What to do when having a bad practice night?

[LEOPARD]

You should stop and carry on another time!    I can never do that tho, I REALLY struggle to leave the range when I'm not shooting well, but you SHOULD leave!  :D

[alligatordond]

OK this solution works, very similar to a few other suggestions with a big difference.

Get close(2-3YARDS) to a large backstop, you know a dirt hill etc. Get on your knees(seriously, it takes the legs out of the equation). Nock,draw and shoot as you normally would with one exception---KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED. You will find that you will be MUCH more aware of the little things in your draw ,anchor and release and this will get you back to the proper fundamentals of shooting, like using your back muscles in your release etc. In short it takes the shot out of the mind and allows all the attention/thought to be placed on the draw, anchor and release. Trust ol' Don on this one  

[John3]

When I shoot badly my "head" is not right. Meaning the focus is not there.  I put the bow up. Then later I will shoot inside for form, always for form. Eyes closed two steps from my target.

Shoot poorly put the bow up....  

JDS III

[Danny Roberts]

Quit on a good shot but not taking forever to get there.

[wtpops]

I stop, nothing is gained from bad pratice.

Its not even fun.

[rybohunter]

This is the part that I have the toughest time dealing with. It seems everyone has bad days. How worried do you get that your bad day will hit with a deer (elk/hog/rabbit) in front of you?

[James Wrenn]

I guess that would depend on how bad your "bad days" are.For some that means hitting more 8s on a 3d target than 10s.For others that might mean scratching behind targets looking arrows.I would have no trouble hunting even on my worse days because the things in my head that messes with the concentration causeing the bad day would be gone when I hit the woods. jmo

[hill boy]

Yea! Scoot up close, sight in, get a good shot or two off and put the bow up.It can get ugly if you don't.Especially if your not a seasoned vetren.I'm not.Bad habits form quickly and are hard to break.

[buckeye_hunter]

[Onestringer]

Lets just say I have broken more than one arrow over my knee and I found out you can unstring your bow by throwing it.  Most time I just quit though.

Scott

[BLACK WOLF]

One of the reasons why I suggest doing some blank bale shooting from 4' to 10' away when you have a bad practice session...is to make sure you finish up with some good shots so you can engrain those into your muscle/motor memory rather than quiting with a series of bad shots stored into the muscle/motor memory.

As boring as it may be...I personally have found it to make a HUGE difference in my shooting.

Ray  

[Pat B]

If you are well practiced with your bow, you have nothing to loose by laying off for a day or two, but everything to loose if you force bad habits into your routine.  Come back in 2 days and you will be back where you are most comfortable. Sometimes we get just too much clutter in our heads and a respite will usually clear it up for me.
   Over the last year I have not shot as much as I usually do. For me, the day I start back is my best shooting day. All of the necessary basics of form and concentration are back in the forefront without the clutter. Pat

[Jerry Jeffer]

climb into bed with the ol' lady...  

[sidebuster]

Film yourself as you shoot if you have a camcorder. You can number your shots.  If shot 1 was poor then say the words "shot 1 poor shot" and if good then say  "shot 1 good shot".  That way you can review the video and know what you did wrong when you had a poor shot and what you did different when you had a good shot.

[Ray Johnson]

I will usually get closer and quit when I've shot a few good shots.I hate to quit on a bad shot.I shot a 3D tourney this morning.I shot decent(244 on a 30 target course)but I did make some poor shots.Anyway,on the very last target I shot an 8 that was about 6" left of the 10 ring.Since there was no one behind us,I shot 1 more arrow so I wouldn't leave on a bad shot.It was an 8 just a hair outside the 10 ring.I never quit on a bad shot.