local archery shop in March of this year.

I started to nock arrows and fire away at twenty yards and when the smoke cleared, I had a four inch group with about three out of the six arrows touching each other right in the x ring.

No, I dont smoke pot.

I've found since then, that the longer I practice, the worse I get. I think, for me, it's all in my head. My brain knows how to make the shot, I just have to keep my MIND out of the process. If I do that, I'm ok.

Since then, I dont practice very often. I'll shoot once or twice a month and consistently pile em all in a nice tight group.

This works for "me". I dont know if it'll work for everybody, but hey, like they say, "whatever works".