HELP! I think I'm overbowed

[shortstroke 91]

I've got a new Tomahawk 62" 50# longbow that's giving me fits. I can't seem to hold my bow arm steady when @ full draw. I don't know enough to say if it's target panic or if I'm overbowed but my brother in law has a 45# and I can hold it quite steady and get good groups with his, my groups are all over the place. Help me out here is there anything I can do to drop the poundage? I've been doing pull ups trying to build up my back and arms but It's just not helping. My size/stature also leads me to think I'm overbowed, I'm 5'5" and 150#, not exactly a big feller. I'm despirate for some help here, the bow was a gift from my father, I really can't get rid of it and can't afford another one just 5# lighter.

Thanks to any and all for listening.

[Mike Burch]

Can you hold it at full draw very long, like 10 seconds or so? If you can shoot the 45# pretty good, give the 50#er a little time.

Get close to your target, say 5 yards, draw-anchor-release-follow through. Do it in sessions and when you start getting good groups, step back another 5 yards and repeat. Don't over do it, when you feel fatigue, put it down and rest.

It will come, don't give up.    

Mike

[PigStikker]

Like Raw Hide said, start close during your daily shooting sessions and progress backward from there.  Then to gain strength, here is what I did: Every other night before you go to bed, just close your eyes, draw your bow and hold it at anchor for as long as you can.  Then let it down slowly, rest a minute, and repeat.  CONCENTRATE ON GOOD FORM!  Pull-ups may help you get in overall shape, but they work the back muscles in the wrong direction.  Try seated rows or lawn mower pulls with a dumbell.  Also do push ups to strengthen and stabilize your bow arm.

Matt

[Curveman]

If you can shoot the 45# bow well you'll be able to make the adjustment to the 50 in no time just by shooting it. I lift weights a lot which helps but you still have to work my "bow muscles" in a very coordinated way to get them in "bow shape."

[T-Mac]

I agree with rawhide and pigstikker shoot often but don't make sessions to long. That may be hard to do, but it will lend you to shoot when not fatigued. Fatigue tends to cause people to lose form. The ability to hold bow longer will come in a short time. I went from 45 to 55 in one jump and it did not take very long.

[bayoulongbowman]

start slow , just few arrows work into it ...come to full draw and trace a figure 8 at the target...now let down ...next come to full draw ur bow , do side ways trace of figure 8 at the target ...also close.7yds. in work shooting in bail will postitively help ya on correct form ...it some  takes work...but the benifits are worth it..good luck. mark  

[vermonster13]

Yes you're overbowed. Most don't think 5#s is much, but it is if you're at the edge of your limit before that. You can draw and let down to build the muscles, no arrow just draw the bow to anchor and let down slowly. This will work the muscles in both directions and strengthen you better than just shooting. You need to be able to control the bow to shoot well and shooting it even when it is just a little to heavy for you can cause you to develop some bad habits and even lead to Target panic.

[Frank V]

Try shooting just one arrow when you practice. Concentrait on form & bringing your back muscles into play. Start close as has been said before when you go to get your one arrow it gives muscles a chance to rest.I seem to concentrait more when just one arrow is involved. Frank

[James Wrenn]

Shoot less but make them all good arrows.Take your time to get and hold at anchor and make each shot count.After 4 or 5 stop and go do something else.A few good arrows a couple of times a day is better than shooting dozens just to be shooting.You will find in a few weeks that it is getting easier each time and you shooting will show a lot of improvement as well.Since hurting my shoulder from overshooting I have changed my practice for the 3ds this year and my scores have climbed from shooting much less than before.I average about 5 arrows a day now.

[shortstroke 91]

Thanks for the advice, I'll try to use 1 arrow for a while up close and do the exercises suggested and see if I can get my back and mind together. Sure wish I was smarter and got a 45# to start with, but you understand the whole MACHO thing.

[PigStikker]

If you stick with it and train a bit, you should be able to shoot smoothly in a few months.  Like Raw Hide's signature says "You aren't overbowed, you are just undermuscled!"  

Matt

[nine]

I think there are only good suggestions . I also think better a few arrows if one shoot concentrate than few dozen just to shoot.
 But we are all different and what’s working for one can’t be a rule .
 How explain that all champions in all kinds of sports use to train 4 / 5 sometime 6 hours a day sometime more . And there is no exception in high level sports : training  7 days a week, all year long.
May be the answer is just we aren’t all champions !
 

[Richard in OK]

In the August 2004 issue of TBM Fred Asbell has an excellent article about building muscles for shooting. He uses surgical tubing and I see that the one tube with handles is exactly what I bought last week in Wally World. He emphasizes developing all of the muscle groups by stretching the tubing. You adjust the strength of the tubes by making them shorter or longer. It's very much like what I did in physical therapy several years ago when my shoulder went out. If you can't find a copy, I can copy the article and send it to you.

Richard

[beleg]

You can try SPT exercices at:
 http://www.kslinternationalarchery.com/Training/SPTs/SPTs.html
I correct my form and gain 1" draw lenght using "new" muscles so I have to retrain them. Im working hard, I could shoot 100 arrows with my old form and now I feel back pain after 20 arrows.
Take your time and retrain yourself.
Hope this heps.
Martin

[nine]

Thank you Beleg, that is the best idea I got for long time.
Nine ( 20 years TB )

[Diamond Paul]

I would think you could work into the 50lber by shooting it regularly.  If you can, start with the heavier bow, and when you get tired, continue shooting with the lighter bow of your brother in law to develop endurance.  5lbs at that weight should be workable, unless you were right at your limit with the 45lber to begin with.  However, 5lbs on a traditional bow is more than most people think, probably like 15 or 20 on a compound.

[nevada cody]

i started with a 65 pound black widow i went from compound to trad it was to heavy but i gained strength very quickly varm upp before you shoot and stretch after and dont over do it but you should be able to build upp to the 50 pounder quickly but iff you are getting sore and fattiged you must rest for maybe 3 days you will not get stronger iff you shoot alot every day your muscles need time to recover i used to compete in armwrestling and iff you want to gain strengt fast the best trick is rest at least 3 days or more after you been shooting many arrows   you will be surprissed how strong you can get iff muscles are given time to rebuild
cody

[nevada cody]

i went to the gym and trained hard many days a week for a year nothing realy happend strengt wise i then got bored and stopped going to the gym .so often only went like once or twice a week, but worked out hard when i went there i started growing muscles like weeds and my strengt gained at an amazing rate, i would think that is the best way to gain strength in almost anything be it archery or armwrestling i shoot my 65 pounder untill fattiged then rested 3 days sometimes only 1 day somtimes a week i know i could build upp to realy heavy 100 + iff i wanted to but dont have time to go hunting buffalo anyway ,maybe sometime
cody