Blank Bale ?

[wv lungbuster]

When shooting blank bail do you guys use your hunting weight bow? And what distance do you shoot at?  

Thanks Jason

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

Jason, do you mean shooting blank bails for form practice or just shooting for grouping?

[wv lungbuster]

Yeah I'm working on form.

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

I have been shooting bows my whole life but only really learning how to shoot the past few years.  I practice how I want to play so I practice form with my hunting weight.

Just my 2-cents, good luck.

[cbCrow]

I use one of my bows( I only have 2 ) and stand about 5-6 feet from th bale . I begin my draw and close my eyes until release is done . I read about this in "Become The Arrow" by B. Ferguson and it has improved my shooting by 30%.     Every time I shoot I start with the above for at least 9 arrows, sometimes I shoot a 1/2 hr. at the bales for form. Really helps me!  

[robtattoo]

I find itmore advantageous to drop down in weight. I hunt & shoot 3Ds with 63#@30" but for form work, especially blind-bale shooting I go back to my old FITA rig drawing 42# It's enough weight that I can still feel what's going on but light enough that I can shoot 80+ arrow without fatiguing.
Shooting 'blind' & feeling how your body works & responds takes a lot of arrows & lots of repetition. It will probably take you 30-40 arrows before you even begin to really feel what's going on & begin to make any adjustments.
I'll occasionally even drop to a 28# trainer bow so that I can draw & hold. And hold. And hold...until I can feel each particular muscle group working to hold the string back. This particular exercise can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour before I can identify each part of my body & recognise what it's doing/trying to do.

[Eugene Slagle]

Originally posted by robtattoo:
I find itmore advantageous to drop down in weight. I hunt & shoot 3Ds with 63#@30" but for form work, especially blind-bale shooting I go back to my old FITA rig drawing 42# It's enough weight that I can still feel what's going on but light enough that I can shoot 80+ arrow without fatiguing.
Shooting 'blind' & feeling how your body works & responds takes a lot of arrows & lots of repetition. It will probably take you 30-40 arrows before you even begin to really feel what's going on & begin to make any adjustments.
I'll occasionally even drop to a 28# trainer bow so that I can draw & hold. And hold. And hold...until I can feel each particular muscle group working to hold the string back. This particular exercise can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour before I can identify each part of my body & recognise what it's doing/trying to do.

That's good advice but occasionally one should also do the same with their heavier bow just so they know what they are doing with the added weight.

[wv lungbuster]

Ok thanks guys.

[eric-thor]

i do it with first the feather light and work up to the deer slayer.

[stevemfwills]

i shoot my hunting weight and its 59

[RocketDog]

I run the whole gamut of weights.  I start out with hunting weight, go to lighter if I am having form problems, then if everything iw working I go heavier to make sure I can keep it right and to build strength.

Of course, at my age, heavier is now what used to be light.

[tkytrac]

If weight is not a concern for you then by all means shoot your hunting bow for everything.  Most of us would be better served by staying on the lighter end of things. Being over bowed causes some pretty adverse things to happen to an archer.
I know I have less problems w/ form if I use a lighter weight bow.

[Old York]

Did you perhaps mean "blind bale"?

I ask because the idea I thought was to eliminate the aiming process by closing one's eyes,

thus letting them focus on the feel of the form and nothing else.


I've done it this way, takes a bit to get the feel down, but it does help especially if you have TP.

I use my hunting bow about 6-8 feet out.

Use a target and back-stop that cannot bounce the arrow right back at your closed eyes    

[bowbenderman]

I think the lighter poundage is much better for training purposes. Just had a class with Rod Jenkins, he had several of us shoot his #32 target bow to work on our form.